THE 500+ km ROAD TO GEORGETOWN: a Geographer's Storytelling Trek

Dr Bob Maher

Edward Wedler

Dr.Bob Maher and Edward Wedler are planning a 500+ km trek (from Yarmouth NS to Georgetown PEI) starting in September 2013 to raise awareness of the Georgetown conference theme "Redefining Rural" and to collect and share rural stories.

Each citizen has unique qualities. Communities grow through its citizens and those communities then create their own culture and commerce. 

They are to collect and share stories about rural people-redefined -- their lives, communities, and geography. 

LINK: georgetownconference.ca
LINK: r2gTrek.blogspot.ca

REDEFINING ANNAPOLIS VALLEY

Bob Maher at the Road to Georgetown Conference

The Georgetown conference in October is an Atlantic Canada meeting to look at ‘redefining rural’. As part of the lead up to the event, the local community, supported by the Annapolis Spectator, proposed two initiatives: a series of Georgetown Letters, where citizens could submit their ideas to the weekly newspaper, and a one day conference called ‘The Road to Georgetown’ (R2G). This event on May 4th provided the audience with a context: a Skype call to Greg Baeker on the Creative Rural Economy and a presentation by Mark Austin on the findings from the commission on building the Nova Scotia economy. In the afternoon, Edward Wedler hosted a storytelling session that allowed local residents to describe their experience living in this area. The passion shown by the storytellers about their ‘sense of place’ was inspirational. 

We learned two lessons from May 4th: 
 a) Web technology can be a powerful vehicle for sharing ideas and information about ‘place’ (see audio, photographs and links throughout this website)
b) There is real strength in the informal networks throughout rural Nova Scotia. 

From this experience, we (Edward Wedler and Bob Maher) had to answer the question: what is the next step in civic engagement? 

First, we recognize that Atlantic Canada is a mosaic of unique geographies. Rather than getting caught up in administrative boundaries, we need to think in terms of logical landscape units. If we are going to share stories, then we need a common geography. Thus – redefining the Annapolis Valley. This is not to be exclusive. Simply put, there are many similarities – climate, topography, soils in the Annapolis Valley that supports a long agricultural history. 

Second, we can use new technologies (maps and web) to address themes important to the region. One theme is demography. Can we provide learning opportunities that bring together youth and boomer professionals? 

This leads us learning how to reinvent the existing institutions.

Next Steps 
1) Share the results of the R2G conference with the larger region 
2) Expand our networks to address youth engagement 
3) Initiate conversations with existing institutions about network technology, content, and future vision.

STORYTELLER

PRESENTER: Phil Milo

 

SELECTION FROM "ON MAJOR CHURCH" by Phil Milo, Lawrencetown NS

PRESENTATION: Community Mapping

STORYTELLER

 

STORYTELLER

 

STORYTELLER

STORYTELLER

PRESENTER: Anne Crossman

PRESENTER: Mark Austin

WELCOME FROM ATLANTIC NEWSPAPERS

STORYTELLER

STORYTELLER

STORYTELLER

SOME FEEDBACK FROM THE ROAD TO GEORGETOWN CONFERENCE 4th May 2013

Photographed by Anne Crossman

   The day was beyond expectations. Everyone and everything was perfect. My thanks for doing it all. LARRY P.

   I wanted to write and thank you for an inspirational and fun day on May 4th. I was born and raised in Auburn, Nova Scotia and I went to Acadia and for some reason decided to stay in the valley (unlike other people my age who couldn’t wait to run away from the valley or didn’t want to be “stuck” in the valley). Sometimes I always wonder if I am one of those people who are “stuck” in the valley, sometimes I wonder if I too should be heading out west or to Toronto or some other place where I could possibly get a “better” job or live in “better” place. I guess it’s the grass is always greener on the other side mentality that I often come to as a young professional who grew up in the valley and has stayed in the valley. However, the meeting on Saturday that I attended and the stories I heard was exactly what I needed to hear. I too have chosen to stay in the valley for very similar reasons to those who presented on Saturday. I am not stuck here, I chose to stay here. I sometimes forget as a local how wonderful my community is and how fortunate I am to be able to live here with a good job and work towards creating an even better community. I believe in the valley and I believe that we will develop rurally and change as needed, and continue to be a wonderful place to live. 
   I guess what I am getting at is I want to thank you for a wonderfully inspiring day that has reassured me I am in the right place, living among the right people and doing the work I think is important. I had moments on Saturday of just pure pride that I was born and raised, and still live in such a vibrant community. I am proud to say I live here and was born here, and I thank you for reminding me of why. I look forward to working and collaborating more with all the individuals in attendance on Saturday, and I look forward to our travels to Georgetown.  ROBIN C.

Thank you and the team, for making such an event possible for the grassroots to express visions of our rural living where real human values weave the texture of the world in which we wish to live. KLAUS & SHIRLEY L.

  Thank you so much for all your assistance, drive and ideas that helped make yesterday a day that was most memorable for me. The afternoon was filled with delight and inspiration. Boy, we live in such a rich place! ANNE C.

   Thank you for allowing me to be part of this wonderful event, "The Road to Georgetown", to meet people I have never met and hear stories I have never heard (I think Phil Milo could have gone on all day and would have received rapt attention). What especially struck me was the passion and diversity in the room ... Know what? It's events like these that make me happy my "two-year stay" in the Valley has been extended by 30+ years. To think, how many more stories that are out there waiting to be told and waiting to be heard! EDWARD W.

   The morning was filled with excellent information that should inform the region as we go forward with the rural development agenda. The story telling passion was an absolute delight.
   Beforehand, I had decided that I should try to speak to the question of rethinking institutions : schools, colleges, churches, community halls. Afterwards, I realized that it is the individual stories that remain. Here is an untold story.

   Raymond and Rona Hunter came to the Valley from England, after the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya. They had a farm on Paradise Lane, opposite Jack Pearl's. There, they had the 'Born Again barn'. This was in the early '80s. Later they moved up to East Paradise and the bought the farm, that my son Andrew now owns. The apple cider comes from the organic orchard that was planted by Raymond. Meanwhile, Alex Cole discovered the red maples by the Annapolis River. each year, he comes to coppice the wood in November ( FYI Shirley and Klaus) for his yurt construction.
Last week, we had new tenants move into the farm house, with young children (helps the demographics). They plan to use the land to farm organically.

   Back to Raymond and Rona, it is my understanding that the signs on Hwy 101: 'baby's choice to live ' and 'choose life ' around Exit #18 were from the Hunter's beliefs. Regardless of the context, I think it is wonderful to imagine as you head west on the Highway, passing Middleton that you see on your left 'Choose Life'. An artifact of an earlier time, and yet still symbolic (Edward, it might be worth a photograph).

   Heather and I are encouraged that future generations can learn from our experiences. And we can meet that 2050 vision for Annapolis County, and beyond. BOB M

   Congratulations to all of you who worked so hard to pull this event together. HEATHER L.

CULTURAL HACKING IN PARADISE

Dr Bob Maher, neo-Geographer

On May 4^th our community (in fact Lawrencetown) is hosting an event called ‘The Road to Georgetown’ (bit.ly/road2georgetown). This is in preparation for a bigger conference, sponsored by Newspapers Atlantic, in Georgetown, PEI (thegeorgetownconference.ca ) --  “Rural Redefined”.

Our plan is to assemble a group of speakers and storytellers who will share their perceptions about this part of the Annapolis Valley -- sounds very similar to “Hyperlocal”, but with a rural flavour.

The Halifax Chronicle Herald recently launched a weekend edition, with new format, typeface and content. It is full of articles that give voice to the changes that are happening in rural communities across the province.

What is going on ? Here we have two instances where newspapers are re-inventing their relationship with local citizens. Which brings me to "cultural hacking in Paradise". If existing systems or institutions do not meet the needs of the grassroots then how do we change them ? Just like software systems, we have to hack into them.

There are several recent examples. In Nova Scotia, there are moves to close small rural schools. To resist, we have to change the language and the concept of a school in the community, for example the hub concept. In Nova Scotia, they have closed the Rural Development Agencies (RDA) and are replacing them with Regional Enterprise Networks (REN). How do we reinvent the concept and change the decision making process -- and much more than, simply, changing an acronym.

From my apple orchard in Paradise, I have found a couple of touchstones that show us the way.

Recently, Donald Savoie has written a book entitled ‘Whatever happened to the music teacher’. In the preface, he describes a conversation between a businessman, a civil servant and a politician about the growth of the provincial civil service and the lack of change at the local school. The book is about decision making in government. In his case, the emphasis is at the federal level, in our case, we are looking at the provincial and municipal scales.

My second discovery was the book by Trudy Sable and Bernie Francis ‘ The Language of this Land, Mi’kma’ki. In this case, we can see the relationship between the traditional language and how it mirrors the environment and ability to live in a sustainable manner today.

What is the task of the cultural hacker in Paradise?To absorb what is happening around us. Observe the changes not only in the physical environment but also our cultural environment. To experiment with different ways of communication – use maps and new technology – but most importantly to share stories. Sure, there are risks, but allowing the current systems to persist, has even greater risk.

IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

The Road to Georgetown
A Community Conference on Redefining Rural
Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS)
Lawrencetown, Annapolis County
Saturday May 4th 2013 9am – 4 pm

(details on the overview page)

The volunteer committee is actively seeking and offering individuals from different walks of life to tell their story about making a living in rural Nova Scotia. We are seeking perspectives from both traditional and non-traditional sectors of the economy. We are looking for stories that span the generations.

We are looking for stories about staying in place, going away and returning home, coming to the Annapolis Valley from other parts of Canada or other countries.

Welcome

Welcome to our Road to Georgetown website, devoted to "Redefining Rural" -- changing the way we work, live and play.