Memories recalled

Brad Everett
Times Contributor

 

While the stories of Cluny and Gleichen were more than 100 years in the making, it still took five years for those histories to be collected and published, culminating in the book launch of ‘Memories Recalled: District of Cluny and Gleichen 2014’ on Nov. 15 at the Cluny Hall.
More than 250 people travelled from far and near for an afternoon of renewing old acquaintances, making final payments on their copies of the book, and a roast beef supper before finally picking up their copy of the 724-page limited edition book.
“This book is a continuation of the communities’ previous history books, ‘Gleichen Call’ from 1968 and ‘Memories of Cluny’ from 1985,” said Suzanne Jackson, who chaired the committee of seven that worked on the book.
“When we decided to begin work in earnest on this book, we started with the previous volumes as a launching point for contacting families and organizations by phone, letters, e-mail and even word of mouth, asking for written contributions and photographs,” she said. “When our committee started this project we were working one day a week at the hall. The last few months it has been more like four to six days a week, plus the work we took home with us.”
The result was more than 10,000 volunteer hours spent just at the hall, by the committee and those who assisted their work.
Some of that work included documenting photos and press clippings, typing out hand-written submissions, doing phone interviews, and deciding on the layout of the book.
They received over 1,800 images but were limited by space to just 1,100, plus the commitment to have at least one photo from every family that submitted one.
Jackson emphasized the importance of the volunteer work and the support of the wider community in making this book a reality.
The support was evident in the fact that 720 books were pre-sold before the launch, and the first two copies were auctioned off to raise funds for the Gleichen Historical Society – Book #001 went to Dick Haskayne for $5,000 and Book #002 to Doug Brown for $2,100.
The project also received generous financial contributions from: the Federal New Horizons for Seniors Program Grant, the Dick and Lois Haskayne Fund at the Calgary Foundation, the County of Wheatland Community Enhancement Grant, the Ng Family as well as the Gleichen and the Cluny Lions.
Books are still available: for more information call Brenda Tower at 403-734-2562 or Judy Sauve at 403-734-2165.