Thursday, March 4, 2010

NW Passage at Museum of Ontario Archaeology

The many readers of this blog whose interest in Sir John Franklin's last expedition began with, or was stirred by, the work of David C. Woodman, will want to mark April 10th on their calendars. That's the day that the Museum of Ontario Archaeology is hosting the latest event in its Underwater Heritage Program, at which Dave will be the featured speaker.  The day is also packed with talks by other notable figures, among them the archaeologist John McDonald and Commander John Crever CFN (ret.), both of whom will speak to the conditions faced by Franklin on his final voyage.  The highlight, though, will certainly be Dave's evening presentation, "In Search of Terror: Shipwreck Hunting in the Arctic," at which he'll share some of his remarkable experiences from his many Franklin searches, illustrated by seldom-seen photos from his personal collection.

You can get a downloadable flyer with all the details in .pdf format; the Museum advises that the number of tickets is limited, and reservations recommended; they can be reached at (519) 473-1360 or via e-mail at museum.of.archaeology@uwo.ca.  I'd urge anyone in the area to attend this event; the museum is in London, Ontario, about a four-hour drive from my old hometown of Cleveland, and only 2 hours from Detroit, Toronto, Buffalo, and other major cities.  I'm certain it will be the Franklin event of the year.

7 comments:

  1. Thank you for this, Russell. Just paid for my registration! Can't wait.

    Ted

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  2. Ted, so pleased you can make it. I wish I could be there as well, but I'm certain it will be a remarkable event!

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  3. Sadly, due to a death in the family. I will now not be attending. And the Canadian book launch for James Fitzjames is a few blocks away from my home in July but I won't be able to make it for that either.

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  4. (My humour sometime is on the too dry side so perhaps I should clarify: I live in Toronto and there was no chance of being able to make it to the James Fitzjames launch in London. Any other big Franklin events this summer that I can't make?)

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  5. Sorry to hear you won't be able to make it! I'll keep everyone posted if there are any upcoming events ...

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  6. Hi Ted,

    Sorry to see your sad news. Sorry you can't be over in London for the James Fitzjames booklaunch - on the 197th anniversary of his birth too - but I really appreciate your interest. I'm hoping to be over in Canada this autumn (sorry, Fall...) and if so I'll hope we can meet up then.

    Anyone else who wants to come to the Fitzjames book launch in London - just let me know.

    (Sorry to hijack your blog, Russell, but I hope you don't mind...)

    William

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  7. As long as you let us know in the colonies when you'll be doing your own northwest passage, at least the Toronto/Toronto area portion, then you can count on me.

    (BTW, "Canadian English" use the term "autumn", as well as other British originated terms like Chesterfield for sofa or couch, tin for can. Indeed, there are many "Canadian English" dictionaries, including a "Canadian Oxford English Dictionary)

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