Italian Canadian Experiences During World War II

This press release was received this morning –

Toronto, December 6, 2012 – A travelling exhibit commemorating the experiences of Italian-Canadians who were interned in Canada during the Second World War is set to begin a three-year tour of Canada.

The exhibit, Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Times: Italian Canadian Experiences During World War II, presents through video, audio and text, a rich collection of interviews conducted with those who were interned, as well as with researchers, historians and other members of the community.

Senator Linda Frum attended the launch event today at the Columbus Centre of Toronto, on behalf of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada, under the Community Historical Recognition Program (CHRP), has given a $277,520 contribution to help produce the exhibit. This funding will also help to expand the digital archive of many projects of the Italian internment experiences.

“The wartime internment experienced by those of Italian origin during the Second World War marks an unfortunate chapter in our nation’s history,” said Senator Frum. “The Government of Canada recognizes the historical experiences of the Italian-Canadian community during that period.”

When war broke out in Europe in September 1939, Canada was governed by wartime emergency measures that had a significant impact on the lives of many Italian Canadians.

The CHRP has made available approximately $4 million for projects to recognize the experiences of the Italian-Canadian community.

The exhibit will be on special preview at the Columbus Centre of Toronto until the end of December 2012 before it begins its three-year Canada-wide tour.

If you want to know more about this subject List of Internment Camps (WWII) go to www.windsor-communities.com/italian-list.php

2013 Meeting at Toronto Branch OGS

Gwyneth Pearce has sent me notice of the following branch meetings at the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society for 2013.

Notice: On March 25th, Glenn Wright of Ottawa, will talk about the 1921 Canada Census to be released in the coming year. 

They are -

DATE: 28 January 2013 (7:30 p.m.)
MEETING: Toronto Branch OGS
LOCATION: Gold Room, North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, Toronto
TITLE OF TALK: “Writing for Publication: Tips On How to Get Your Family History Research Published”
NAME OF SPEAKER: Ed Zapletal
BRIEF INFO: Additional short presentation by Donna Di Lello: “How to index old books for Genealogical Societies”.
CONTACT INFO: www.torontofamilyhistory.org

DATE: 25 February 2013 (7:30 p.m.)
MEETING: Toronto Branch OGS
LOCATION: Gold Room, North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, Toronto
TITLE OF TALK: “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor: Mining the Internet for Occupational Photographs”
NAME OF SPEAKER: Bonnie Bell
BRIEF INFO: Learn how to find relevant photographs of our ancestors at work. Additional short presentation by Stephen Low: “Tracing my Great-Grandmother”.
CONTACT INFO: www.torontofamilyhistory.org

DATE: 25 March 2013 (7:30 p.m.)
MEETING: Toronto Branch OGS
LOCATION: Burgundy Room, North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, Toronto
TITLE OF TALK: “Great Revelations: Canada and the 1921 Census”
NAME OF SPEAKER: Glenn Wright
BRIEF INFO: In anticipation of the release of the 1921 census, this presentation will examine the state of our country in 1921. Additional short presentation by Marian Press: “Writing for the Toronto Tree”.
CONTACT INFO: www.torontofamilyhistory.org

DATE: 22 April 2013 (7:30 p.m.)
MEETING: Toronto Branch OGS
LOCATION: Burgundy Room, North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, Toronto
TITLE OF TALK: “A Brickwall Chisel – The Cluster Research Project”
NAME OF SPEAKER: Ruth Blair
BRIEF INFO: Find out how to organize and start a cluster research project to help you break down brick walls in your family history. Additional short presentation by Elayne Lockhart: “My DNA – the Genealogical Gift that Keeps on Giving”.
CONTACT INFO: www.torontofamilyhistory.org

DATE: 27 May 2013 (7:30 p.m.)
MEETING: Toronto Branch OGS
LOCATION: Burgundy Room, North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, Toronto
TITLE OF TALK: “Inheritance in Ontario”
NAME OF SPEAKER: Jane E. MacNamara
BRIEF INFO: Additional short presentation by Jean McNulty: “A Photographic Puzzle”.
CONTACT INFO: www.torontofamilyhistory.org

DATE: 24 June 2013 (7:30 p.m.)
MEETING: Toronto Branch OGS
LOCATION: Burgundy Room, North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, Toronto
TITLE OF TALK: “My Interesting Ancestor”
NAME OF SPEAKER: Various
BRIEF INFO: Branch members share their stories with fast-paced five-minute talks on ancestors they have found particularly interesting.
CONTACT INFO: www.torontofamilyhistory.org

LAC is on Facebook

The Library and Archives Canada is on Facebook, and I read quite a few postings this morning, so that I could get a feeling of what the LAC has done with it.

They have a lot of pictures taken from their holding on the pages, and there were photos I have never seen before eg photos of Home Children, Danish Immigration, and you can read Sir Winston Churchill first speech to the House of Commons as prime minister on 13 May 1940.

They have 262 “likes” right now, and comments on the page, some of which are about the closing of interlibrary loan on December 11 – next Tuesday!

The Facebook page is on www.facebook.com/LibraryArchives

Halifax Explosion, 1917

To add to my post I did yesterday morning on the Haliax Explosion, the Library and Archives Canada Flickr website now has put photos on the Internet.

The LAC says that the explosion was a “tragedy on a massive scale (which) happened on Canadian shores on December 6, 1917 when the French cargo ship, the SS Mont Blanc, and the Norwegian SS Imo, collided in the harbour at Halifax, Nova Scotia.’

The photos are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac/sets/72157627774733594

2013 as the Year of Korea in Canada

A couple of days ago, I received this announcement from the prime minister’s office -

“Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced that 2013 has been designated as the Year of Korea in Canada, which aims to highlight Korea's culture, traditions and diversity, and celebrate the contributions of the Korean community to Canadian society.

"Canada and Korea enjoy excellent relations based on 50 years of diplomatic engagement, close personal ties and an important commercial relationship," said the Prime Minister. "It is a privilege to launch the Year of Korea in Canada which will showcase Korea's remarkable culture and traditions and highlight the vibrant relationship our two countries enjoy."

The Year of Korea in Canada will feature a number of cultural and artistic events across the country. Events in Korea will also be organized to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, including Canada's contributions to help defend the country's freedom.

Read about Canada’s contribution to the Korean War, go to
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/korean-war

Twitter Will Preserve Memories of Halifax Explosion

There is a news story this morning in the online newpapers that the Nova Scotia Archives will collect stories about the Halifax explosion which happened on December 6. They are going to do this by the use of Twitter.

They are hoping that Twitter brings in new views and details about the explosion, and the period afterward when Halifax struggled to get on it’s feet again.

The project begins tomorrow which is the 95th anniversary of the harbor front First World War event that devastated Halifax.

About 2,000 people died, and thousands more were injured.

The hashtag is #hfxex1917

You may read about the explosion at the Nova Scotia Archives where they have a Virtual Exhibit, a Remembrance Book, and a film “The Way We Were: Nova Scotia in Film, 1917-1957.”

The website is http://gov.ns.ca/nsarm/virtual/default.asp?Search=THexp

Living Library Inspires Human Books to Share Their Stories

Here is a 54 m4 4 4 4 4 4 4 645notice that I received this morning. In part, the message reads  –

"Irena Szpak, Hyman Yanofsky and Adam Leclerc's lives are all open books, literally. Irena, Hyman and Adam have joined nineteen other people from the Ottawa region to volunteer as 'living books', sharing with the public their personal stories as they relate to conflict.

At age 14, Irena trained with the Polish Resistance and was later taken by cattle train to a work camp in Germany. She survived to have a family and emigrate to Canada; Hyman joined the Canadian army to fight Hitler by intercepting messages from the enemy as he travelled through Europe; and Reservist Adam Leclerc spent seven months with the POMLT (Police Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team) training Afghan police to deal with security issues.

The Canadian War Museum, in partnership with the Ottawa Public Library and CBC, brought the Human Library program to Ottawa. The Museum featured one-on-one conversations with individuals who have fascinating personal life experiences and stories.

For their innovative and inspirational project that redefined the meaning of the term "living history", the Canadian War Museum for "Human Library" is the recipient of the 2012 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Museums: History Alive! Presented by the Canadian Museums Association.

"We are extremely honoured to be the recipients of this prestigious award," said Mark O'Neill, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation which operates the Canadian War Museum. "The Human Library concept was a dynamic and engaging way to help our visitors understand the personal stories that have shaped and continue to shape Canada's military history."

On December 10, 2012, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will honour the Canadian War Museum for their achievements and contributions to furthering interest in and understanding of our history and heritage.

Announcements continue throughout the coming week and profiles of all the recipients, will be available at Canada's History Magazine at http://www.CanadasHistory.ca/GGAwards