Fonds consists of records of the Cortes Emergency First Aid Service (CEFAS) including the constitution, meeting agendas, correspondence, survey responses and attendant schedules. It is arranged in three series: Administrative Records, Correspondence and Survey Responses.
In 1988, concerned members of the Cortes community formed the Cortes Island First Aid Society (CIFAS). They were trained in basic first aid and provided volunteer service to the island for the next four years. A retired industrial ambulance was procured by Sully and Marg Sullivan and outfitted with some medical equipment. Prior to this people were transported in private cars and trucks.
In 1992, the British Columbia Ambulance Service opened a station on Cortes which continued and expanded that service, and CEFAS was dissolved.
Custodial History
Bonnie MacDonald held these records from the time of her involvement in the founding of CEFAS; she donated them to CIMAS.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of records of the Cortes Emergency First Aid Service (CEFAS) including the constitution, meeting agendas, correspondence, survey responses and attendant schedules. It is arranged in three series: Administrative Records, Correspondence and Survey Responses.
Fonds consists of photographs of the Gorge Harbour Lodge and Lodge activities, the Corneille and Ballantyne families, and Gladys Ballantyne's house, Gypsy Hill.
Bobby (Elizabeth) Corneille Ballantyne (1914-2009) was born in Vancouver and moved to Cortes Island as a young child. She was 4 years old when her father died suddenly on Marina Island in 1919; she remembers that they had to wait 3 days for a Union Steamship to get the body. Her mother Tena (Sarah Christena) Corneille (1877-1949) bought a tourist lodge at the east end of Gorge Harbour in 1929, and ran it until 1936 with the help of her two teen-age daughters. Gorge Harbour Lodge offered accommodations in the main building or in tents, tennis and badminton courts, and excellent boating, bathing and fishing. Vacationers came up from Vancouver on the Union Steamships for a round-trip ticket price of $6.65. The annual Regatta was the main social event of the season, with people arriving by boat from Cortes and the surrounding islands. It featured boat and swimming races, and a dance in the evening.
Gladys Georgeson Ballantyne (1882-1964), first came to Cortes in about 1910. In about 1920 she bought a property in Whaletown (now 640 Whaletown Rd.) that she called "Gypsy Hill". She was one of the original members of the Whaletown Friendly Circle, later the Whaletown Women's Institute. Gladys, her son Bill, daughter Valerie and her fiance were all on Cortes building a summer cottage when the Depression suddenly hit. Their off-island jobs fell through, and they remained at "Gypsy Hill" for the duration.
Bill Ballantyne (1908-1993) was in the Merchant Marine from 1924-1929. When he was unable to find work on ships during the Depression, he took whatever jobs he could find hand-logging and fishing. Bill and Bobby Corneille were married in 1937. They and other young Whaletown residents formed the Gorge Harbour Dramatic Society to help raise funds to build a community hall, and Bill was the work boss of the building crew for the Gorge Hall. In 1941 they moved to Victoria, and after the war settled in Courtenay with their two sons Peter and Ross. In the late 1950s they returned to Whaletown on Cortes Island where they fished for many years on the gulf troller “Viking”. During that time many young “deckhands” spent time aboard during summer vacations. On retirement, Campbell River became their home.
Custodial History
Electronic records were downloaded in 2012 from an internet address provided by Peter Ballantyne. One photograph was scanned from a photograph temporarily loaned by John and De Clarke.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of photographs of the Gorge Harbour Lodge and Lodge activities, the Corneille and Ballantyne families, and Gladys Ballantyne's house, Gypsy Hill.
This fonds contains textual records, photographs and other archival material relating to the history and functions of the Cortes Island Museum & Archives Society. It includes material created for exhibits and research on Cortes social and natural history.
This fonds contains textual records, photographs and other archival material relating to the history and functions of the Cortes Island Museum & Archives Society. It includes material created for exhibits and research on Cortes social and natural history.
Binder contains interviews, stories and pictures from Ginny and Bruce Ellingsen, the Lambert family, Dolly (Jeffery) Hansen and Maryann McCoy, with additional historic photographs of Smelt Bay from the early to the late 1900s at the back. It was created as part of the Memories of Manson's Landing Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Binder contains interviews, stories and pictures from Ginny and Bruce Ellingsen, the Lambert family, Dolly (Jeffery) Hansen and Maryann McCoy, with additional historic photographs of Smelt Bay from the early to the late 1900s at the back. It was created as part of the Memories of Manson's Landing Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
File contains two catalogs of the "Curiouser & Curiouser" exhibit in the Cortes Island Museum, 2019/2020, curated by Christian Gronau.
Modelled loosely on the fabled cabinets, boxes, rooms and chambers of the Renaissance, this exhibition was an invitation to reawaken the unreserved and almost childlike interest and curiosity of age when Europeans shook off the shadows of the Dark Ages and awoke to the fascination of the external world. When people of intellect and time to spare went (for better and for worse) in search of adventure, discovery and illumination, to all the corners of the Earth. They came back with stories full of wonder and brought back specimens full of mystery and promise. Their curiosity changed forever the ways in which humans look upon the world.
File contains two catalogs of the "Curiouser & Curiouser" exhibit in the Cortes Island Museum, 2019/2020, curated by Christian Gronau.
Modelled loosely on the fabled cabinets, boxes, rooms and chambers of the Renaissance, this exhibition was an invitation to reawaken the unreserved and almost childlike interest and curiosity of age when Europeans shook off the shadows of the Dark Ages and awoke to the fascination of the external world. When people of intellect and time to spare went (for better and for worse) in search of adventure, discovery and illumination, to all the corners of the Earth. They came back with stories full of wonder and brought back specimens full of mystery and promise. Their curiosity changed forever the ways in which humans look upon the world.
Binder contains interviews, stories and photographs documenting the social history of the Whaletown area. It was created as part of the Windows on Whaletown Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Additional information:
re photo on p 79: "Dell Tooker with Stephen Williams (son of Trefor Williams). The Titus’s were gone by 1960 when the photo was taken. This horse was “Lady” and belonged to Bert Hansen. He kindly loaned her to us sometimes which was so appreciated." (from Tari Tooker Chiasson, 5/2021)
Binder contains interviews, stories and photographs documenting the social history of the Whaletown area. It was created as part of the Windows on Whaletown Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Additional information:
re photo on p 79: "Dell Tooker with Stephen Williams (son of Trefor Williams). The Titus’s were gone by 1960 when the photo was taken. This horse was “Lady” and belonged to Bert Hansen. He kindly loaned her to us sometimes which was so appreciated." (from Tari Tooker Chiasson, 5/2021)
Binder contains interviews, stories and photographs documenting the social history of the Whaletown area from 1907-1930. It was created as part of the Windows on Whaletown Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Binder contains interviews, stories and photographs documenting the social history of the Whaletown area from 1907-1930. It was created as part of the Windows on Whaletown Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Binder contains interviews, stories and photographs documenting the social history of the Whaletown area. It was created as part of the Windows on Whaletown Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Binder contains interviews, stories and photographs documenting the social history of the Whaletown area. It was created as part of the Windows on Whaletown Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Binder contains a photocopy of a Province of BC bulletin on how to pre-empt land (1929), and a list of pre-emptions from the records in the BC Archives in Victoria.
Binder contains a photocopy of a Province of BC bulletin on how to pre-empt land (1929), and a list of pre-emptions from the records in the BC Archives in Victoria.
Scan of Cortes Marketer 2011 containing Advisory Planning Commissions (APC) for local land use management; agenda from SRD Electoral Area Services Committee (EASC) meeting; and local advertisements on back
Scan of Cortes Marketer 2011 containing Advisory Planning Commissions (APC) for local land use management; agenda from SRD Electoral Area Services Committee (EASC) meeting; and local advertisements on back
Photo of Bob Langdon's amphibious Seabee, 1948. Receipts from Island Airlines, Elmer Ellingsen, 1969. Clippings with info on the history of seaplane use and Campbell River's seaplane industry. Transcript of Susan Ellingsen, Dianne Hentschel, and Doreen Thompson, 2005. Harbors magazine featuring Kenmore Air 2011. Additional keywords: Bob Langdon; Campbell River, the Spit; mercy flights; bush pilots; injured loggers
Photo of Bob Langdon's amphibious Seabee, 1948. Receipts from Island Airlines, Elmer Ellingsen, 1969. Clippings with info on the history of seaplane use and Campbell River's seaplane industry. Transcript of Susan Ellingsen, Dianne Hentschel, and Doreen Thompson, 2005. Harbors magazine featuring Kenmore Air 2011. Additional keywords: Bob Langdon; Campbell River, the Spit; mercy flights; bush pilots; injured loggers
