>In a message dated 4/30/98 7:04:39 PM EST, [log in to unmask] writes:
>My event: my town tore "my" old library down when I was a kid.  I loved being
>there, and then it was gone.  It changed the way I felt about my town. And
>maybe, just maybe, throw in a little Irishness that likes a good fight now and
>then . . . ("Who said that?!!" -- or, as CG suggested: "Who faid that?!!")
>
>I'd love to find out how other preservationeers got into all this in the first
>place.

What a great question. I got into heritage preservation in a big way after
we discovered that our house was built by one of Victoria's most famous (or
infamous) architects, Francis Mawson Rattenbury. He was know principally
for commercial structures, amongst them the buildings which frame our
habour - Parliament Buildings, the Empress Hotel and the former Canadian
Pacific Steamships Terminal.

We were in a mall and saw a display for the Hallmark Society and as they
say, the rest is history. Both my husband and I have been heavily involved
for almost 20 years. I also work in heritage tourism in the summer so I
actually make some money from my endeavours.

For the most part, however, this is a labour of love. What we have is far
too precious to destroy. Luckily, we have a City Council who for the most
part agrees with preservation.

Helen Edwards in Victoria, B.C. Canada
Owner, Bed Buddies Toys
Past President, Hallmark Society...Director, Heritage Society of B.C.
[log in to unmask]  URL: http://www.islandnet.com/~helen