Oct-2020
COVID Conversations
March, 2021 – We are happy to inform you that our student project documenting Covid effects in the region has been ongoing throughout the fall and winter months. The current exhibit, while only online in the briefest of fashions, will be added to in a variety of forms over the next couple of months. We are looking forward to better, safer times in which to share these findings with you. A big thanks to Claudia Ferland for her dedication and hard work on this project.
In a place where Francophones and Anglophones come together and where the sense of the community is obviously strong, a city of approximately 3,300 inhabitants, or 6,400 inhabitants including the surrounding area, only few cases of coronavirus have been detected. Fortunately, the three homes for the elderly have been spared so far.
Last summer, hired by the Richmond County Historical Society (RCHS), I spent several hours questioning the people and businesses of Richmond to get a more sincere sense of their reality. Generous and receptive, they welcomed me with open arms two meters from their balcony or counter. Some believe in conspiracy theories while some continue to respect the regulations established by the provincial and federal leaders. Everyone has a different perspective on the pandemic – on the same pandemic.
Mr. Doyon, a history teacher at Cégep de Drummondville, reminds us: “Life is a fatal sexually transmitted disease.” He insists on saying that life goes on and history repeats itself. Pandemics have existed and will continue to exist. The only surprise with covid-19 was to find that this time we were sitting at the heart of the story.
For those who would still like to contribute to documenting the experience of the coronavirus for RCHS, we invite you to send an email to claudia.research.rchs@gmail.com before November 20, 2020. All information is relevant and revealing, please share it.
Claudia Ferland
Student in Sociology at Bishop’s University
Researcher for the RCHS
We have also been fortunate in being able to hire a student, Bethany Rothney, through Canadian Museums Association – Young Canada Works who has been working part-time since October 2020 updating, reclassifying, safely storing and digitalizing our archives. This is a huge undertaking and will continue for some time, though the first part of this journey is wrapping up at the end of March 2021. We are hopeful that funding will come our way again this spring/summer season for a full-time student with expertise in archival documentation. Working with Bethany is a new volunteer with the RCHS who comes to us with great enthusiasm and an equally strong archival expertise, Hélène Boulé. She will continue to assist us with this important conservation task.
