 Gillian Watson
It is with heavy hearts that we announce that Gillian Watson passed away December 28, in Victoria, after a sudden and brief illness. Gillian volunteered at the Salt Spring Island Archives for six years and ended up being the acting manager. She was instrumental in the cemetery project and made stunning displays for public events like “Remembrance Day” at the Legion and for the “Fighting for Justice on the Coast” exhibition. She was instrumental in producing two Archives calendars. She helped with Historical meeting presentations and worked tirelessly on many aspects of historical research and preservation.
She left footprints that will be hard to fill.
Gillian will be missed.
Gillian’s memorial on Salt Spring Island will be at the Legion (upstairs) on January 20, from 1-4. All are welcome. Snacks will be provided. People are welcome to say a few words.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to the Salt Spring Archives. |
The Salt Spring Island Historical Society begins a new year with a presentation on the fascinating history of the Harbour House Hotel by Usha Rautenbach. She will introduce us to the land before it was pre-empted and explain how Nona, the extraordinary daughter of Rev. E.F. Wilson, turned the family farmhouse into a guesthouse in 1916 while her husband Fred Crofton was away at war. We will visit the hotel as it developed over the years, from entertaining visitors and locals alike with jazz music and dancing during the Roaring Twenties, to the intriguing and sometimes disastrous events of the Seventies and Eighties. Join us on January 10th, 2pm at Central Hall for this entertaining and well-researched presentation.