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Although only 3,400 square feet, the Egmont Heritage Centre holds generations of artifacts and history. It is seeking a manager to care for it all – but the search for new staff has faced some challenges.
Nestled across the street from the trailhead to the famous Skookumchuck rapids, visitors are met by a totem pole, before the museum welcomes them in. The building’s large windows are lined with an extensive collection of coloured antique bottles and Depression-era glass that filters the light before it reaches the many household items donated to the museum. In one display, a springboard used in local hand logging operations remains inserted into model tree, just as co-founder, the late Billy Griffith, was taught to use it.
More than a museum
Since opening in 2006, the museum has served as a place for local families to pass on their stories and artifacts. It represents both First Nation and settler history spanning generations, as well as providing industrial and environmental information.
Beyond its collection, the most recent manager of the museum, Sam Ennis Hughes said the museum serves as a “stop gap” for some services in the community, helping people with some basic technology needs such as sending a fax, or finding presents at the giftshop, and giving visitors information about the Skookumchuck rapids and trail. (Not to mention the electric vehicle charging station and bathrooms, both available to use for free.)
Ennis Hughes has had to step back from the position she has grown to love after arriving as a newcomer to Egmont nine years ago. Now, she hopes to find a passionate person to steer it into the future.
That position – a combination of manager and curatorial duties – has been informally open for a few years, as staff and board members have faced health issues, as a pandemic stretches on and as recruitment efforts have had some false starts. The museum could also use a part-timer and usually hires a summer student for their busy season.
Housing crisis
The housing situation in Egmont, however, has thwarted efforts to find prospective employees so far. In a December presentation, Ennis Hughes told the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) that it’s a beautiful place to live, but difficult to find a place to rent.
“In the past it’s been a lack of jobs but currently it’s a lack of housing,” Maureen Juffs told Coast Reporter. Juffs, whose parents co-founded the Skookumchuck Heritage Society (SHS) that oversees the museum, serves as a volunteer and a board member. She said prices are rising for both renting and owning, and taxes are also increasing for the area.
“For the right person, people will open their doors and accommodation will show up,” Ennis Hughes told Coast Reporter.
It can be a “hardship to commute” to Egmont from other communities on the Sunshine Coast, she added. While Juffs said it would be an asset to find someone with local roots to the community, Egmont has a small population of full-time and part-time residents. A newcomer, like Ennis Hughes was when she first took the job, could do well.
“I think what we really need is a combination of manager and curator, and [we’re] trying to find a go-getter who wants to take on a creative role in the long term,” Juffs said. “Occasionally we’ve had nibbles – somebody suggests a friend, or something like that but then … nothing comes of it.”
Hope arrived when a staff member was hired last June, but they left the museum after less than two months, and Ennis Hughes had to step back into the role she held for nine years. A part-time staff member also came out of retirement to help.
Looking for funding
In December, during the first round of the SCRD’s budget discussions, Ennis Hughes asked the board for a funding boost.
Ennis Hughes, who is now the administrator and takes care of the finances, hopes a portion of the funding request can be used for the museum’s recruitment efforts as she steps back from the role because of health issues.
The Skookumchuck Heritage Society is also seeking federal funding, a letter to the SCRD directors said, and Ennis Hughes decided not to accept payment for a few months of her work.
SCRD board chair Darnelda Siegers commented on the museum’s frugal requests of past years and acknowledged the challenges the institution has recently faced.
Billy's legacy
The museum and society have also lost long-time volunteers in recent years. In May 2021, the society’s one and only president, William E. “Billy” Griffith, died at 86 years old.
The late Griffith was the president of multiple societies and on the board of others at the same time, and he was to be the staff liaison at the heritage centre.
“Dad was really good at the skill of getting things done, but not so good at the skill of delegating,” Juffs said of her father. “Succession planning means that they’re big shoes to fill – and who knows how to fill them.”
Tom Lavis, the first manager hired to set up the museum’s exhibits in 2006, told Coast Reporter the museum has a lot of potential and several unfinished projects but the volunteer base has dropped off in recent years.
“I think it’s the same story all up and down the Coast. Most of the volunteers were elderly, and they just got tired. The young ones aren’t stepping in really – yet,” he said.
Ennis Hughes told the SCRD that she hopes to find someone who loves the heritage centre as much as she does. When SCRD director Leonard Lee thanked Ennis Hughes for her work, she said, “I just want to make Billy proud.”
Anyone interested in working or volunteering with the Egmont Heritage Centre is asked to call 604-883-9994 or email [email protected]. Juffs said an “old fashioned letter” would also be accepted.
Visitors can arrange a tour by calling or emailing the museum a few hours in advance and the heritage centre will reopen for regular hours after Easter.
