COMMUNITY GRANTS REQUEST APPLICATIONS PRESENTATION TO THE MUNICIPAL - - PDF document

COMMUNITY GRANTS REQUEST APPLICATIONS PRESENTATION TO THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF COBOURG February 12, 2019 Mayor Henderson, Councilors of the town of Cobourg: Thank you for the opportunity to inform you about Victoria Hall Volunteers and to describe our work which is a definite enhancement to community life and historical preservation in the town of Cobourg. I am Janette Johnston, the current Past President of Victoria Hall Volunteers. Who are Victoria Hall Volunteers? We are a group of approximately 50 women who meet 8 times a year in the Citizens’ Forum. Our mandate is to “assist the Town of Cobourg in the preservation of the heritage and historical aspects of Victoria Hall and to contribute towards the purchasing and refurbishing of articles and equipment as required.” I will shortly illustrate how we have, through the years, carried out this mandate, how we have assisted The Town financially with the historical preservation of Victoria Hall. What are our origins? This building, where we are tonight, is a national historic site, designated by the government of Canada. At the time it was officially opened by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales in September 1860, residents of this town hoped that growing Cobourg would perhaps become the future capital of the new province of Canada West. These great expectations prompted the municipal government of the day to construct this magnificent Town Hall in the neo-classical style. However, Cobourg’s future did not follow this hoped-for path. One hundred years later, by 1971, municipal offices had to vacate this building because it was in such an unsafe state of disrepair. Determined not to let this architectural gem of pre-Confederation Canada be demolished and disappear forever, the Restoration Society for Victoria Hall, under the leadership of Deputy-Reeve Lenah Field Fisher, began the campaign to save the building. A renovated Victoria Hall was officially reopened in 1983 with a Grand Ball attended by Governor General Ed Schreyer. You will remember that in 2010 Victoria Hall Volunteers organized another Grand Ball to celebrate the sesquicentennial of Victoria Hall. It is clear we would not be present in this Council Chamber in Victoria Hall tonight without the action taken by the Restoration Society and subsequently by our organization. In fact Victoria Hall would not

• exist. Victoria Hall Volunteers owes its origin to The Society for the Restoration of Victoria Hall. Several

members of that group founded the Volunteers in 1975. Marion Hagen, a highly respected Cobourg woman, who received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal among other honours, was very active in the Restoration Society. Marion became our first President and was our only Life Member. Victoria Hall Volunteers honoured Marion Hagen after her death in 2016 with the planting of a small tree on Albert Street on the south side of the Cobourg market building. How Do Victoria Hall Volunteers Assist the Town of Cobourg With The Heritage Preservation of Victoria Hall? Since our beginning in 1975 we have organized many fundraisers, held here in the Hall. All profits from these have been donated back to The Town for the use of improvements to this building. Our first fundraiser, in 1975 was a Theatre Night held at the Park and Capitol theatres. Our Viewpoint and Garden Series lectures entertained and informed the Cobourg public for many years while also raising

substantial funds. Wine tasting evenings, house tours… all these projects organized by our capable volunteers have brought quality to the life of our town and many hundreds of supporters into Victoria

• Hall. We have introduced Victoria Hall to many people outside our local area.

This past year, 2018, was a busy one for our organization. Three fundraising events and one public information evening were organized and presented in The Concert Hall. In May we hosted a Wine Tasting evening featuring the wines of South America. Also last spring Rob Mikel, our local historian, entertained at a fundraiser discussing Cobourg’s Gilded Age. In September, 2018 Victoria Hall Volunteers, along with support from the Town of Cobourg, was pleased to feature John Taylor, an executive director for the Restoration Society and first Curator of the Art Gallery of Cobourg in 1970. This was a free public event, well attended, where we viewed, The Grand Gamble, John Taylor’s film on the history and restoration of Victoria Hall. And in October, we presented Food Farms Tour and Tastings, showcasing the food and farms of Northumberland County. We have been supported three times in this project by the County of Northumberland, Economic Development and Tourism. We have plans to hold two fundraising events in 2019. On May 15 we are excited to present a discussion on the life of 19th century Canadian author and Hamilton Township pioneer Susanna Moodie. Two authors who have written about the life of Susanna Moodie, Cecily Ross and Michael Peterman, will discuss her life, Fact and Fiction. Hugh Brewster, of Armistice 2018 fame, will be the moderator. And on Friday December 13 we will repeat our popular Christmas dinner, presenting A Bonnie Scottish

• Christmas. These two events, like those in the past, will be presented with efficiency, elegance and style

here in The Concert Hall. Why are Victoria Hall Volunteers Vital to the Town of Cobourg? To this date we have contributed over $50,000 to the restoration of the Clock Tower and its mechanism, purchased the 2 Concert Hall pianos for $32,000. We have contributed $36,000 to the purchase and repair of the blinds in the Concert Hall. In 2014 we paid $13,000 for the 2 new display cases in the Lenah Field Fisher foyer. In 2017 Victoria Hall Volunteers furnished this same foyer with newly conserved and framed AJ Casson war memorials. Recently we have donated to lighting and flooring refurbishing and wall repairs and painting in the Art Gallery of Northumberland. This year, 2018, $15,000 donated from VHV amounted to half the cost of the repair of the clock mechanism in the clock

• tower. These are only some selections from the long list of contributions which you can see on the

screen. Our plans for fund donations to the Town in 2019 include helping with the purchase of a new Concert Hall Projection Screen and in the future repairs to the stone structure on the outside front of this building. You may be surprised to know that since 1975 Victoria Hall Volunteers has given over $333,000 to the Town of Cobourg. Without question we are partners with the Town, helping to make Victoria Hall the heart of our community. Why is Victoria Hall essential to Victoria Hall Volunteers? Victoria Hall is our home. We use our home for our meetings and our fundraisers. We watch with pride the improvements to our home and know that we have helped with these. We enjoy bringing people together, entertaining and meeting them here, proudly showing off to everyone who attends our events this historical, architectural treasure that is our home …Victoria Hall, the Town Hall of Cobourg.

We are thankful to the Town of Cobourg for supporting us through all the years since 1975, by letting us make our home here in Victoria Hall. We can be in no other place. Is there any other town in Ontario which has such a magnificent reminder of its history as we do? How fortunate we are to be present here tonight in Victoria Hall. Mayor Henderson and Town Councilors, you can see that Victoria Hall Volunteers has dedicated over 40 years helping you with the maintenance and historical preservation of Victoria Hall. This dedication continues now and into the future. With our support for each other we will continue to safeguard our town treasure, this star of Cobourg, Victoria Hall.