Browse > Home / Heritage, The Area, The City, Community, theOwen / New Funding for the Billy Bishop Museum

New Funding for the Billy Bishop Museum

October 12, 2007

OWEN SOUND, Ontario, October 12, 2007 Source: news.gc.ca

On behalf of the Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages, Larry Miller, Member of Parliament (Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound), today announced funding for the Billy Bishop Heritage Museum.

Funding of $89,000 will help acquire equipment and installations to modernize the museum space. Modernization will allow for better preservation and exhibition of the museum’s collections and facilitate touring exhibits.

“Canada’s New Government is pleased to invest in facilities that make it possible for Canadians to participate in cultural activities,” said Minister Verner. “Our Government is committed to building stronger communities and to providing opportunities for all Canadians to celebrate Canadian arts and heritage.”

“I commend the Billy Bishop Heritage Museum on its significant contribution to the Owen Sound community,” said Mr. Miller. “This project will improve the museum’s effectiveness and will increase opportunities to present quality programming while strongly enhancing the vitality of the region.”

“I am pleased that Canadian Heritage has accepted our request for funds through its Cultural Spaces Canada program in order to install a proper HVAC system at the Billy Bishop Home and Museum, a national historic site,” said Mary J. Smith, Museum Manager. “The museum will then have environmentally controlled galleries and storage to preserve significant Canadian artifacts for our future generations to enjoy.”

Based in the city of Owen Sound, the Billy Bishop Heritage Museum has become an important player in the tourism industry. The Museum has been designated a national historic site–the only one in Grey and Bruce County. The museum was incorporated on July 14, 1980, and has the mandate to preserve the home of Billy Bishop and provide access to its collections through exhibitions and education programming specifically related to Billy Bishop, his life and times.

Canada’s New Government has provided this financial support through the Cultural Spaces Canada program of the Department of Canadian Heritage. This program supports cultural infrastructure projects that increase access for Canadians to the performing, visual, and media arts and that improve physical conditions for artistic creativity and innovation. Funding is also provided for the construction and renovation of arts and heritage facilities, for the purchase of specialized equipment, and for feasibility studies and projects to transform buildings into arts or heritage facilities.

The Billy Bishop Heritage and the Owen Sound Marine & Rail Museums are hosting the 3rd annual Mighty Museums Trivia Challenge on Thursday, October 18, 2007 7:00 pm at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. We are pleased to announce that our major sponsor once again is Doug Cameron’s Owen Sound Subaru.

Become a Special Agent and help us complete “Operation Trivia”. Our mission has begun and we are looking for Special Agents to join us in completing this mission by entering a team in this year’s Mighty Museums Trivia Challenge.

Be a Special Agent;
Enter a team for $100 / table of 8 people
It is all about Friends, Fun and Facts!
Questions are based on general everyday topics so it is fun for everyone
Costumes are welcome.

The proceeds from this event go equally to the development and enhancement of the educational programs and the exhibit displays at the Billy Bishop Heritage and the Owen Sound Marine & Rail Museums.

Download the registration form here

Share This

Written by Ryan · Filed Under Heritage, The Area, The City, Community, theOwen 

Comments

One Response to “New Funding for the Billy Bishop Museum”

  1. Harold Hewitson Says:
    November 5th, 2007 at 8:24 pm

    I grew up almost directly across the road from this house at, what was then, 285 10th Street West, but which is now a vacant lot. As a child (we lived there until 1969 when I was 9) even then I had an appreciation for who “Billy Bishop” was. I went to the same grade school he probably did (Dufferin Elementary) and was extremely proud to know that I lived almost directly across the street from a genuine war hero. Back in the ’60’s there were still many WWI veterans alive, though I can’t say I really understood their war. To me, as a young boy, what happened 50 some odd years ago was something I could no more comprehend than many of of the WWII vets that I encountered. Proudly I can say that, as I’ve gotten older I’ve begun to understand more and more, not just about Billy Bishop, but the plight of all war veterans. My father Harold A. (Al) Hewitson served in Korea, an event that changed him markedly, and not for the better.

    I salute Billy Bishop, and while many places claim to be his “home”, there is only one Owen Sound, and to Billy Bishop, who’s grave I’ve visited at Greenwood Cemetary, and to all veterans of all armies, whether in peace time or during conflict, I offer my humble thanks. Even though the Korean War was not kind to my father the lessons I’ve drawn from his experiences have been invaluable.

    God Bless You, Billy, for all you stood for, and for all your comrades in arms stood for too.

    Harold R. Hewitson

Got something to say?





Close
E-mail It
‏