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John Brett is a Nova Scotia filmmaker who has spent over 20 years making films and videos that are in one way or another tied to the sea. In his most personal work, he often shoots, edits and writes as well as being producer/director. Among his many titles are the much acclaimed feature-length documentary Sea of Slaughter, based on Farley Mowat's bestselling book of the same name. Brett's work has received many major awards and has been seen on television around the world. He lives in Nova Scotia and his National Film Board credits include: Rivers to the Sea (1989) and The Voyage of the 7 Girls (2001), both of which he directed. He was co-editor of John Walker's 2008 film Passages.

The gold mine in the Oldham district near Enfield, Nova Scotia was a business interest of the Brennan family of Prince Edward Island. It was started in 1903 by William A. Brennan under the name Oldham Sterling Gold Company Ltd (1903-ca1916). W.A. Brennan had purchased the land from J.E. Hardman of Oldham, NS and from Frederick Taylor of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States near the end of Nova Scotia’s second “gold rush” 1895 to 1903. He also established an ore crushing mill on the site for his use and the use of other miners in the area. Oldham Sterling Gold Co. enjoyed some early success mining gold 1907 to 1912. After W.A.’s death in 1916, the Oldham property was inherited by his 2 sons Arthur and Victor and wife Rosara. Lacking the financial means to actively mine the property themselves, the Brennans looked for investors. Their first investor was Charles Spearman, a mining engineer from Montreal, who mined the district under the name Acadia Gold Mines Ltd. (1926-ca1932). It may have also operated under the name Acadia Metals Ltd. for a short time. When Spearman was unable to meet expenses and payroll for the miners, the company went bankrupt and the property reverted back to the Brennans. After several attempts to attract new investors, Arthur Brennan sold it to George Reynolds of New York, United States, and another Montreal-based group of investors under the name Avon Gold Mines Ltd. in 1935 (1935-1955). This company was active until about 1943 when labour shortages and equipment restrictions brought on by the Second World War (1939-1945) made operating the mine unprofitable. It never recovered in the post-war era and ownership again reverted back to the Brennan family. By 1955, Arthur’s son William “Bill” Brennan sold off the remaining equipment and all mining operations ceased.

John George Bourinot was born 24 October 1836 in Sydney, N.S., and attended Trinity College in Toronto. He was the co-founder and editor of the Evening Reporter in Halifax and reporter on the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly, 1860-1867. In Ottawa, he served as shorthand writer to the Senate, 1868-1873; assistant clerk of the House of Commons, 1873-1880; and chief clerk of the House of Commons, 1880-1902. Bourinot also held various positions in the Royal Society of Canada, 1882-1902, and was the author of several books and articles on Canadian history and the government and history of Nova Scotia. His best-known works include Parliamentary Procedure and Practice in the Dominion of Canada (1884), and A Manual of the Constitutional History of Canada... (1894). He was awarded a CMG in 1890, a KCMG in 1898, and honourary degrees from almost all Canadian universities. He died in 1902.

William Coates Borrett, author, historian and broadcaster, was born in Dartmouth, N.S. in 1894. He was educated at royal military schools in Canada and Cowbridge Grammer School in Wales. He served with the Canadian Armed Forces in both World Wars. Early in his career he was a pioneer in radio broadcasting, establishing the first commercial station in Nova Scotia in 1926 (CHNS). He was managing director until 1956 when he became vice-president of the Maritime Broadcasting Company. As an author and historian he was known for several books based on "Tales Told Under the Town Clock," a series of talks on CHNS Radio, Halifax, in the 1940s and 1950s. He was also an amateur painter of historic landmarks such as the Old Town Clock. After his retirement from broadcasting he became commandant of the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires (Nova Scotia Division) and was also appointed by the Canadian government to oversee the restoration of Citadel Hill. He was honorary superintendent of the National Historic Park until 1962, supervising the early reconstruction and encouraging the opening of the Army and Navy Museums in the casemates and a branch of the Nova Scotia Museum in the Cavalier Barracks. In 1969 the Canadian government presented him with a certificate of recognition for his contribution to the work of the national historic sites programme. He died in 1983.

Perry Borden was born in Tiverton, Rhode Island on November 9, 1738, the son of Samuel Borden and Peace Mumford) Borden. His father was one of the surveyors hired by the Nova Scotia Government in 1760 and he was a grantee in the Township of Cornwallis. After his return to New England, Samuel gave his grant to his son, Perry, who became the progenitor of the family in Kings County. Perry Borden was married twice, in 1761 to Emma Perry/Percy(?) and in 1767 to Mary Ells/Ellis(?), with two sons in the first family and nine in the second. His descendants included his great-grandsons, Sir Robert Borden and Sir Frederick Borden. He died on January 27, 1805.

Frederick William Borden, physican, businessman, militia officer, and politician, was born on 14 May 1847 at Upper Canard, N.S., the only son of Dr. Jonathan Borden and Maria Frances (Brown). He received a BA from Kings College in 1866 and began a long service in the militia, joining as a cadet while he was a student at Halifax. After completing his MD at Harvard in 1868, Borden returned to Nova Scotia and settled in Canning, where he practiced medicine and entered into various business ventures as a bank agent, investor, and shareholder. In 1895 his assets were incorporated as the F.W. Borden Company (later known as the Supply Company Limited). Borden served as MP for Kings County from 1874 to 1911 (except for 1882-1887) and was a founding member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Association. In 1896 he joined Laurier's cabinet as minister of militia and defense, serving for 15 years. His numerous awards and honours included a KCMG in 1902, two honourary degrees, and being named honourary surgeon-general of the British army. He died at Canning on 6 January 1917. Borden married his first wife, Julia (Clarke) at Canning on 1 October 1873 and had three children. Julia died in 1880 and Borden married her sister, Bessie (Clarke) on 12 June 1884.

Lawrence "Larry" James Boner was born on 24 May 1925, the son of Frederick Joseph (1904-1976) and Ada Adelle (nee Julian) (1903-1970) Bonner [sic]. He was educated at St. Patrick's School in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Between 1941 and 1946 he worked at the Casino Theatre on Gottingen Street. He had a keen interest in photography and started working for the Nova Scotia Government in the 1940s, first with the Department of Trade and Industry. He subsequently worked for the Nova Scotia Travel Service, Nova Scotia Bureau of Information, and Nova Scotia Communications and Information Centre. He was for many years supervisor of still photography, and retired from government service circa 1992. Larry passed away October 16, 2012.

Ethel Jane Bond was born on 3 November 1888, the daughter of Alexander (1858-1917) and Margaret (née Kellough) Bond (1858-1903). She graduated with a BA in 1911 from Mount Allison University. She was engaged to be married to Frederick Hockin (1884-1917), son of Rev. Arthur Hockin, a minister of the Kaye Street Methodist Church in Halifax. He was killed on 27 July 1917 serving with the Canadian Infantry – 1st Battalion in Europe. At the time of the Halifax Explosion she was living with her father and sister, Bertha, at 35 Kaye Street in Halifax. Her father was killed instantly and she and her sister were displaced. At some time after the explosion a roommate from Mount Allison contacted her from Winnipeg because she was struggling with tuberculosis. Miss Bond travelled out to Winnipeg to care for her and assist in her job conducting social welfare in the city. This led her to undertake a diploma in social welfare at the University of Manitoba, where she studied under J.S. Woodsworth. During this time she lived with her uncle, Murray Kellough. While living in Winnipeg she renewed a friendship with Harold M. Hockin, the younger brother of her deceased fiancé. They were subsequently married in 1919 and lived the balance of their lives in Winnipeg. Mrs. Hockin died in December 1958.

Professional photographer and filmmaker Edward Arthur Bollinger, son of Edward and Nelllie Bollinger, was born 6 September 1909 at Buffalo, N.Y. He graduated from the Buffalo School of Fine Arts and taught art in the public schools from 1927 to 1939. While in Buffalo he met artist Esther Baker, of Melvern Square, Annapolis Co., N.S., whom he married on 15 July 1933. Bollinger spent several summers in Nova Scotia before moving to Halifax where he opened The Camera Shop on Blowers Street with his brother-in-law Reid Sweet in June 1939. In 1941, Bollinger returned to the U.S. and worked for the Motion Picture Division of Bell Aircraft Corp. In 1947 Reid Sweet opened his own business and Bollinger's Camera Shop became the Camera Shop of the Maritimes which he operated until 1974. In addition to photographic services, he ran a small animation studio where he produced sports films for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commercials for various businesses, and films for the Nova Scotia government. Bollinger was also a founding member of the Camera Obscurists Club and the Color Photographic Guild of the Maritimes. Following the sale of his business, Bollinger retired to Satellite Beach, Fla. where he ran a photo equipment servicing business for several years. He died there on 20 March 2001.

Mr. Edwin Kaulback expressed the wish to some of his friends in March 1933 that he would like to have his property rented as a Golf Course. Negotiations started in April of that year, and work begun in May 1933. With a prospective lease in sight, they needed to find members, eventually they had 24 members by mid summer. Making new greens were out of the question so they spent a good deal of their time trying to find suitable patches of ground that would roll into fairly respectable temporary greens, with the result that they more of less had to plan the course around the location of the greens. The first officers were elected at a General meeting on May 23, 1933. The Governor General opened the course on July 8, 1933.-- Mr. J.J. Boon was instrumental to help put the Club on its feet, being a good instructor.

Loyalist Jonathan Bliss (1742-1822) of Springfield, Mass., son of Luke Bliss and Mercy Ely, became the first attorney-general (1785-1809) and second chief justice (1809-1822) of New Brunswick. Married to Mary Worthington (1760-1799), daughter of lawyer John Worthington, on 11 July 1790 in Springfield, Mass., they had four sons while residing in Saint John: John Worthington (1791-1810), Lewis (1792-1882), William Blowers (1795-1874), and Henry (1797-1873). Two of his sons followed him into the legal profession: William Blowers who settled in Nova Scotia and became puisne judge of the Supreme Court (m. Sarah Ann Anderson, 1796-1874, adopted daughter of Sampson Salter Blowers, in 1823 and had seven children); and Henry, who moved to England where he later became a queen's counsel. Henry also served as provincial agent for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and published several works on colonial issues as well as historical plays. The eldest surviving son, Lewis, was a merchant and banker who lived in Saint John and Halifax.

Shirley Alice Blakeley was born 28 July 1929 in Halifax, N.S., the youngest daughter of Cecil and Clara (nee McLearn) Blakeley. She graduated from Acadia University where she received a licentiate in piano and voice in 1949 and a Bachelor of Music in 1950. From 1950 to 1952, Blakeley lived in Newcastle, N.B. where she was organist and choir director of St. James Church, private music teacher, and director of music for the public school board. In June 1952, she returned to Halifax to take the position of music supervisor for the Halifax District School Board where she remained until retirement in 1985. She was a founding member of the Nova Scotia Music Educators' Association and sat on the Provincial Music Curriculum Committee of the Nova Scotia Department of Education in the 1960s and 1970s.

Phyllis R. Blakeley was born in Halifax, N.S., on 2 August 1922, the daughter of Cecil Pearson Blakeley and Clara Amanda McLearn. She received a BA (1942) and MA (1945) from Dalhousie University. She taught briefly at Alexandra School in Halifax and joined the staff of the Public Archives of Nova Scotia as a research assistant in 1945. She served as Assistant Provincial Archivist, 1959-1977; Associate Provincial Archivist, 1977-1981; and Provincial Archivist, 1982-1985. She received an honourary LLD from Dalhousie University in 1977, was a member of the Order of Canada (1978) and a Fellow of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society (1979). She wrote extensively under her own name, as well as under her early pseudonym, Ruth Blake. Phyllis Blakeley died in Halifax on 25 October 1986.

John McKay Blaikie was born in Stewiacke, Nova Scotia on 10 August 1837, the son of Harris and M.A. (Doherty) Blaikie. He was twice married. His first wife was Adelaide McLellan, daughter of David and Margaret (Durning) McLellan. His second marriage was to the widow of Captain Alfred Gould, Malinda Gould, on 23 April 1898. She was the daughter of R.N.B. and Jane (Faulkner) McLellan and she died on 4 October 1920. He first held a position in G. W. McLellan’s store, Great Village, Nova Scotia, and went into partnership with McLellan’s son Archibald Woodbury McLellan. McLellan and Blaikie each built a brigantine in 1864 and between 1873 and 1882 they built seven brigs and ships together, the largest being the Sovereign at 1250 tons. By 1885, Blaikie was an independent shipbuilder and owner and built the ship John M. Blaikie, one of the first four-masted vessels built in Canada. He died on 27 June 1929 at Great Village, Nova Scotia.

John Arthur Blaikie was born 25 May 1862 in Great Village, Nova Scotia, the son of John M. and Adelaide (McLellan) Blaikie. He married Sarah M. Spencer, daughter of Joseph and Sarah Spencer at Great Village, Nova Scotia on 29 December 1884. Blaikie was an accountant and entered the customs service in 1889 and was appointed customs collector in 1890. He served in this position for thirty years. He also audited the books of the Acadia Mines Company. He died in 1938 at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Wendell Peppard, in Glenside, Pennsylvania and was buried in the Mahon Cemetery in Great Village, Nova Scotia.

Robert Blackwood was born 29 September 1789 in Coldrain, Fossoway & Tullibole Parish, Kinross-shire, Scotland, the son of William Blackwood (1750-1812) and Janet Keltie (1761-?). He studied theology and graduated from Divinity Hall at the University of Edinburgh. In 1816 Blackwood married Ann Macara of Perth, Scotland, with whom he had nine children. That same year he and his wife left Scotland with the intention of settling in the state of Ohio. On his way to the United States, he stopped in Halifax, where he was persuaded to remain since there was a demand for Presbyterian ministers. In October 1816 he became pastor for the congregation of Nine Mile River, Gay's River and Shubenacadie, residing at Shubenacadie. In 1840 he left Shubenacadie to preach at Tatamagouche. Prior to his arrival in Nova Scotia, Blackwood had acquired some medical training and was known to occasionally treat members of his congregation. In 1852 Blackwood resigned his charge at Tatamagouche but continued to minister in New Annan, Nova Scotia at Willow Church. He died on 12 December 1857.

Harold Joseph Blackler was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the son of Matthew and Lillian (Butler) Blackler. He was a World War II veteran, having served in the Canadian Army. After the war was over he continued to serve with the Halifax Rifles (reserves) as the regimental sergeant-major and was employed by the Department of Veterans' Affairs at Camp Hill Hospital for 41 years. He was married to Frances Caines. He died aged 74 years on 14 October 1996.

William Anderson Black was born 9 October 1847 at Windsor, N.S. He was a businessman and shipper prior to his election to the House of Commons in 1923. He served as acting Minister of Marine and Fisheries followed by Minister of Railways and Canals for a brief period in 1926. He died at Halifax 1 September 1934. He was married to Annie (Bell) and had five children.

Violet Marshall Black was born on 19 December 1899, in Wolfville, N.S., the daughter of William Marshall Black and Elouise (Eldridge). She graduated from Acadia Seminary in 1919, with a diploma in Household Science. Between 1922 and 1930, she spent winters in Boston, Mass., with her family and returned to Wolfville during the summer. From 1939 to 1948, Violet worked for G.C. Pickford, a Wolfville florist. She moved to Bedford in 1949 and returned to Wolfville in 1963 with her sister Mary. Between 1945 and 1975, she was active in weaving and was a member of the Canadian Weavers Guild. She died in Wolfville on 23 May 1991.

Mary Ellouise Black was born 18 September 1895 at Nantucket Island, Mass., the eldest daughter of William M. Black and Ellouise (Eldridge). She received her early education in Wolfville, N.S. and graduated from Acadia Seminary in 1913. Her career in occupational therapy began in 1919 after completing a course in Montreal to train as a ward aide for disabled soldiers. From 1919 to 1943, she worked in various institutions in Nova Scotia and the United States where she directed ccupational therapy programs for patients including the mentally ill. Also an accomplished craftswoman, she was recruited by the Province of Nova Scotia in 1943 to organize a provincial handcrafts programme as director of handcrafts for the Nova Scotia Department of Industry and Publicity, a position she held until her retirement in 1955. She authored several instructional texts on weaving. Among her best-known works was The Key to Weaving, published in 1945. Her many awards and honours included a citation from the Cultural Division of the Mexican Government in 1960 for The Key to Weaving, the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Award in 1977, and the Cultural Life Award from the Cultural Federations of Nova Scotia in 1981. She died in Wolfville on 11 February 1988.

The Black United Front arose out of a meeting held on 30 November 1968 in Halifax to discuss the creation of an organization to act as an advocate and resource agency for the black community in Nova Scotia. An interim committee was established to secure funding. On 15 August 1969 the federal government announced its financial support, leading to the creation of the Black United Front (BUF). It was incorporated under the Societies' Act on 13 January 1970. The new organization was to be governed by a Provincial Council composed of elected representatives from each black community and an appointed Executive Director with support staff. Among the objectives of the new organization were: obtaining economic and political power for Blacks, promoting black history and culture, assisting in the development of a positive black self-image, developing leadership and community organization skills and providing resources through which the black community could access self-help programmes. Throughout its twenty-seven year history BUF accessed or created numerous government and private programmes in order to benefit the black community. It assisted clients in finding employment through such federal programmes as LIP, SEED, LEAP, Outreach, OYC, Community Student Service Program, and CEIC funding. It also provided legal assistance, publicized human rights concerns of individuals and communities, and offered mediation services and race relations counselling to schools, employers, and government departments. Since most of the black communities in the province were underdeveloped and without services, BUF's community and outreach workers assisted in securing adequate water supplies, solved many housing problems and land clarification issues, and provided social services assistance to clients requiring affordable housing and health resources. The isolation of these communities was also reduced through a communications network consisting of provincial council meetings, meetings with community workers, and circulation of BUF newspapers, newsletters and circulars. BUF was one of the first advocates for a Black Cultural Centre (established in 1983) through its promotion of black culture and history via cable television programmes, black cultural expos, black history month and similar methods. It also conducted several demographic profiles of black communities to obtain little-known statistics on black populations. In late 1983 a funding crisis occurred when the provincial government withdrew its financial support due to what it considered to be funding irregularities. On 10 October 1984 funding was restored after an acceptable interim organization was created to restructure the organization. The reconstituted organization continued to promote earlier BUF objectives and also paid greater attention to education and literacy, affirmative action, and provision of legal services. By early 1996, however, a negative media profile plus continuous under-funding and a lack of accountability and government commitment led to the disbandment of the organization.

Black River Productions Limited was founded in 1987 by Neal Livingston, an independent Cape Breton filmmaker. Livingston had previously been noted for producing documentaries with a variety of environmental, social and political themes. As president, writer, director and producer of Black River Productions, Livingston continued to create dramatic, atmospheric and experimental genre films such as Off to Work (1988), Trees and Elevators (1991), and Michel in a Suête (1998). The company also produced documentaries on environmental issues, especially those relating to forestry practices and alternative energy sources, such as Toxic Partners (1999), and The Battle At Our Shores (2001). The company also became noted for a series of whimsical portraits of unconventional people, such as John Dunsworth -- The Candidate (1989), The Paper Age and Ancient Flight (1992), Mabou Fights Back (1992), and Both Sides of the Wire (1993). The company's films have been broadcast extensively in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia, and have won several awards.

Dr. W.P. Oliver, after careful research and inquiry, drafted a proposal for a Black Education Centre in 1972. This was supported by the Black United Front and the provincial Department of Continuing Education. -- Two years later, the Honourable Garnet A. Brown, then Minister of Recreation for Nova Scotia, met with members of the Black community to discuss provincial assistance to aid in the establishment of the Centre. Out of this meeting came a Steering Committee for a Black Cultural materials available in Nova Scotia, listened to ideas Black people had about location and contents of the Centre, and investigated other such Centres in North America. -- On May 19, 1977 an Act to Incorporate the Society for the Protection and Preservation of Black Culture in Nova Scotia was passed by the Nova Scotia Legislature. The Society's first annual meeting was held on August 15, 1977 in Halifax.

Marie Louise Bishop was born 13 September 1929 in Windham, Connecticut, USA to Canadian parents Harold Enoch Bishop and Gertrude Louise (Hiltz) Bishop. At the age of eight and a half she was infected with Polio and became a paraplegic. She has been a member of the Canadian Paraplegic Association, a founding member of the Minas 50 Plus Seniors Club and was instrumental in organizing the Bishop Family Genealogical Committee. She is the author of a number of books including: The pioneers of Canaan, Kings County, Nova Scotia; Memories of Coldbrook, Nova Scotia; and The Hiltz family of Nova Scotia. Marie Bishop died 26 July 2011.