Sedley Bell-Irving Sweeny (November 29, 1917 - December 19, 2013) was born in England. He graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada with a commission in the Royal Engineers and went on to serve in World War II with the 8th Army from El Alamein onwards, then in Sicily, Italy and Greece; he was awarded Military Cross for valour at the Garigliano River crossing in Jan.'44.
He married Diana Game in 1941 and they had three daughters: Nicola, Terry and Robin. He retired from the army in 1957, bought a farm in Wales, and for the next thirty years devoted his energies to sustainable land management, self sufficiency and, increasingly, the welfare of marginalized people. With Diana, he managed an orphanage for Tibetan refugee children in Simla, India, on behalf of Save the Children Fund, subsequently founding The Society for Training in Rural Industries and Village Enterprises, through which he provided instruction and practical experience for Tibetan family groups on his farm.
Sedley returned to BC in 1985, divorced and single again. At age 71 he rowed to Cortes from Vancouver, where he met and married his second wife, Trude Albright, in 1989. Sedley was a Self Sufficiency advocate promoting a Cortes wide vision of cooperation and skill sharing. He and Trude were involved in many Cortes community initiatives including an emergency first aid and ambulance service; the Friends of Cortes Association; the Cortes Ecoforestry Society; the Cortes Earmark Book of islander skills; and The Cooperation For Cortes Self Sufficiency. Many of the associated activities happened at Trude's Café. A skilled boat-builder, he converted a fishing boat into a junk-rigged yacht, and he also instructed Cortes youth in boatbuilding and sailing.
Sedley died at home at the age of 96 and is buried in the Whaletown cemetery.
Custodial History
There is no accession record; fonds has been given an arbitrary FIC (Found In Collection) number based on the date of processing.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of writings by Sedley Sweeny, including a book, "The Challenge of Smallholding", and two photographs of his sailboat, "Wild Rose".
Sedley Bell-Irving Sweeny (November 29, 1917 - December 19, 2013) lived a long and interesting life. At age 71 he rowed to Cortes from Vancouver, where he met and married his second wife, Trude Albright, in 1989.Sedley was a Self Sufficiency advocate promoting a Cortes wide vision of cooperation and skill sharing. A skilled boat-builder, he converted a fishing boat into a junk-rigged yacht. Sedley never owned a car on Cortes, rather walking and hitchhiking where ever he had to go.
Sweeny was an army officer, a farmer, an engineer and a sailor. He ran an orphanage for Tibetan Refugees and helped with Tibetan ecoforestry. He knew the Dalai Lama personally and brought Trude to meet him. He wrote many articles and books; including The Intuitive View of the Whole (attached), The Challenge of Smallholding and Working up a Smallholding. Sedley was an incredible boat builder and spent a lot of time on the water.
Scope and Content
File consists of a book by Sweeny, "The Challenge of Smallholding", published by Oxford University Press, 1987.
File consists of a two booklets, "An Intuitive View of the Whole" and "Children of Tibet", a Cortes Island Self-Sufficiency pamphlet, poetry by Sweeny and the Dalai Lama, and a letter about ecoforestry trainng for Tibetan refugees in India.
File consists of a two booklets, "An Intuitive View of the Whole" and "Children of Tibet", a Cortes Island Self-Sufficiency pamphlet, poetry by Sweeny and the Dalai Lama, and a letter about ecoforestry trainng for Tibetan refugees in India.
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.
This series consists of binders compiled by museum volunteers to document various aspects of Cortes Island history. The binders contain a mixture of photographs, correspondence and research.
This series consists of binders compiled by museum volunteers to document various aspects of Cortes Island history. The binders contain a mixture of photographs, correspondence and research.
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.
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.
Memories of Mansons Landing 2005 – Central Area – Bridge Hill and Smelt Bay Hill
Binder contains interviews, stories and pictures from Mary and Bill Block, Larry Borland, May (Freeman) Ellingsen, Wilf Freeman, the Froud family, Robbie Graham, Bill Guthrie, Gloria Morrisette, Jean (Reford) MacDonald and Beth (Martin) Slater.
It was created as part of the Memories of Manson's Landing Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Memories of Mansons Landing 2005 – Central Area – Bridge Hill and Smelt Bay Hill
Binder contains interviews, stories and pictures from Mary and Bill Block, Larry Borland, May (Freeman) Ellingsen, Wilf Freeman, the Froud family, Robbie Graham, Bill Guthrie, Gloria Morrisette, Jean (Reford) MacDonald and Beth (Martin) Slater.
It was created as part of the Memories of Manson's Landing Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Memories of Mansons Landing 2005: The Landing and the Lagoon
Binder contains interviews, stories and pictures from Ken Summers, Bert and Victoria Summers, Ann Barton, Hiram (Buster) and Mabel Christiansen, Otis (Christiansen) Coulter, George and Rosemary (Gavin) Hawkins, Bob Martineau and Fred Reedel.
It was created as part of the Memories of Manson's Landing Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Memories of Mansons Landing 2005: The Landing and the Lagoon
Binder contains interviews, stories and pictures from Ken Summers, Bert and Victoria Summers, Ann Barton, Hiram (Buster) and Mabel Christiansen, Otis (Christiansen) Coulter, George and Rosemary (Gavin) Hawkins, Bob Martineau and Fred Reedel.
It was created as part of the Memories of Manson's Landing Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Binder contains interviews, stories and photographs relating to schools in Mansons Landing. It was created as part of the Memories of Manson's Landing Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Binder contains interviews, stories and photographs relating to schools in Mansons Landing. It was created as part of the Memories of Manson's Landing Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
This memoir, written by Captain Frederic (Fred) Vosper, contains family history, photographs, clippings and stories of Vosper's life on Cortes and in coastal British Columbia. It is reproduced here with the kind permission of Patricia Vosper.
Frederic (Fred) Vernon Vosper (1935-2016) was born in Vancouver BC and grew up on the coast, always around boats and water. Occupations included tug boat captain and owner, hard-hat salvage diver, and hand logger. Fred married Patricia in 1956, and they had six children. The Vospers lived in Cortes Bay from 1975 to 1982, and returned to Cortes in 1990, after Fred retired.
Custodial History
A copy of the book was donated to CIMAS in 2021 by Patricia Vosper, who gave permission for the book to be scanned and made available online.
Scope and Content
This memoir, written by Captain Frederic (Fred) Vosper, contains family history, photographs, clippings and stories of Vosper's life on Cortes and in coastal British Columbia. It is reproduced here with the kind permission of Patricia Vosper.
Binder contains interviews, stories, clippings and photographs documenting the social history of the Coulter Bay and Carrington Bay areas. It was created as part of the Windows on Whaletown Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Binder contains interviews, stories, clippings and photographs documenting the social history of the Coulter Bay and Carrington Bay areas. It was created as part of the Windows on Whaletown Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Binder contains interviews, stories, clippings and photographs documenting the social history of the Green Valley/Bluejay Lake area. It was created as part of the Windows on Whaletown Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Binder contains interviews, stories, clippings and photographs documenting the social history of the Green Valley/Bluejay Lake area. It was created as part of the Windows on Whaletown Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Binder contains interviews, stories and pictures from Etta (McKay) Byers, Bert and Penny Hansen, Peggy Pyner, Frank Hayes, Vida (Trousdale) Hodgson, Bob Milton, Lorne Musclow, and Elton Anderson.
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 Etta (McKay) Byers, Bert and Penny Hansen, Peggy Pyner, Frank Hayes, Vida (Trousdale) Hodgson, Bob Milton, Lorne Musclow, and Elton Anderson.
It was created as part of the Memories of Manson's Landing Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Binder contains interviews, stories and photographs relating to Michael and John Manson and their families. It was created as part of the Memories of Manson's Landing Exhibit, curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Binder contains interviews, stories and photographs relating to Michael and John Manson and their families. 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. Binder contains interviews, stories and pictures. It was created in 2001 as part of the exhibit "The Von Donop Creek Story - 1920-1960", curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
Binder contains interviews, stories and pictures. Binder contains interviews, stories and pictures. It was created in 2001 as part of the exhibit "The Von Donop Creek Story - 1920-1960", curated and mounted by Doreen Thompson.
