Next meeting: Wednesday, January 24 - Ryan Young - The European Settlement in St-Anne de Bout de L'Isle to the Present
Ryan Young is a Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue City Councillor and a College Professor at John Abbott College who has done extensive research about the history of Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. Every year he leads a number of historical walking tours in the old village of Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. His talk will cover the beginnings of European settlement on the western tip of the island of Montreal and then all the way through to the present day. With the aid of historical photographs the old village buildings of Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue that still exist from the 1800s will be discussed along with the early history of Macdonald College in the early 1900s.
Location: George-McLeish Community Centre, Senneville
Wednesday, February 28 - Day's Lee - Day's Lee's look at the history of the Chinese-Canadian community in Montreal and its surprising association with the Jewish community. She will show her fascinating documentary "Meet and Eat at Lee’s Garden"
Location: George-McLeish Community Centre, Senneville
Wednesday, March 27, 1:30 PM - Robert Wilkins - Carnival, Flooding, Smallpox, and Beaugrand: 1885, Montreal's Annus Horribilis
Location: George-McLeish Community Centre, Senneville
Wednesday, April 24 - Henry Yates - History of Maxwelton Farm, Baie-D'Urfe
Location: George-McLeish Community Centre, Senneville
Wednesday, May 22, 6 PM - Annual Dinner (more details to come) - Jason Bolanis - Endangered Stories of the West Island
Location: George-McLeish Community Centre, Senneville
Past meetings, 2023
Wednesday, January 25, 2023, 1:30 PM - Guido Socher - Dowker's Island
There is a large island which lies off the shore of Baie-D'Urfé. This island once belonged to the Dowker family, and is still known as Dowker's Island. It was once the home of a thriving summer resort.
One of our members, Guido Socher, recalls the glory days of Dowker's Island.
Wednesday, February 22, 2023, 1:30 PM - Peter McBride - The Great Escape - Dad's War - The World War II experiences of Robert (Bob) McBride.
Peter McBride, a resident of Hudson, has pieced together his father’s amazing story from various sources and will share it with us at our February 22nd Historical Society meeting.
The Great Escape - Dad's War
Life-long resident of Baie-D'Urfé and Beaconsfield, Bob McBride, enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force, CAF in September 1940 following completion of flight training in Canada. Bob went overseas in September 1941, winning promotion to Pilot Officer and Flying Officer in 1942, and to Flight Lieutenant in June 1944. He was shot down in a torpedo bombing mission over the Bay of Biscay on November 7, 1942, wounded and taken prisoner. As a Prisoner of War, POW, Bob resided in the Stalag Luft III and took part in what became known as "The Great Escape" on March 24, 1944. Recaptured at the tunnel’s mouth, Bob remained a prisoner until his release at the war’s end in 1945. Peter will provide a fascinating glimpse into his father's wartime experiences.
Location: George-McLeish Community Centre, Senneville
Slide deck: not available
Wednesday, March 22, 2023, 1:30 PM - Jason Bolanis - Mayor Olive Urquhart and Pointe Claire
Jason Bolanis, a well known local filmmaker, takes us back to the early days of the 20th century, when Valois was beginning to develop from a summer resort into a community of permanent residences.
Mr.Bolanis recalls the career of Mayor Olive Urquhart who was the first, and so far the only, female mayor of Pointe-Claire. Mayor Urquhart's forward-looking vision for her community enabled a sleepy summer resort to develop into the City of Pointe-Claire.
Wednesday, April 26, 1:30 PM - Steven High - The Deindustrialization of Montréal
Progress, in the form of improved transportation and industrial techniques, can be of great benefit to mankind but, at the same time, it can have a devastating effect on the workers and their families who are left behind in its wake.
Professor Steven High tells the story of the closing, in the mid 20th century, of many of the industries which were located in South West Montréal and beside the Lachine Canal, and the hardship endured by the families of the thousands of workers who lost their jobs.
Wednesday, May 10, 1:30 PM - Henry Yates - An Illustrated Talk About the Lives and Architecture of Edward and W.S. Maxwell
Mr. Henry Yates, is a descendant of the Maxwell family whose firm, Maxwell
Brothers, Architects, designed many of the beautiful 'heritage' buildings in
Senneville and elsewhere in the Montréal area.
Annual dinner: Wednesday, May 24 Annual Dinner 6pm to 10pm - Atmo Zakes and Jim Katz - Bois-de-la-Roche: 30 years in the farmer's house
Our neighbours and fellow-members, Atmo Zakes and Jim Katz, have lived for many years in a cottage which was once part of Bois-de-la-Roche, the estate which was established by the late Senator Louis-Joseph Forget in the 1890s.
Atmo is a well known artist who has produced many fine paintings of various aspects of the estate.
Atmo and Jim are going to share some of their memories with us.
Location: George-McLeish Community Centre, Senneville