Hockey

Ottawa Valley History-Focus of 2018 Speaker Series

On December 27, 1942 the Ottawa Valley experienced its worth disaster. 36 people were killed and more than 200 were injured when a passenger train, known as the “Pembroke Local,” was struck by a troop train loaded with soldiers at the Almonte Train station. Many of the victims were from the Ottawa Valley, as people who had been home for the holidays were making their way back to Ottawa when the accident occurred.

Well known musician, Mac Beattie, recorded a song about that fateful night some 75 years ago. It tells the story of how the train was packed and running late when it was plowed into by the troop train as it was stopped in Almonte to pick up more passengers. Through a partnership with the North Lanark Museum, the Algonquin College Speaker Series will explore what led to the crash, the aftermath of the investigation, and hear videotaped interviews with survivors of the crash.

The Almonte Train Wreck

The Almonte Train Wreck presentation on February 8th will kick off a year of Speaker Series events that are focused on local history. It will be followed by a March 19th presentation on the Flying Bandit, the story of Gilbert Galvan, an American convict who led a double life in Pembroke in the 1980’s. Galvan would fly from Pembroke, using the regional airline, Pem-Air, to fly to Toronto where he would transfer to larger airlines and commit almost 60 bank and jewelry store robberies before being arrested by the Ontario Provincial Police at the Pembroke Airport.

The reporter who broke the story and co-authored a book on the flying bandit, Ed Arnold, will share details of how Galvan managed to elude law enforcement and will speak about his exclusive interviews with Galvan after his arrest and sentencing. Arnold was the managing editor of the Peterborough Intelligencer newspaper when the string of robberies was occurring. Three of the heists occurred in Peterborough, peaking Arnold’s interest, leading him on a journalistic investigation that led to him uncovering Canada’s most notorious bank robber.

On June 18, 1918, Pembroke experienced a great fire that destroyed several blocks of its downtown. On the 100th anniversary of the fire, local historian Bruce Pappin will lead a presentation and walking tour of the downtown and share details of where and how the fire started, what buildings were destroyed, the investigation of the blaze and how the fire was ultimately deemed to be an accident, despite many claims that it was deliberately set.

Canada’s Hockey Town. How Pembroke Earned the Title! Speaker Series, Algonquin College, Pembroke CampusPembroke is known as “Hockey Town Canada,” and for good reason. The first time a Pembroke hockey team played a game was in 1893. It ended badly as Pembroke was beaten 13-1 by an Ottawa club, but it started a love affair with the game that helped Pembroke produce three Hall of Fame players, multiple championship teams, and an interesting mix of players, personalities and politics. On December 5, the speaker series will explore how Pembroke earned the title of Hockey Town Canada.

Tickets are available now for all of these speaker series presentations. It will be a fascinating look back in time, covering some of the most interesting stories of the Ottawa Valley’s past.

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs

Canadian History Speaker Series Ends with Halifax Explosion

On a beautiful and unseasonably warm day 100 years ago Canada experienced its worst man-made disaster. On December 6, 1917 the French munition ship, the Mont Blanc, and the Norwegian war relief freighter, the Imo, collided in Halifax Harbour, setting off a massive explosion that flattened much of the Nova Scotian capital city, killing almost 2,000 people.

It was the largest man-made blast until the Second World War when an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, but the events that led up to the catastrophic collision between the two ships continues to linger as historians piece together the burning questions of how did it happen and who should bare the blame for killing so many innocent people.

Ken Cuthbertson, Speaker Series, Algonquin College, Pembroke CampusThe Halifax Explosion is a signature moment in Canadian history and will be the closing act on a year of Algonquin College speaker series events that have focused on the stories that have made Canada the country that is today on this its 150th anniversary year. Author Ken Cuthbertson will be at the Waterfront Campus in Pembroke on November 29 to share the story of the Halifax Explosion, also the title of his new book that has been released just in time for the 100th anniversary of the tragedy.

Charlotte GrayA few weeks later on December 13, acclaimed author and biographer, Charlotte Gray, will be on campus for her talk on the Promise of Canada. Gray has written a book about nine influential Canadians who left an indelible mark on Canada, a relatively young country that is still finding its way according to Gray.

Her stories will focus on some well-known Canadians such as Tommy Douglas, the fiery Saskatchewan politician who is known best as the father of universal health care, but also others who are less known, but their lives influenced Canadian society and culture either intentionally or by accident. The latter is the case for Elijah Harper, a survivor of residential schools, who halted Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s Meech Lake constitutional accord and forced Canadians to take a deeper look at the plight of Indigenous peoples.

Gray has written a compelling history lesson for all Canadians, including telling the story of Bertha Wilson, Canada’s first woman to sit on the Supreme Court of Canada. Her Canadian story begins in Renfrew where she first settled in Canada after emigrating from Scotland with her husband who was a Presbyterian Church Minister. She eventually would attend law school and be at the centre of some of the most important judicial decisions in Canada’s history as a champion of the country’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Others who made Gray’s list of great Canadians are Margaret Atwood, Emily Carr, Preston Manning, George-Etienne Cartier, Harold Innis and Samuel Steele, the first leader of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Through her storytelling, Gray shares how these Canadians impacted our country in a significant way.

Steve Paikin, TVO Host & Journalist

The Canadian history series started last fall with Ray Argyle’s colourful talk on Newfoundland Premier Joey Smallwood, the last Father of Confederation. It has also included Steve Paikin of TVO’s the Agenda on his book on former Ontario Premier, Bill Davis, and his influence on the repatriation of Canada’s constitution, Tricia Logan on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations, Merilyn Simonds on Canada’s most notorious and historic prison-the Kingston Penitentiary, Roy MacSkimming on the Canada-Soviet 1972 Hockey Summit Series and Sean Conway on the Colour and Character of the Ottawa Valley Political Tradition, a fascinating history of Ottawa Valley politics.

It has been a rewarding experience to bring so much Canadian history to followers of the Algonquin College Speaker Series. At 150 years old, Canada has been around long enough to have some great stories to tell.

For more information on ticket purchase for these last two Canadian History guest speakers, please visit our Speaker Series website >>

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs