In 1818, Artist Theodore Gericault (1791-1824) started creating a massive painting entitled the Raft of the Medusa.

The painting depicts the moment when a sailor spots a ship in the far distance, and that ensured the survivor’s survival. The real life incident created an international scandal because 147 sailors had managed to get onto the raft, but after 13 days at sea, only 15 men made it home.

How do we know this story?

We know the story of the Medusa from what the sailors told other people and eventually from the painting that Gericault created. The Sailor’s memory of the incident may be very different from those who read about it in the newspapers or later when viewing in the painting.

The act of sharing your memories by telling a story, writing a text or creating an image means changing the essence of what you experienced.

Does this mean it is not real?

No, but it means it is not valid in an absolute sense. However, history is no different; a historian has to pick and choose what information to relate to their audience, with something deleted. The historian may back up his claims with evidence from the time and say it happened, but is it still based on a partial truth.

So, whose’s history and why?

We only recall or save the memories that have meaning for us today. Once recorded, then people who come after us have a chance to encounter and appreciate those earlier experiences.

For example, why would anyone care about a shipwreck that occurred over 200 years ago, other than the fact that there is this massive painting in the Louvre and launched the art movement: Romanticism.

What we choose to remember and what we choose to call history is very subjective and is always decided by outside forces.

o0o

• 

Former students of Lord Elgin High School (1970 to 2004) will be holding their 50th Reunion celebration on June 20th, 2020 at the Burlington Polish Hall (2316 Fairview Street, Burlington, Ontario L7R 2E4) from 7:00 pm to 1:00 am. Tickets will go on sale February 15th, 2020 on the Eventbrite web site, $30.00 per ticket.

here is the link to the Eventbrite website:

oOo

In 50 years, what would you want people to know about your life?

We take for granted that the commonplace will always remain the mundane. With global warming, will my children or grandchildren know winters like the ones we had as kids? With millions of people moving into the GTA, will open fields and vast blue skies still be something you can experience?

The Elizabeth Gardens Community Art Project is my effort to translate your memories, photos, and experiences into artwork. The goal is to collect as many of your pictures and stories as possible. And find the common elements that tell the history of East Burlington. I am interested in hearing from people who lived or worked in the area. In particular, the space between the Lake and the highway; and between the Burloak Drive and Apply Line.

I expect the project to take at least two years to complete. My goal is to create a body of artwork that will first be displayed in the community and then later shown at a regional art gallery like the Art of Burlington.

At the moment, my particular focus is the local high school (RBHS/LEHS), which will be closing in June 2020. Given the tight time frame, I would love to hear your stories about this unique institution while the school is still operating. There is a difference in telling stories about the present versus the past.

I can be reached by most types of social media or by email.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Happy Birthday!

Tuesday, Sept 4th, 1959 – Elizabeth Gardens Public School open its doors for the very first time.

There are many ways to mark the birth of a community: first settlers(1812), breaking ground for new subdivisions (1956); or when Burlington annexed Nelson Township in 1958.

In my view, the heart of a community is a school, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s, when the entire project of building homes was for new families. Elizabeth Gardens even predates the opening of the St. Elizabeth’s Anglican Church, which held its first services at the school.

As I ready to send my kids off to a small elementary school with declining enrollment, parents in 1959 faced a different reality. Burlington’s public elementary schools were expecting 7,730 students; a 1,000 student increased from Sept 1958, and the Board hired 260 teachers.

The original Elizabeth Gardens was only the front section of the building. With a surging student population, the Board quickly decided to build a rear extension, and it open two years later.

In the meantime, subdivisions continued to spread west and north, with the Prospect Gardens subdivision opening its model home during the summer of 1959. However, for a brief moment in time, the community of Elizabeth Gardens was the center of the world.

In many ways, the birth of Elizabeth Gardens also marked the birth of modern Burlington.

Happy Birthday everyone.