Susan Bazely Honoured by the OAS
KINGSTON, ON, September 30, 2007 — Local archaeologist Sue Bazely's achievements over the past 25 years serving Kingston through public archaeology were honoured at the 2007 Ontario Archaeological Society's Symposium, in Kingston earlier this month. Bazely, executive director of the Cataraqui Archaeological Research Foundation was the sole recipient of the 2007 Peggi Armstrong Award for Public Archaeology.
Heather Stronach, president of the Ottawa Chapter of the Ontario Archaeological Society, a province-wide organization dedicated to promoting archaeological knowledge and sponsor of the award, presented it to Bazely at the symposium's opening. "This honour awarded me in my home town is especially gratifying. It was awarded by my peers and it is such a thrill to be recognized…" Bazely said.
The award was created to recognize the late Peggi Armstrong's commitment to the preservation of archaeological heritage. There are four criteria which must be met before a candidate is considered for the award: Individuals or groups have to show a vast range of audiences; design and delivery of volunteer involvement; development of public archaeology resources, and scope of events and partnerships to promote public archaeology.
The award itself is a reproduction of a ceramic fragment found near Charleston Lake, Ontario. The ceramic dates from the Pickering era circa 1200CE. In her spare time Peggi Armstrong was devoted to studying and interpreting ceramic technology for the public. The Cataraqui Archaeological Research Foundation, which is currently celebrating 25 years of archaeology in Kingston, will soon have the award on display at the Kingston Archaeological Centre at 72 Gilmour Avenue. "The Foundation has been working hard for many years to provide quality programs for the people of Kingston. This award is a nice pat on the back for the many hard years of work," Sue said.
The Foundation is unique in Ontario, if not all of Canada, as being a stand-alone, not-for-profit charitable organization that publicly shares information gleaned from excavations through school programs, lectures, special events and excavation site visits. Researchers are encouraged to use the facilities or consult the curatorial staff to answer questions.
The Cataraqui Archaeological Research Foundation operates out of the Kingston Archaeological Centre where visitors, school groups, interest groups and researchers attend informal and formal programs all of which comply with Ontario Education Curriculum standards. The Centre also offers many on-going and unique opportunities for adults; our professional staff can help with research requests or answer questions about the mysterious artifact you may have at home.
Heritage preservation and programming is not limited to students and adults in Kingston. Every Tuesday at the Kingston Archaeological Centre, children 7 years and under are welcome to participate in our 'Tiny Trowels' program from 10:00am to 11:00am. Tiny Trowels includes an animated story, a craft and a simulated archaeological dig in the Centre's indoor sandbox 'pit'.
Please call 613-542-3483 for more information or stop by the Kingston Archaeological Centre open to the public free of charge Monday – Friday 9 am – 4 pm. If you can't make it to the Centre, visit our website www.carf.info for information, interactive sections and lots of answers to those history questions.
For further information, please contact us.