Headlines from this weeks SPEC

Nov. 3, 2002

Old Ash Inn becomes William Wakeham’s Manor
Charlene Eden

What has been known as the Ash Inn for so many years is now called William Wakeham’s Manor. Yves Jalbert, the building’s owner, has decided to work on a project that will see the house become an archives, arts and heritage centre of the Channels Islands settlers of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, who are otherwise known as the Jersey and Guernsey people.
According to Jalbert, there are three main parts to the project. "There is the house, the architecture of the house. There is this important character, which is William Wakeham, and there is the great era of Gaspe in the 19th century, related to the Jersey people. The Jersey people are not only English and not only French. It is a great reflection of what the Gaspe Coast has been and is still today, a mix of French and English. We hope this project will gather all these influences in one heritage," he said.

Port Daniel train station could house a railway museum and cafe
Gilles Gagne

The Port Daniel train station could become a small railway museum. A committee was recently formed to study the feasibility of this project. The building, classified by Heritage Canada seven years ago, could also house a cafe in order to attract tourists.
The station was heavily damaged by a fire in September 2001, and has not been used since by Via Rail. The public corporation has installed a small mobile home since then to serve its passengers. In July, Via announced that the station will be restored, at a cost of approximately $100,000. Construction work started a few days ago, under the supervision of Paspebiac architect Jean-Luc Heyvang.

Mary Campbell's song wins Coast to Coast recognition
Gilles Gagne

Lyrics written about 20 years ago by Cascapedia-Saint Jules resident Mary Campbell were recognized last week as one of the ten best songs sent to CBC for Sheila Rogers' radio show, out of hundreds of songs sent by listeners from Halifax to Vancouver.
About three weeks ago, Mrs. Campbell submitted a song written at the beginning of the 1980s. She had heard about the contest while listening to Tim Belford's morning show. She regularly writes verse. On the morning of October 28th, CBC broadcast the winning songs, and her lyrics had been selected.