Published on October 22, 2013
Cardigan
MP Lawrence MacAulay presents a plaque to Frank Dolan to mark the official
re-opening of the Brudenell school house following a complete renovation.
Photo & Article by Steve Sharratt. The Guardian.
Extensive
two-year renovation aimed at giving venerable
Kings County
school another 100 years of service
BRUDENELL — For years it sat lonely and leaking.
The local council would
sit in the original school desks when holding a monthly meeting and a stiff
wind through the drafty windows would easily chill the coffee.
But after a two-year effort, the old Brudenell schoolhouse here has been
completely renovated and ready to face another 100 years of community service.
“It’s unbelievable the
amount of work involved to get this done,’’ said council chairwoman Peggy
Coffin. “Now we have a beautiful building.”
Coffin welcomed guests to the school house Saturday during the official
opening ceremony where former students Athol Robertson and Catherine Robertson
(no relation), both 91 years old, cut the ribbon.
She paid special
tribute to council member Frank Dolan, who oversaw the project and spent much
of the past summer supervising the contracted work.
The two-year project
began with lifting the building and the installation of a foundation and
heating system. The rebuilding continued with water, insulation, shingling,
windows, roof and a complete painting.
“It was badly in need
of renovation,’’ said Dolan. “We were holding our council meetings in here and
you could see the old place starting to fade.”
The roof was leaking
and the foundation was crumbling when the community contributed $13,000 towards
a renovation assisted by both levels of government to cover the estimated
$70,000 project.
Located a few miles
from Montague, it’s one of the smaller one-room schoolhouses in the province
and served a baker’s dozen worth of students. There were photographs and early
textbooks on display, and even two handwriting awards presented to former
student Athol Robertson.
“George Dewar, before
he became a doctor, was our teacher one year,’’ said Robertson, who attended
during the late 1920s and early 1930s. “When you saw his face turning
red, you quieted down.”
Former student Annie
(Stewart) Cameron drove from Indian River to attend the opening.
“We all had jobs to do
whether it was fetching water twice a day or carrying coal up from the
basement,’’ she said.
“You would roast
sitting by the pot belly stove and be chilly if you sat in the corner.”
Built
around the turn of the last century, the school will now be available for
events, gatherings or reunions, and absolutely free to residents of the
community.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The following article appeared earlier
in the Eastern Graphic www.peicanada.com
Athol Robertson and Catherine
Robertson, both 91, sit in the desks they used when they attended Brudenell
School in the 1930s. Brudenell School is getting a makeover, and the Brudenell
Community Council is selling 20 of their desks for $40 each. - Heather Jordan Ross photo
Community of Brudenell to raise funds to keep
schoolhouse focal part of its community
As 91-year old
Catherine Robertson settled her small frame onto the seat of an old desk, she
recalled her first day at Brudenell School in 1928.
“I went to
school with my brothers and sisters and I was very afraid of the first
teacher,” she said. “So I was permitted to sit with my sister Doris.”
It’s been 75
years since nonagenarian relatives Athol Robertson and Ms Robertson sat at
those desks as students.
Mr Robertson enjoyed playing more than school work, but he’s
grateful of the Brudenell Community Council’s efforts to preserve the school.
“It’s part of
my youth, and I really appreciate what’s being done,” he said.
Brudenell
Council is working to maintain the heritage of the school, which is at least
150-years old, while making it accessible to the community, thanks to money
from ACOA and the PEI Community Fund.
Vice chair
Frank Dolan wants a more accessible, warmer community centre that could be used
for information sessions, meetings, classes, and music lessons.
The old school
is the community’s only meeting place, and yet it has never had washrooms or
year-round heat.
“The big thing is we’ll be able to get public use of it for
small meetings,” Mr Dolan said.
By August, Mr
Dolan hopes the building will have a heating system, washrooms, hardwood
floors, a refurbished roof, and a display to share the history of the building
with visitors.
Council would
like to purchase new chairs and fold up tables, which is why they’re willing to
part with every school desk except one.
“That’s what we
were using for people to sit in when they came to a council meeting,” Mr Dolan
said. “We’re generating funding from them (the old desks) to buy proper
seating.”
Twenty desks,
made by the Globe Furniture Company in Waterloo, Ontario, and at least 70-years
old, will be available at a cost of $40 each.
One desk will
be kept for display with other Brudenell School memorabilia.
“Margaret Jean
and Georgina Dewar, who are also on council, have gone through old textbooks,
artifacts, and pictures of historical importance,” Mr Dolan said.
Councillor
Margaret Jean Smith also attended the school, and her father designed the first
tongue and groove style ceiling. She’s excited to finally see the school
provide space for more use than for cold councillors.
“The need in
the community is there,” she said.
