IONA CAMPAGNOLO TO SERVE AS HONOURARY PATRON OF BARKERVILLE
The Barkerville Heritage Trust is tremendously pleased to announce The Honourable Iona Campagnolo, P. C., O. C., O. B. C. as inaugural Honourary Patron of Barkerville Historic Town.
“As an influential and respected Canadian, Iona is a woman of many roles and, among them, many ‘firsts’,” said Sue Morhun, Chair of the Barkerville Heritage Trust. “We are genuinely thrilled that Iona is adding another by joining us at this significant time in Barkerville’s history – its 150th anniversary in 2012.
“As an iconic champion of the North, and with an unwavering commitment to excellence, Iona will help advance Barkerville with its ‘no small dreams’ at a time when we are creating a vibrant and sustainable future.”
Campagnolo, the first woman to be named Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, is a lifelong supporter of BC’s heritage.
“I am pleased to be joining the women and men associated with The Barkerville Heritage Trust as an Honourary Patron,” she said. “We are charged with keeping faith with all those individuals who helped to create and build the rich legacy that we and future generations inherit.
“In all our diversity of backgrounds, complicated beginnings and bright promises for tomorrow, B. C. remains unique in Canada. Sustaining that special trust demanded by our shared past is what Barkerville is all about. It is a joy to be associated with a living, breathing evocation of ‘who we were’ 150 years ago and how we came to be who we are today.”
Barkerville Historic Town, the largest and most significant living history museum in western North America, was the undisputed centre of the Cariboo Gold Rush. The site is owned by the Province of British Columbia and managed on their behalf by the Barkerville Heritage Trust, a non-profit society and registered charity. Barkerville, a designated Provincial Heritage Site, has three National Historic Site of Canada designations. Barkerville is the anchor tourism destination in central and northern BC, drawing on average 66,000 visitors per season and creating an annual economic impact of $16.9M.
