In the autumn of 1999, Lewis Bartholomew, a U.S. resident, was on holiday to Vancouver Island during Remembrance Day when he came across a painting by Pat Burstall of the HMCS Alberni.
This vessel was a Canadian WWII corvette warship built on Vancouver Island in 1941, and later torpedoed in 1944. Fifty-nine of her crew perished in that sinking. The painting so inspired Bartholomew that he returned to Seattle and began his passionate memorial to the 59 Canadian sailors.
Today, Bartholomew is now 65 years old, but still hard at work with his passion at the HMCS Alberni Museum and Memorial (HAMM). His single-page website memorial has grown into a registered not-for-profit society, which manages both HAMM and The Alberni Project (TAP), its mobile memorial and exhibit which shows all over Vancouver Island. HAMM has been internationally recognized with recent support from the government of Flanders, joint exhibits with the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, as well as the Holocaust Centre in Wellington, New Zealand.
Over the 20 years Bartholomew has experienced many changes and challenges. The greatest challenge facing TAPS was its eviction from the Comox Centre Mall in 2016 due to change of building ownership.
With a bit of luck, the Society did manage to locate a new, albeit smaller, facility in downtown Courtenay, across from City Hall. After almost four months of renovations, HAMM reopened in January of 2017.
Bartholomew, a major financial supporter of HAMM will be stepping down as president of the Alberni Project Society at the upcoming AGM being held on Saturday, March 2 at 7 p.m. in the Spinnaker room at the Comox Marina Park.
He will continue his volunteer position as executive director of HAMM, a job he is still enthusiastic about.
A special guest speaker from Finklestein & Associates will give a presentation on estate planning.
For more information on The Alberni Project Society, the upcoming AGM, memberships, or museum hours, please contact the secretary, James Derry, at jamderij@telus.net, or visit the museum at 625 Cliffe Avenue 250-897-4611.