A message from President Quentin Goodbody
As we start another year, I thought you might like an account of what the Society has been doing over the past 12 months. Here is a quick update with some photos.
Archives
Ann Rogers continues to assist Christine Meutzner with archival work and organization.
Stalwart volunteers continued working diligently, keeping the Archives open Monday-Friday, 9 am-2 pm, managing records, servicing queries from municipalities and the public, and conducting research on society contracts and historical subjects of their own choosing.
A 30-page ‘History of Mañana Lodge’ was researched, written and provided to FMC Holdings Ltd. to accompany the re-opening of the Lodge after extensive renovations by the new owners. The lodge has been variously known as the Page Point Inn and the Raven Point Inn. FMC reciprocated with very generous donations to the society.
Susan Knoss published an interesting Remembrance Day article in the November edition of Take5, “Remembering World War 1 Doctors,” based on her ongoing research on the Doctors of Ladysmith.
Dogwood Dan continues to enthrall us with weekly heritage posts on Facebook.
1st Ave. Museum
Kim Stordy took over management of Museum activities. Along with a dedicated group of volunteers, the building is kept busy, hosting exhibits, events and workshops.
The attic space in the Museum continues to house shows by local artists and artisans as well as a functioning office for museum staff.
On the Main Floor, our fabulous Museum Shop features works by local artists and artisans, as well as books of local heritage interest.
We continue to work on updating the permanent exhibits detailing the Town and District’s development.
‘The Beat Goes On – Music in Ladysmith’, a joint project between the LDHS and Digital Museums Canada, was launched online in May, accompanied by a parallel exhibit in the Museum. The project chronicles the Town and District’s history in a delightful and unique way, relating incidents and situations to music of the era. If you have not looked at it online, here is the link:
https://www.communitystories.ca/projects/the-beat-goes-on-ladysmiths-history-and-music/
The summer season was busy with a steady stream of visitors from far and wide. Will Landeweer again helped host visitors during the peak season, funded by Canada Summer Jobs.
Yet again, the Ladysmith & District Credit Union supported our “Magic of the Season” Christmas exhibit, which opened at Light Up (November 27th). Museum volunteers hosted over 400 people that night, with more than 100 Ladysmith Lighthouses being made by little hands at our craft table. Many thanks to Shirley Blackstaff for her ‘Maritime Christmas’ exhibit.
The Basement has been kept busy with workshops, classes and events, at times rented out by local groups.
The Museum continues to receive interesting donations – the dynamite plunger that blew up Ripple Rock (owned/operated by a Ladysmith resident) and a locally used 1890s mining lantern are recent donations.
The rather cramped artifact collection requires a curatorial review prior to potentially being moved if/when the Town gets the funds and OK to build on the Museum site. We will be concentrating on this throughout 2026, ahead of an anticipated Fall 2026 referendum on borrowing to construct a new City Hall, which is expected to accompany the mayoral/council elections.
Industrial Heritage Preservation
A core roster of volunteers continued Saturday morning work parties at the Comox Logging & Railway Co. yard on Oyster Bay Drive. The overall aim is to preserve this heritage site and associated industrial artifacts as part of the Arts & Heritage Hub within the Waterfront Development Plan, thereby recording and illustrating the importance of the coal and logging industries and their associated technologies to the history of Ladysmith & District.
Principal activities during 2025 included:
Anglican Church Bell Restoration. The bell had been salvaged prior to the demolition of St John’s Anglican Church and stored by the Society. Partially funded by and working with the LRCA, the LDHS rebuilt the rotten wooden bell crib, fabricated a steel stand, ‘silenced’ the bell so it could not be rung at odd hours of the morning (but in a non-invasive way so it can be used in the future if so desired) and installed it outside the Heart on the Hill building which occupies the former church site.
Jordan Spreader: Long an eyesore due to rot, rust and copious graffiti, this machine, dating from about 1917, is currently undergoing restoration. After the removal of rotten timbers, the 40-ton spreader was moved from its position on the upper track to the more accessible lower track outside the Loci Shed, thanks to the FMI heavy-lifting crew. Rust Descaling took several months, followed by painting with rust inhibitor just in time to avoid the rains. The current focus is on assessing the operability of the air cylinders controlling the side wings and the front plough blades.
The Spreader (rotten timbers now removed) being relocated by FMI’s heavy lifting crew to trackage accessible for restoration work
Sourced from and donated by GFL
Plymouth Locomotive #107: This 1927 gasoline shunting locomotive worked in the Comox Yard in Ladysmith and was disbursed to Port Alberni in the early 1990s. We retrieved it in inoperable condition in 2021 and now have it running, though maintenance work has been required from time to time – this is to be expected with an engine of this age. The gasoline-powered air compressor is proving most useful for Jordan Spreader work.
Track work: trackage beside the Car Shop was removed and stored to facilitate the Town excavating the bank west of the Loci Shed to improve drainage. Ties were replaced where excavations by Machine Shop contractors installing new drains had undercut the existing trackage.
Events:
For Heritage Week, ‘About Town’, a series of 10 slide shows illustrating varied aspects of local history, was made available to local businesses to place in their premises so locals and visitors could absorb local heritage whilst going about their business.
At its Annual Heritage Awards ceremony held in the Eagles Hall during Heritage Week in February, Daniel Elliott, Shirley and Harry Blackstaff, The Ladysmith Lions Club, and Mike and Frank Crucil were recognized for their contributions to local heritage.
In August, Ken Brownlow sponsored a very successful Petunia and the Vipers concert in the Cedar Community Hall, with proceeds going to the Society for heritage preservation. Huge thanks to Ken for this.
Looking forward:
The slogan for the upcoming 2026 BC Heritage Week is ‘Stir the Pot’. On February 26th, in the Ladysmith Secondary School, a traditional First Nation Dinner will be followed by the Awards ceremony. You are invited. Doors will open at 5.30 pm.
To wrap up:
A HUGE thanks to all our volunteers, without whom the society could not function. More are always needed.
Many thanks to our members for your interest and support.
Quentin Goodbody, President LDHS