Fonds consists of records of the Gorge Harbour Community Hall Society, including minutes of meetings, financial statements and administrative records and correspondence. It is arranged into five series: Minutes, Financial, Administrative Records, Correspondence and Programs.
The Gorge Harbour Community Hall Society was formed in 1930, when residents decided to build a community hall. The young people of the area formed the Gorge Harbour Dramatic Society and put on plays and dances to raise funds. The Hall was built on land donated by George Beattie. Volunteers split shakes for the roof and did all the building, with Charlie Allen as supervisor and Bill Ballantyne as work boss. The Hall opened on Nov. 11, 1933, with an Armistice dance.
The Gorge Harbour Hall Society disbanded in 1952 and handed responsibility for the Gorge Hall over to the Whaletown Community Club. From this time, the Gorge Hall replaced the Church Hall as the main venue for weddings, dances, meetings and parties for both the Whaletown and Gorge Harbour communities.
Custodial History
Records of the Gorge Harbour Community Hall Society were turned over to CIMAS by Gillian Milton, who collected them from the home of Gilean Douglas in 1993. Douglas' husband, Philip Major Douglas, was president of the Whaletown Community Club when it took over the Gorge Harbour Community Hall and presumably had the records in his possession at that time.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of records of the Gorge Harbour Community Hall Society, including minutes of meetings, financial statements and administrative records and correspondence. It is arranged into five series: Minutes, Financial, Administrative Records, Correspondence and Programs.
Fonds consists of a summary of the results of a questionnaire regarding ferry service composed by the Transportation Committee and sent to Cortes Island residents; the original questionnaires returned by islanders; and notes on other transportation issues such as road pavement and boat launch sites.
A District of Campbell River meeting March 22, 1993 took place in the Campbell River Hall. Present at that meeting were the Chairman of the B.C. Ferry Corporation; Peter Hughes, Operations Manager BC Ferry Corporation for North Islands; representative of the Campbell River Council and Campbell River School District; Gretchen Brewin, Chair Community Relations Committee; Colin Gabelman and his Executive Assistant; various B.C. Ferry Corp personnel including the person responsible for docks and terminals; and Jim Abrams and Ralph Nursall representing the Regional District.
At that meeting Peter Hughes recommended that Cortes Islanders form a Transportation Committee to liaison with B.C. Ferry Corp.
When Ralph returned to Cortes Island he spoke with a number of people he thought might be interested in forming the backbone of such an Island Committee. Eight of the 20+ people Ralph had contacted attended an April 21, 1993 Cortes Island preliminary meeting--Joanne Weyler, Sabina Mense, Joan Bevington, Ken Ferguson, Herbert Havelaar, Norm Gibbons, Tom Bennet and Dick Teams. What was discussed was the convening of a Transportation Committee meeting to bring together all those Islanders interested in transportation issues on the island. No one at that meeting volunteered to convene such a meeting. Ralph contacted then acting Operation Manager for B.C. Ferry Corp., Capt. Norman Craddock, and made arrangements for a public meeting with Capt. Craddock in attendance to answer questions from the floor. Joanne Weyler advertised the event through the Cortes Classifieds.
The May 12, 1993 Transportation Committee consisted of all those who attended that public meeting held at the Gorge Hall. The high turnout (50+) indicated an intense interest in transportation issues on the Island and there was a spirited exchange of questions and answers. Before this meeting, Dennis Mense had agreed to act as convener for an Executive of the Transportation Committee and Ralph Nursall asked for volunteers to serve on the Executive. Volunteers included Harry Breurkens, Glen Carleton, Norm Gibbons, Bertha Jeffery, Ted Pudden, Carol Reese and Joanne Weyler. [ . . . ]
The "mandate" for the Committee and its Executive, as expressed by Ralph Nursall, as as follows: "[I]t is intended that the Transportation Committee be an independent, community committee operating as it sees fit to collect opinions of Islanders to transport to the B.C. Ferry Corp. and getting information from the Corporation for Islanders. [ . . . ] the Committee will also interest itself in Highways and other transportation matters of the Island."
(From "Cortes Island Transportation Committee Background Information," in Regional Director fonds)
Custodial History
The material was compiled by the Cortes Island Transportation Committee. It was made available to islanders at the Manson's Landing library, and later transferred to CIMAS.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of a summary of the results of a questionnaire regarding ferry service composed by the Transportation Committee and sent to Cortes Island residents; the original questionnaires returned by islanders; and notes on other transportation issues such as road pavement and boat launch sites.
