Brunella Battista has moved up the ranks at the New Westminster Hyack Festival Association to become its new executive director.
Battista, who has served as Hyack’s executive assistant since the beginning of the year, has worked in a variety of roles in the non-profit sector.
“I am a great believer that authenticity, commitment to a larger cause and a positive attitude are fundamental to creating strong relationships and great communities,” she said in a press release. “As an immigrant, I know firsthand that the support system I have in my new community has determined and expanded my own potential. My work is a way to give back.”
According to a press release from the Hyack Festival Association, in 2016, Battista managed the community engagement artists for the yearlong Coquitlam 125 celebrations as founder of Artists Rendering Tales Collective Inc., a group dedicated to celebrating local culture and stories through a variety of mediums. In addition to being the past president of the Chilliwack Visual Artists Association, vice-president of the Canadian Marine Environment Protection Society, and an award-winning multimedia artist and videographer, she has taught classes at a variety of locations in the region.
“Hyack is thrilled and fortunate to have someone with Brunella’s tremendous energy, capability and vision on board,” said 2011 Hyack president David Brett. “Brunella Battista will be a great asset, not only for Hyack, but the whole community of New Westminster, as she applies herself to fulfilling Hyack’s mission to make New Westminster a better place to live.”
Save the date: Nov. 15
The upcoming Urban Challenges forum will be focusing on Truth and Reconciliation: Cities and Citizens.
The forum, presented by Douglas College, Simon Fraser University and the City of New Westminster, takes place on Wednesday, Nov. 15 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Douglas College, 700 Royal Ave., room 2201.
“Truth and reconciliation is spoken about a lot, but what does it actually mean for cities and individual citizens,” said a press release about the event. “Learn some uncomfortable truths of New Westminster history, how the city is responding to truth and reconciliation, and why it’s the responsibility of all citizens to effect change.”
The free forum will be moderated by Frank Cunningham from Simon Fraser University and will feature three speakers: Dr. Gail Edwards, faculty of humanities and social sciences at Douglas College; Rob McCullough, the city’s manager of museums and heritage services; and Dave Seaweed, aboriginal coordinator at Douglas College.
Pattullo milestone
The New Westminster Historical Society is focusing on the Pattullo Bridge at this month’s meeting.
The presentation takes place on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Cedar Room at Century House, 620 Eighth St. It’s free and everyone is welcome to attend.
“The Pattullo opened in November of 1937 to great fanfare, and it has had a long life. This presentation will look at crossing the Fraser River to Surrey at New Westminster with a concentration on the Pattullo, its construction and its image over the decades as a landmark,” said a press release about the event. “An interesting footnote between this presentation and the bridge opening in 1937 is that both will take place on Nov. 15.”
Pecha Kucha returns
PechaKucha is returning to Anvil Centre for Volume 17.
Launched in New West in January 2013, Pecha Kucha features 10 presenters sharing their passions in 20 images, with each lasting 20 seconds.
The upcoming event takes place on Saturday, Nov. 25, with drinks being served in the Anvil Theatre lobby at 7 p.m. and the presentations getting underway at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12.50 and available at www.ticketsnw.ca.
Seeking long-lost relatives
A Norwegian woman is on the hunt for relatives who may be living in New Westminster.
In an email to the Record, Hanne Myhre said her research has found that one of her grandmother’s siblings, Hans Andreas Lind, emigrated to the United States in 1924.
“He travelled with SS Cedric from Liverpool to New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. His wife Simonette Theodora Lind and their son Jan Oskar Iwan Lind Olsen emigrated to Canada in August 1924, some months after Hans Lind. They travelled with ‘Oscar II’ to Halifax, Nova Scotia and from there to New Westminster, British Columbia,” she wrote. “They had three more sons, born in Canada. Their names were Stanley, Edmond and Kenneth. I can remember them from my childhood. They visited Harstad, Brokvik and Leikvik several times. In Harstad they met many relatives since the rest of the family lived there.”
According to Myhre, Hans Lind died in 1960 and his son Jan died in 1986, but Simonette and sons Edmond, Kenneth and Stanley still lived in the Lower Mainland in the early 1960s. Myhre is excited to hear from anyone with information on her relatives and can be contacted at [email protected].
