Another year is nearly past – how is that possible?
It seems that it was just yesterday that everyone was marvelling at the millennium change.
It doesn’t seem possible that it has been 40 years since Archie began, and 14 years since he stopped, working as curator and archivist at Irving House and the New Westminster Museum. Now, in 2014, we will join the community in witnessing the opening of a new museum and archives in the Anvil Centre.
It is fascinating to watch time fly by and the constant change around us. Our history keeps evolving – things are added and things are deleted. Marking anniversaries is a good way to note all the various elements of our story.
This last year has seen many important centenaries recognized. These have included The Royal Westminster Regiment and its 150 year anniversary, and the centenaries of the port on the Fraser River at New Westminster, and the full occupancy and operation of the Westminster (Trust) Building, which started bringing in tenants in late 1912.
Next year will feature more dates to remember, and we will bring you those stories through this column. Among the dates that will be marked internationally in 2014, are two that are already being written and talked about – the beginnings of the First World War (100 years) and the Second World War (75 years).
As we move to wrap up one year and look forward to the next, we are reminded of a short segment of an editorial piece from the New Westminster newspaper, TheMainland Guardian, of 1879. In it, the editor commented on what one could see in the newspapers of the time, specifically horoscopes, which were “… so ingeniously traced by foreseeing journalists, for the coming year. …”
We will have lots to talk about in the new year as we watch schools being built or not; traffic flowing smoothly or not; industry expanding or not; local societies functioning well or not; and other stories we cannot foresee. All are parts of our local story, our history. Best Wishes for 2014.
Archie and Dale Miller are with A Sense of History Research Services. Find them on Twitter, @Senseofhistory, or on Facebook - search for A Sense of History Research Services.
