Summer Student Wrap Up

Austin’s Recap:

It’s been an awesome summer working for the Pitt Meadows Museum. Everyone here at the museum is enthusiastic about their work and enjoys what they do, and I guess I fell right in line. Throughout the summer it has been my job to accession and photograph all the artifacts in the Hoffmann’s and Son forge room, as well as keep the Shop open to the public and talk with visitors about the history there. I met a lot of people who were just as interested in the old shop as I was and often had lengthy conversations on the “old ways” of fixing things.

Thanks to Leslie, Jen, and Jess, the museum’s other student, Kia, and our ambitious volunteer, Mark, for making my time working here so much fun. Whether it was being the museum’s handyman, representing the museum at local events like the Blueberry Festival, or just hanging around the shop accessioning, I enjoyed everything this job offered, so I’d like to thank YCW for allowing me to work here for the summer. I’ve enjoyed my time here and I will probably come back to volunteer in the future, so until then!

Austin Larson

Kia’s Remarks:

My summer at the Pitt Meadows Museum could not have been better! The new skills I have learned during my time here have been invaluable to me and I have had a great time working with all of the staff and volunteers.

When I was first hired, during May, the main task at the museum was to prepare for the city’s famed “Pitt Meadows Day”. I enjoyed being able to assist in setting up a World War One exhibit in the museum. I helped put together a war-era themed postcard display, penned on the chalkboard with “In Flander’s Fields” and also sewed part of a historical costume to put on the “Bluebird” army nurse. It was a great opportunity for me to see how a successful museum event is run when everyone pitches in to help one another.

Planning out and leading my Heritage Thursday sessions was the main focus of my position as “Museum Interpreter”. The sessions were focused on farming and agriculture and were collectively called “From Moo to Pooh”. I learned a lot about the history of Pitt Meadows as I researched materials for each of my lessons and was amazed to discover the city’s agricultural past. It was interesting to see how Pitt Meadows has stuck close to its traditional roots while also modernizing at the same time.

I had an amazing time teaching the kids useful skills like how to make rope, how to properly compost materials and how to grow their own plants, to name a few. I felt it was important to show the children how farming used to be done historically and how we can make simple changes to be more eco-friendly in our daily lives while having fun at the same time.

During my employment here, I also learned many valuable skills pertaining to specific museum work. I am now able to catalogue new artifacts in the ledger and in the computer database after I have written down their description and taken their measurements. I also spent my time sewing and attaching corresponding tags to the newly catalogued objects so that they could be easily located.

It has been a great summer here at the museum filled with lots of learning and fun times all around. I will be coming away from this experience having gained lots of experience in leadership, teamwork and creativity. I would like to thank Leslie, Jess and Jen for all their help and I will be looking back on my time here fondly!

Kia Mansoor

October 2015.