[BCMA] Media Release: Big Changes Coming to Sidney Museum

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release

*Big Changes Coming to Sidney Museum*

Sidney, British Columbia, August 18, 2020 — After 25 years with Sidney
Museum, and over two decades as its Executive Director, Peter Garnham is
taking his first step towards retirement. After September 12th, 2020 Peter
will be operating in the capacity of Associate Director three days a week
for a limited time during the transition for the new Executive Director.
After the period is finished, a new Assistant Director will be hired.
Please join us in thanking Peter for his long service to our community and
congratulating him as he enters this new chapter.

Sidney Museum was created in 1971 by the John family and operated in the
old Customs House at the bottom of Beacon Avenue until the late 1990s.
While there, it expanded to include the Marine Mammal Museum. With the
creation of the Pier Hotel, the Customs House was moved to the top of
Beacon Avenue to become the Information Centre. At this time, the Museum
split with the Marine Mammal portion going to what became the Shaw Centre
for the Salish Sea, and the historical collection moving with the Sidney
Museum to its present location in the basement of the Old Post Office
building. In the early 2000s with this move, Peter Garnham created the
Society which runs the Museum after it ceased to be operated as a
department of the Town of Sidney. A large portion of the collection
pertains to North Saanich, as before the Town’s incorporation, this area
was all part of the District of North Saanich. For many years, Peter was
the sole employee of the Museum and ran it with the help of a dedicated
team of volunteers. Today, Sidney Museum collects objects which are
specific to the Saanich Peninsula, including nearby islands, and Sidney or
North Saanich in particular. Earlier in 2020, a joint effort was put forth
by the District of North Saanich and Town of Sidney to support the Museum
in hiring a third staff member as Assistant Archivist and Education
Programmer. This person will assist in bringing the archival collection in
line with modern sector standards, as well as develop and deliver new
education programs within the community. Hiring this position has been
delayed due to the pandemic. Peter has seen the Museum grow in exceptional
ways during his time as Executive Director. The Sidney Museum will be
celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2021.

With Peter stepping back as Executive Director, the Board of the Sidney
Museum and Archives Society has chosen to offer the role to Alyssa Gerwing,
the existing Assistant Director for nearly three years. Prior to her work
at Sidney Museum, Alyssa was the Assistant Archivist at The Exploration
Place Museum and Science Centre in Prince George, BC. She brings a Master
of Arts in the History of Medicine, and a Masters in Library and
Information Studies, in addition to over ten years’ experience in a variety
of archives and museum settings, to the role. During her tenure at Sidney
Museum, the Museum has won Non-Profit of the Year from the Saanich
Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, increased its grant funding ten-fold to
undertake many large scale projects, and hosted professional travelling
exhibits from the North Vancouver Museum and the Canadian Museum of
History.

“It has been an exceptional experience creating a home for the museum in
the Old Post Office building,” said Peter Garnham, Executive Director of
Sidney Museum. “This has been achieved throughout the years with the
assistance of a dedicated team of volunteers, as well as the invaluable
support of successive Boards of Directors, the Town of Sidney and the
District of North Saanich”.

“Peter has done so much more than simply guide the Museum through its
growth over these past many years”, said Richard Novek, Board Chair of the
Sidney Museum and Archives Society. “He has woven the Sidney Museum into
the very fabric of daily life in Sidney”.

“Having lived in both Sidney and North Saanich over the last few years, I
am proud to live and work in this community.” said Alyssa Gerwing,
Assistant Director of Sidney Museum. “I’m looking forward to the challenge
of guiding Sidney Museum as an important community organization through its
next chapter as we continue to grow, learn and find new ways to engage with
our community on the Saanich Peninsula.”

The Sidney Museum is located at 2423 Beacon Avenue, in the lower level of
the Old Post Office, in historic Sidney-by-the Sea, British Columbia. The
museum hours of operation are Wednesdays through Sundays, 10:00 A.M. - 4:00
P.M. Admission is by donation and visit bookings are recommended.

For further information about the museum or to book your visit, please
consult our website at www.sidneymuseum.ca; by telephone at 250-655-6355 or
email us at info at sidneymuseum.ca.

 – –
For more information, contact: Alyssa Gerwing Assistant Director, Sidney
Museum (250)655-6355 assistantdirector at sidneymuseum.ca
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