2024 is L.M. Montgomery’s 150th birthday! The L.M. Montgomery Institute (LMMI) at the University of Prince Edward Island is celebrating with 150 tributes – celebratory statements or greetings – that reflect upon personal connections to Montgomery or on an aspect of her life, work, or legacy.
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To celebrate World Tourism Day on September 27th, this week’s tributes from Yuka Kajihara-Nolan, Barb Pratt, Kathy Gastle, and Barb MacDonald show how Montgomery has been commemorated in both Ontario and PEI.
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Yuka Kajihara-Nolan on Leaskdale Manse, “Maud’s House of Dreams”
現在や過去のカナダの生活を知るのに、L.M.モンゴメリが素晴らしい導き手となりました。1990年代に、オンタリオ州アックスブリッジの街でモンゴメリの大ファンであったウィルダ・クラークさん(1913-2000)と出会い、リースクデール牧師館を歴史遺産として残すという彼女の強い意志と夢に力づけられました。ウィルダの情熱と意欲のおかげで、世界的に有名な作家であるのみならず、オンタリオ州の片田舎で牧師夫人として、そして、二人の息子の母でもあったモンゴメリの豊かな人生に気付くことができました。最近では、毎年夏に「モードの夢の家」と私が呼んでいるリースクデール牧師館へ日本からのお客様をご案内しています。玄関ドアを開けるたびに、壁に飾られたウィルダの丸い記念碑に目が止まり、いつも私を笑顔にしてくれます。牧師館を維持しているオンタリオ州ルーシー・モード モンゴメリ協会に感謝するとともに、数多くの作品と思い出を残してくれたモンゴメリにたくさんのありがとうを贈りたいと思います。
梶原由佳は、トロントの図書館に勤務しながら執筆活動を行う。オンタリオ州ルーシー・モード・モンゴメリ協会名誉会長。オンタリオ州にあるモンゴメリゆかりの土地案内も行っている。
L.M. Montgomery was a wonderful introduction to Canadian life past and present. In the 1990s, I met an LMM enthusiast Wilda Clark (1913-2000) in Uxbridge, Ontario, and I was energized by her strong will and her dream that Leaskdale Manse be recognised as a heritage site. Her passion and enthusiasm helped me realize the whole of Montgomery's life, not only as an internationally famous author but also as a minister's wife and a mother of two boys in rural Ontario. Now, I bring Japanese visitors to the Leaskdale Manse every summer, and I introduce them to what I call ‘Maud’s House of Dreams.’ Whenever I open the front door, I see an oval plaque commemorating Wilda on a wall. And every time it gives me a big smile. I give thanks to the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario for maintaining the manse, along with my thanks to Montgomery who left us so many wonderful stories and memories.
Yuka Kajihara-Nolan is a writer and works at a branch of the Toronto Public Library. An Honorary Chair of the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario, she has organized many tours to Montgomery's Ontario sites.
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Barb Pratt on Leaskdale Manse, Feeling the Presence of the Author
What a pleasure it is to bring visitors to the manse in Leaskdale. They come from all over – from Europe, from Asia, Australia and everywhere in North America – and they have come because at sometime a red-headed child from Prince Edward Island penetrated their lives.
They envision the author working in her kitchen, digging in her garden, watching out the window for her sons to come home from school, and composing her novels in the parlour. They feel her presence on the stairs and in the library. It’s always a joy to witness the pleasure and gratification from their close encounter with L.M. Montgomery.
The Leaskdale Manse is a Canadian National Historic site. L.M. Montgomery lived in the manse as the wife of the Presbyterian minister for 15 years, and while there she published 11 of her 22 books. To learn more about the manse and the author’s time in Leaskdale visit www.lucymaudmontgomery.ca.
Barb Pratt has been a teacher and editor. In 1989 she opened Blue Heron Books in Uxbridge. She has been involved in The Lucy Maud Montgomery Society for approximately 20 years.
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Kathy Gastle on Montgomery, a Norval Legacy
Lucy Maud Montgomery married the Rev. Ewan Macdonald, a Presbyterian Minister, in 1911 on her beloved island, and then spent the rest of her life living in Ontario. Norval became her home in 1926. Ten years after Maud returned to her final resting place in Cavendish, P.E.I., I was born in Norval.
Maud’s cousin Marion Webb moved from Green Gables, P.E.I. to Norval and married Murray Laird, a well known local Norval farmer. Her brother Keith arrived and opened a successful florist business. I attended public school with Keith’s children.
My grandmother Barbara Browne sang and performed during the Olde Tyme Concerts and other fundraisers organized by Maud in Norval. Barbara was well known for her beautiful soprano voice. My mother, Joan Browne Carter, was in the presence of the author as a child.
Many Norval citizens had signed copies of Maud’s books. They were shared and read by community members. Our family had a signed copy of The Tangled Web, and it remains one of my favourites. Norval residents were proud of their famous neighbour and I listened to their stories of Maud.
L.M. Montgomery’s documentation of our village and her novels has influenced my efforts to recognize the author for over 30 years. The most significant legacy was the purchase of the author’s Norval home in 2017 by our local heritage board with a vision to open a museum and literary centre dedicated to the author.
Kathy Gastle is a former Halton Hills Mayor, community organizer, and lifelong citizen of Norval.
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Barb MacDonald on Cavendish’s Green Gables (Parks Canada)
“It is a small, big world and look how far little Anne has traveled.”
During a 41-year career with Parks Canada in PEI, I had the privilege of helping to share the story of L.M. Montgomery’s life and works. From 1982 to 1990, I was the supervisor at Green Gables, welcoming thousands of visitors from all over the world. After that, I was involved in developing exhibits, videos, trail panels, and other interpretive media designed to tell the author’s story and significance.
Through this work, I gained a huge appreciation of Montgomery and her achievements. It is incredible that her work has been so well loved by so many people of different ages, from all over the world, and for over 100 years! For some, a visit to Green Gables is a dream come true that they have looked forward to all their lives. It has been a truly rewarding experience to be able to share her amazing story with those who know and love her work as well as those who become inspired to learn.
Recently retired from Parks Canada in PEI, Barb MacDonald is still a dedicated fan of L.M. Montgomery and her works.
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Next week our tributes will celebrate Montgomery in the context of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30th).