HEART’S CONTENT MIZZEN HERITAGE SOCIETY INC.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT FOR YEAR ENDING 2024
For presentation to the 2025 Annual General Meeting April 7, 2025
In 2024, we marked our 30th anniversary as a heritage organization. The year was characterized by both successes and challenges. I believe we were still dealing with the ongoing impact of COVID-19, which resulted in reduced attendance at many of our Arts Centre events. But the COVID hangover did not prevent us from having a successful year as I hope this review will show.
2024 Membership
Our membership increased slightly during 2024 as per the following:
| Membership Category | Numbers Dec. 31, 2023 | Numbers Dec. 31, 2024 |
| Individual and Family | 58 | 59 |
| Corporate (business or organization) | 4 | 6 |
| Lifetime (paid individual or family) | 2 | 4 |
| Total | 64 | 69 |
Thanks to our Membership Committee of Alice Cumby, Sandra Warren, Betty White, Magdi Younan and Gil Billard for organizing and keeping track of our membership list, collecting fees, sending out membership cards, etc.
We also added to our Honorary Life Membership Award Program last year as three members were inducted into the program during a special 30th. Anniversary Dinner. This brings our total number of Honorary Life Memberships to 6. The 3 new inductees were Howard Tavenor, Jane Tavenor (posthumously), and John Warren. Congratulations once again to our latest recipients.
Unfortunately, and with sadness, we lost two of our long-term members last year as Art Tavenor and Janice Wells passed away. Once again, we pass along our condolences to all of Art’s and Janice’s family and friends.
2024 Activities and Highlights
Our activities during 2024 centered primarily around monthly meetings, committee meetings, the Arts Centre events, Heritage Day activities, Rendell Forge demonstrations, employing a summer student and overseeing and planning the renovations and development of our museum facility.
Here are the highlights:
- We conducted nine regular monthly meetings (for every month excepting June, July and December), one Board of Directors meeting, many committee meetings, and meetings with our Town Council. It takes a lot of meetings to do the work of this organization. Thanks to all members who attend these meetings in person and by Zoom.
- At the Arts Centre, we held 8 Concerts, 9 Kitchen Parties, 1 Rental, and a Magic Show. Thanks to Val Worthman, Chair, and her Arts Centre Events Committee of John Warren, Gil Billard, Darlene King, Barry Langer, Lilly Fitzpatrick and Brian Fitzpatrick for their hard work in planning and organizing the Arts Centre Events. Thanks also to all our other volunteers who helped on the door, sold tickets, cleaned up and set up before and after events, MC’d, operated the sound board, made up and posted posters, and so on.
- In November of 2023, in partnership with the Heart’s Content Community Development Corporation, and after a year plus of fundraising, lobbying, writing applications, and conducting meetings of our Heritage Centre Planning Committee, we finally secured funding from the federal Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the Provincial Dept. of Industry, Energy and Technology (IET) to begin the Enhancing the Heart’s Content Visitor Experience Plan. This isa $400,000 project, the centerpiece of which is the restoration and renovation of the Mizzen Heritage Museum into a modern Heart’s Content Heritage Centre, a welcome and interpretation centre that will show and direct visitors to our town’s cultural assets. Thanks to Clarence Brown, Dave Lough, Ted Rowe, Gord Tavenor, John Warren and Val Worthman for joining me on that committee.
It wasn’t until February of 2024, however, that Requests for Proposals were solicited, interviews were held, contracts were signed, and work on our new Heritage Centre began and continues today with an opening date set for Aug. 1, 2025. We have established a Heritage Centre Operations Committee to oversee the remainder of the project. Special thanks to Clarence Brown, Alice Cumby, Bev King, Eileen Matthews and Val Worthman for serving with me on this committee. And I’d like to single out two people for special mention and thanks – Gord Tavenor who took on the additional role of Project Manager during the renovation and construction phase of the project, and to Bev King who has taken on the role of Project Assistant which involves overseeing the budget, reporting to ACOA and IET and a whole lot more including the planning of a Grand Opening Aug.1.
- At the Rendell Forge, Darlene King and Doug Cave offered blacksmith demonstrations 2 days a week from June to Sept. They had a total of 85 visitors, 46 of which were on Heritage Day. Thanks to Darlene and Doug for making it possible to showcase a craft which was very important especially to our shipbuilding history. Also, thanks to John Warren for the loan of his generator to power the forge.
- Eileen Matthews and her Heritage Day Committee (Judy Arnott, Paulette Cumby, Sandra Warren, Val Worthman, Wendy Hunter, and Betty White) expanded our annual Heritage Day into a very successful Heritage Weekend which included a Rug Hooking and Quilt show, House of Commons music and stories event with Bob Balsom and John Warren, demonstrations at the forge arranged by Darlene with Doug and Ian Gillies, a Flower Show / Geranium Festival, and a sold-out Free Beer concert. The Heart’s Content Community Development Corporation chaired by Ted Rowe helped with media promotion, arranging the Free Beer concert and organization of the flower show. Thanks to all.
- We continued to support and aid the Heart’s Content Community Development Corporation in their endeavors. Seven of our members now serve on the Corporation’s Board of Directors.
- Our town’s Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee continued to meet and advise our Town Council on all things heritage related. Thanks to Paulette Cumby and Brian Fitzpatrick for co-chairing this committee and to Sandra Warren and Val Worthman for also serving as MHS representatives. The other members of this committee and deserving of thanks are Val Whelan and Tolson Rendell representing the Town Council.
- Last year we hired 1 summer student for 8 weeks to do work with the Town’s and Rec Centre’s students. They did grass mowing, cleaning, helping with Canada Day activities and other special events and in other ways. Thanks to Kelton Piercey from the Town’s maintenance staff for supervising our student this year and to Alice our Treasurer for handling the payroll and paperwork involved.
- Our website is very important in presenting ourselves to the world and communicating our activities and beliefs. It continues to receive a lot of hits and is a valuable source of MHS information. Thanks to webmasters Magdi Younan and Gil Billard.
- Our Social Media presence, thanks to Eileen Matthews and Gail Eddy, continued to expand on Facebook, X and Instagram.
- We donated the proceeds from our November Kitchen Party, $700, to the Heart’s Content Volunteer Fire Dept.
- In meetings and in letters, we continued to advocate for our Town Council to conscientiously enforce the town’s Municipal Heritage Regulations.
- We are represented on the Heart’s Content Community UNESCO Committee and are committed to helping in every way we can to help achieve UNESCO World Heritage Designation for the Cable Station.
In summary, once again it was a busy and productive year.
To Wrap up, a few more Thank-You’s
- Most importantly, a big thank you to you, our members, who pay fees, attend meetings, plan and organize our activities, donate time, money, talent, skill and energy to help make our society strong and our town a better place. Without you we simply could not do what we do.
- Special thanks to the other executive members (Paulette, Sandra, and Alice) who have given me great support and help again over the past year. Your dedication to this organization and its goals, and your cooperation and encouragement to me are very much appreciated.
- To Mayor Piercey and our Town Council for their support and encouragement.
- To all those others in our community who are not members but volunteer their time, skill and energy to help make our events successful.
Respectfully Submitted,
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Ed Arnott, President
Heart’s Content Mizzen Heritage Society, Inc.