2010–2011 Speaker Series: Presentation Details

Details of this season's presentations will by published as they become available. Listed by date of presentation.

Videos of many of our previous Speaker Series presentations (most of them in DVD format) are available from the Dundas Museum & Archives. Click here for a list of available titles. (pdf, 2 pages)

Ray Fazakas: The Black Donnellys: The Dundas Connection

September 8, 2010

Soon after midnight on February 4, 1880, near Lucan, Ontario, just north of London, five members of the notorious Donnelly family—James and Johannah, sons John and Tom, and a niece, Bridget—all met their deaths violently at the hands of a vigilante committee of about 20 men. The massacre and the subsequent trials have become a colourful part of Canadian legend and folklore. This year marked the 130th anniversary of the Donnelly Massacre.

There are major Dundas connections to the Donnelly tragedy, which will be the focus of this presentation.

Ray Fazakas, a retired Hamilton lawyer, is the author of The Donnelly Album and In Search of The Donnellys. He has devoted his life to studying the Donnellys and preserving their history. Mr. Fazakas recently donated his entire collection of Donnelly artifacts, the largest collection of in the world, to the Lucan Area Heritage & Donnelly Museum in Lucan, Ontario.

Maggie Thomas: The Dundas Little Theatre: Where Theatre Has Come to Play for 50 Years

Friday, October 15, 2010

This presentation coincides with the Dundas Museum's latest exhibition "Where Theatre Comes to Play: 50 Years of Dundas Little Theatre", a collaborative effort between the Dundas Little Theatre and the Dundas Museum & Archives which will run to January 16, 2011.

From choosing plays to set design to creating costumes to casting to curtain call: for 50 years, the Dundas Little Theatre is indeed where theatre has come to play in our community. Maggie Thomas starred as Constance in the original production of "The Constant Wife" when the Garstin Centre for the Arts opened thirty years ago. She and her husband, George, are long-time members, producers, directors and performers with the Dundas Little Theatre.

James Elliott: A Strange Fatality: The Battle of Stoney Creek

November 10, 2010

Author James Elliott's presentation is based on his critically-acclaimed book "Strange Fatality, The Battle of Stoney Creek, 1813", which will be on sale during this presentation.

Mr. Elliott will discuss the chain of events from almost 200 years ago that culminated in the battle of June 6th, 1813, an intense military struggle that stemmed the tide of invasion, cost two generals their freedom and unseated the highest-ranking soldier in the American army. An assured American victory became one of the most decisive reversals of military fortune of the War of 1812 and greatly determined the fate of Upper Canada.

James Elliott is a local journalist and author who has written extensively on the War of 1812, on subjects ranging from the Bloody Assizes to the Burlington Races—and most recently on The Battle of Stoney Creek. Mr. Elliott lives with his wife, Irene, in Hamilton, just four miles from the historic Stoney Creek battlefield. For further information on Mr. Elliott's book, please visit www.strangefatality.com

Susan Spencer: The War of 1812: The Role of Women and Camp Followers

January 12, 2011

Susan Spencer was thrust into sewing at an early age by a mother frustrated by constant "borrowings" of garments from her closet—which garments usually ended up as portions of costumes. Susan took her first "1st prize" in historical costuming at age seven and never looked back. An eager participant in Edmonton's annual "Klondike Days" 1890s festival from the time she could toddle, it surprised no one when she ended up working at Fort Edmonton in the late 1970s. There she cut her teeth in the business of making history interesting to the public. Her passion for all things historical inspired her to open her business, Spencer's Mercantile, in 1993, a leading supplier of finest quality historical reproduction goods, specializing in items related to the War of 1812.

David Ricketts: The Hamilton and Jarvis Families in Upper Canada

February 9, 2011

This presentation will examine Mr. Ricketts' family tree. Through his research at the Ontario Archives "and the help of a lot of folks", he was able to confirm not one, but two UEL designations and find out a lot about his families' history in Southern Ontario.

David Ricketts is currently self-employed as an Insurance Broker with Pearson Dunn Insurance. A recipient of Diocesan Order of Niagara in 2003, David also serves the Diocese in many capacities, including currently as a member of the Financial Advisory Committee. He was also the First Chair of the Canterbury Hills Board of Management, and has served the Town of Dundas as member of the Beautification Committee and as Chair of the Property Standards Committee. He has also Past-Chair of the Dundas Division of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and a Past Member of the Board of Directors of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. He is also an amateur Genealogist researching his family tree.

Keith Green: The History of the Telephone In Dundas

March 9, 2011

Keith will discuss the progressive history of telephone technology in Dundas from the first phone installed at Cowper's store in September 1877 to the introduction of the switchboard system in 1881 through to Graham Bertram's first call using the dial system in 1955, to the modern telecommunication conveniences we all enjoy today.

Keith Green is a long-time Dundas resident who serves on the Board of Directors of both the Dundas Museum & Archives and the Dundas Valley Historical Society. He is also a long-time member of the local Rotary Club and can be seen at many events behind the wheel of his restored fire truck, Pumper #1.

Bob Sears: Journey to Paradise—the Burlington and Desjardins Canals

April 13, 2011

Archived Presentation Details

Videos of many of our previous Speaker Series presentations (most of them in DVD format) are available from the Dundas Museum & Archives. Click here for a list of available titles. (pdf, 2 pages)

2009–2010

2008–2009

2007–2008

2006–2007

2005–2006

2004–2005

2003–2004