Having just observed National Truth and Reconciliation Day on Friday, this week’s Cochrane history feature dips into the 1983 goings-on of the Ininew Friendship Centre.
On the front page of the January 16th Northland Post is a report on the centre’s annual general meeting.
In what some called a surprise, Jean Sackaney beat incumbent Sandra Carr for the presidency.
Public library archivist Ardis Proulx-Chedore reads about Carr’s recap of the previous year’s activities.
“She also went into details of what the Centre accomplished… including the van purchased by the Little Beavers program, and the fact that the court worker program was re-instated in November.”
Carr called the events of 1982 “almost overwhelming”.
Meanwhile, archivist Proulx-Chedore also reads from a Northland Post report about the centre applying for funding to study the feasibility of a wood component manufacturing facility.
“Executive Director Howard Restoule said should the project go through, it would operate out of an existing facility until it becomes profitable. He said it would address chronic unemployment in Native people of the Cochrane area due to language barriers, lack of education, trade skills and the like.”
Our continued thanks to Ardis Proulx-Chedore and the Cochrane Public Library for the use of its archives for our weekly history feature.