Skip to content

Seneca Root Museums Association meets in Kamsack

Representatives of seven of the nine members of the Seneca Root Museum Association met in Kamsack last week for the first of two meetings the association has each year.
Museum representatives
Attending the spring meeting of the Seneca Root Museum Association in Kamsack on April 26, from left, were: (standing) Darlene Brown of Kamsack, Connie McKay of Kamsack, Jackie Rathgeber of Melville, Joe Miller of Melville, Lydia Cherkas of Kamsack, Marvin McKay of Kamsack, Len Buenneke of Kamsack, Cliff Paluck of Kamsack, and (seated) Anita Milavanov of Canora, Walter Ostoforoff of Canora, Lorne Plaxin of Preeceville, Margaret Plaxin of Preeceville, Myrtle Boychuk of Sturgis, Darlene Medlang of Preeceville, Agnes Murrin of Preeceville (the networker), Kathleen Watkin of the Museums Association of Saskatchewan (MAS), Rose Remenda of Canora, Walter Boyko of Canora, Fred Konkin of Pelly, Eileen Konkin of Pelly and Peter Cherkas of Kamsack.

Representatives of seven of the nine members of the Seneca Root Museum Association met in Kamsack last week for the first of two meetings the association has each year.

            Attending the meeting held April 26 at the Kamsack Legion Hall were: Darlene Brown, Lydia Cherkas, Marvin McKay, Connie McKay, Len Buenneke, Peter Cherkas and Cliff Paluck, representing the Kamsack Power House Museum; Anita Milavanov, representing the Canora Station House Museum; Rose Remenda and Walter Boyko, representing the Ukrainain Heritage Museum in Canora; Myrtle Boychuk, representing the Sturgis Station House Museum; Walter Ostoforoff of Canora, Fred Konkin and Eileen Konkin, representing the National Doukhobor Heritage Village in Veregin; Lorne Plaxin, Margaret Plaxin, Darlene Medlang and Agnes Murrin, representing the Preeceville and District Heritage Museum, and Jackie Rathgeber and Joe Miller, representing the Melville Heritage Museum.

            There were no representatives of the Fort Pelly-Livingstone Museum or the Saltcoats Museum, but Kathleen Watkin attended as a representative of the Museums Association of Saskatchewan (MAS).

            As the group’s networker, Agnes Murrin of Preeceville chaired the meeting.

            Greeting the group on behalf of MAS, Darlene Brown of Kamsack, who at the beginning of April began her second year of her first term on the MAS board of directors, reminded the representatives of the MAS annual general meeting in Regina on May 26.

The agenda is a busy one with the usual business in the morning with a members’ forum and speakers in the afternoon, Brown said.  Jellyn Ayudan, who had been awarded the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan (MCoS) Multicultural Youth Award in 2016, will be addressing the membership on  diversity and inclusion in Saskatchewan museums.

Ken Dueck, executive director of industry development at Tourism Saskatchewan, is to make a presentation that will focus on the importance of telling Saskatchewan's stories, she said. He will also discuss trends in the tourism industry.

Regarding Canada 150 events, Brown asked how museums are recognizing the anniversary and said that if museums would like a representative from MAS at their functions, they are asked to contact the office as soon as possible.

During the Kamsack meeting, a representative of each museum attending delivered a report on activities since the last meeting.

Catlin Hogan of Yorkton addressed the meeting, talking about the Yorkton Film Festival and said that arrangements could be made if a museum wished to obtain a film from the festival.

Also speaking was Kathleen Watkin of Regina who discussed some of the lessons included in a collections stewardship self-assessment workbook that she had devised.

Members discussed how the recent provincial budget cuts will be affecting the museums.

It was agreed the association would hold its fall meeting in Melville on October 25.