Sue Morhun (Chair)
Retired; formerly Manager of Heritage Services, Township of Langley
Appointed by: BC Museums Association and the Heritage Society of BC
Making B.C.’s history come alive has been a constant passion in Sue’s life. She has both worked and volunteered for more than 30 years in all different aspects of the history keeping field. A member of the first board of the Barkerville Heritage Trust, Sue brings diverse experience to discussions including that gained during her 17 year term as the heritage planner for the Township of Langley as well as the director of the Langley Centennial Museum and National Exhibition Centre in historic Fort Langley. She has received numerous awards for her leadership in heritage preservation and museum work including the American Association for State and Local History. Her work in communities all around this Province was recognized in 2004 with the prestigious Minister’s Heritage Award. She has been an active member on many Boards including Tourism BC, the Land Conservancy of BC, and, currently, the Oliver and District Heritage Society. She is a volunteer historic re-enactor and, in the past, served as president of the BC Museums Association and vice-chair of the BC Heritage Trust. Best of all, she and her two grandkids love spending time together reliving the 1850’s fur brigade and gold rush time period- and turning other people on to BC’s exciting history.
John Massier (Vice-Chair)
Director, Area 'C' - Cariboo Regional District
Appointed by: City of Quesnel and Cariboo Regional District
John first came to the Cariboo to work the summers as a university student and settled in the Cottonwood area to stay in 1974. He started his silviculture business "Cottonwood Reforestation" in 1978 and since then his crews have planted over forty million trees throughout the Cariboo/Chilcotin. He met his wife Hazel in 1984 and they have lived on their remote 72 hectares along the Cottonwood River ever since. In 1993 they were awarded Woodlot 1406 and have managed the 600 ha. of forested land and their own property for timber production on a sustained yield basis.
John served as president of the Quesnel Woodlot Association for seven years and is currently a director of the Federation of BC Woodlot Associations. In 2008 John was elected to the Cariboo Regional District as Director for Area C which includes Barlow Creek, Cottonwood, Barkerville and Bowron Lakes Park. He serves on a number of local and regional committees for the CRD and the City of Quesnel.
John has a deep interest in local history and has spent much of his spare time exploring the backwoods and creeks of the Cariboo and learning the stories of the early pioneers of the goldrush. He was appointed to the Trust by the CRD and the City of Quesnel in 2010 and his appointment was renewed for a further three years in 2011. John is thrilled with his appointment to the Barkerville Heritage Trust and looks forward to working with the Board and staff for the benefit of Barkerville and the whole region.
Rhonda Hunter (Secretary)
Consultant - Islandworks Consulting
Director-at-large: Government Relations
Barkerville has had a special place in Rhonda's heart for many years. Her earliest memories of Barkerville are from a child’s perspective (many long years ago). She remembers Barkerville as a place of enchantment – history come to life in a very special way. Later, Williams Lake was home for five years and brought new opportunities to enjoy Barkerville. More recently, Rhonda continued her career in the BC public service and was delighted to renew her connection with Barkerville in a more formal way as Director, BC Heritage Branch. During this time, she had the opportunity to work with many people throughout the Cariboo to help bring together the first Board of Directors for the Barkerville Heritage Trust. She now has a business consulting practice and is pleased to return to Barkerville as a member of the Board. Rhonda has a Bachelor’s Degree and Diploma in Public Administration and a professional Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation.
Don Bassermann
Councillor, City of Prince George
Appointed by: City of Prince George/Fraser-Fort George Regional District.
Don Bassermann, B.Ed. UVic, M.Ed. SFU, has been a member of Prince George City Council for eighteen years.
Currently, Don serves as the Chair of the Omineca Beetle Action Coalition; is a Board Member of the Barkerville Heritage Trust; and a Member of the Community Advisory Committee to the Barkerville Capital Campaign Team. Don served for thirty years as a School Principal and Human Resources Administrator for School District #57 in Prince George, BC; twelve years on the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George Board; and seven years as the Local Government appointee to the Province of BC Treaty Negotiation Team, working on the Lheidli T'enneh file.
Past experiences also include serving on the Prince George Community Foundation Board; the Two Rivers Art Gallery Board; and as Chair of the Regional District Cultural Advisory Committee.
Walt Cobb
Business Owner
Appointed by: City of Williams Lake/District of 100 Mile House
A proud member of the Williams Lake community for more than 40 years, Walt has been actively involved in the Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Business Association, serving on both Boards as a director and also as President. From 2005 to 2007 Walt was a part-time constituency assistant for Federal MP Dick Harris, after he himself served as Provincial MLA for the South Cariboo riding from 2001 to 2005, and as Mayor of Williams Lake from 1990 to 1996.
While his children were growing up Walt was an avid Cub Scout leader and volunteer, eventually becoming an integral part of organizations like the People in Motion Committee, and Baker Manor, a non-profit housing project for people with disabilities. Walt also sat as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the Go-Bus Society, a non-profit group that operates the transit system in Williams Lake, and is currently Secretary of the Williams Lake Rotary Club, of which he been a member since 1995.
Gary Champagne
Local Government Consultant
Appointed by: District of Wells
Gary brings to the Board over thirty years of government experience in senior administrative and management positions. Formally the Chief Administrative Officer for the District of Wells, Gary retired from public service in 2011 to enter private practice as a consultant to local government in British Columbia. He is a permanent resident of nearby Wells and an officer in the Wells Volunteer Fire Brigade. In his spare time Gary is most often found out paddling, cycling or skiing the local trails and waterways.
Eileen Lao
Public Affairs Manager, S.U.C.C.E.S.S.
Director-at-large: Multiculturalism
Ms. Eileen Lao is a seasoned communications and government relations professional with 20 years of experience in Canada and overseas, including 8 years with the Canadian federal government in the fields of public diplomacy and international business development, and 5 years with media relations in the private and non-profit sectors.
Prior to her current position at S.U.C.C.E.S.S., one of the biggest social service providers in Canada, as Public Affairs Manager, Ms Lao worked as Public Affairs Officer and Trade Commissioner for the Canadian Consulate General in Guangzhou, China, where her main responsibilities include media relations and raising Canada’s profile in China. She also served in a managerial capacity at Asian Motor Sports Television Co. Ltd, a Hong Kong-based international company specializing in marketing sports programs, including Formula One World Championship and Grand Prix World Motorcycle Championship, to broadcasters in Asia. Ms. Lao is the Director of BC-Guangdong Business Council and Vancouver-Guangzhou Friendship Association. She is also the Advisor of Canada-China Society of Science and Technology.
Ms. Lao is a member of the Canadian Public Relations Society.
April Moi
Community Development, Northern BC Tourism Association
Director-at-large: Tourism Industry Relations
Larry Gardner
Chief Forester – BC Operations, West Fraser Mills Ltd.
Director-at-Large: Business and Corporate Relations
Head, Archives & Special Collections
Ramona Rose (M.A., MMSt) is the Head of the Northern BC Archives & Special Collections unit at the Geoffrey R. Weller Library at UNBC. Ramona has over 20 years experience in heritage and cultural collections management in both academic and public archives and regional museums. Ramona supervises UNBC students in the Archives in accredited internship programs offered via History and Anthropology. As well as being a new member of the Barkerville Heritage Trust Board, she is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the BC Historical Federation and a member of the Executive of the Prince George Oral History Group.
Richard Wright
Producer and Artistic Director, Newman & Wright Theatre Company
Appointed by: Friends of Barkerville-Cariboo Goldfields Historical Society
As well as being an author, historian and businessman Richard Wright has a background as a musician, producer and artistic director. He and his partner Amy Newman are partners in Newman & Wright Theatre Company and operate the Theatre Royal in historic Barkerville.
Richard has been a cameraman, scriptwriter and producer for CBC in both radio and TV. As well he and his family were the subject of a National Film Board production "Family Down the Fraser." In recent years he has worked as a line producer and wrangler for CBC's “A People's History” TV Series and for Red Letter Film's production "The Legend of Cataline." He has appeared on “National Geographic Today” and CBC's "On the Road Again" regarding the Cariboo Camel Trek, a project he conceived for the Jack of Clubs Casino.
The Cariboo Tourist Association awarded him their prestigious "Caribooster of the Year" award in 2004 based on the Cariboo Camel project and the Best Tourism Marketing Innovation award in 2007. He gives several radio and TV interviews each year and has had his music projects featured in documentary films.
He has been a street interpreter/actor in Barkerville in the 1980s, acted in several plays and directed and produced community theatre shows. He was the founder of "The Boys From Joe Denny's Saloon," the first group to bring music to the boardwalk of Barkerville. He has authored 22 books, including three focusing on the Cariboo gold rush. He is a senior associate with Jim Stanton and Associates, a media consulting firm, and when not managing the Theatre Royal runs Winter Quarters Press, a photography and publishing company.
Richard is in his third term as a councillor of Wells District and served on BC’s Heritage Trust for several years. He is the founding president and current Vice-President of the Friends of Barkerville and Cariboo Goldfields Historical Society, who he represents on the board of Barkerville Heritage Trust.
Marsha Rea
Barkerville Business Owner
Appointed by: Merchants of Barkerville
Marsha has been a mechant in Barkerville for twenty years. She is proud to represent the Merchants of Barkerville on the Board of the Barkerville Heritage Trust.
Community Economic Development Coordinator, Soda Creek Indian Band
Appointed by: Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association
Miriam first came to the Cariboo Chilcotin in 2000 and spent many summers working, studying and travelling in this amazing region. She grew up in Germany and after completing her university degree in leisure and tourism in 2007 she moved to Williams Lake. Through her position with the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association she got to know many of the region’s tourism operators and industry partners. Since 2010 Miriam is working for the Soda Creek Indian Band north of Williams Lake managing and promoting Xatśūll Heritage Village, the community’s tourism business. When not behind her desk Miriam still finds time to ride horses and explore the trails and mountain ranges of the beautiful Cariboo Chilcotin.