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Oak Bay Archives extends deadline for Then & Now community project

Submit photos and stories to obarchives@oakbay.ca by Aug. 31
8044989_web1_thenandnowrattenburybeach2017
Local families have enjoyed summer days at Rattenbury’s Beach for more than a century. (Karen Wallace-Prince photo, July 2017)

The Oak Bay Archives offers a few more days for residents to get in on the community Then & Now project.

Then & Now invites residents to explore the community be creating an archives photo juxtaposed with a modern image. The project promotes an in-depth look at the community and it’s growth and changes in perspective.

For example, Oak Bay resident Karen Wallace-Prince found an archives photo of families enjoying summer a day at Rattenbury’s Beach and juxtaposed it with her own image of the same beach full of families this summer.

“We’ve had some wonderful submissions. It’s interesting to see what people focus on,” said Caroline Duncan, Oak Bay Archives manager. They range from streetscapes and building changes and similarities to submissions of personal stories.

“Individuals have revisited a family home or place that has significance for them,” Duncan said. “People enjoy the project because it lets them look at their neighbourhood in an new way. People are making these new connections to the past and their neighbourhood and understanding their surroundings.

“When people start to look through the photos, they’re surprised to learn that their neighbourhood was a First World War training camp for example.”

Residents can peruse the more than 1,000 photos online at the Oak Bay Archives or old family albums pulled from dusty bookshelves or attics to find inspiration. There is also an album in the foyer of municipal hall, 2167 Oak Bay Ave.

“We’re encouraging people to find their own interests through the photographs we have online,” Duncan said.

With plenty of beautiful scenes still left to depict, the archives extended the deadline to the end of August.

“During the fall we’re going to exhibit some of the photos in the municipal hall,” Duncan said. They’ll also craft a display for December in the Oak Bay branch of the Greater Victoria Regional Library.

The new extended deadline to submit photos and stories to obarchives@oakbay.ca is Aug. 31. Selected photos and stories will appear in the Oak Bay News and be exhibited by Oak Bay Archives.


 

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cvanreeuwyk@oakbaynews.com

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8044989_web1_thenandnowrattenburybeacharchive
Camping at Rattenbury’s Beach, 1906 (Oak Bay Archives 1994-001-006)


Christine van Reeuwyk

About the Author: Christine van Reeuwyk

I'm dedicated to serving the community of Oak Bay as a senior journalist with the Greater Victoria news team.
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