The Nicola Valley Museum Archives held their Annual General Meeting on Thursday, March 17, 2011. The meeting saw the election of one new officers added to its board of directors, Grant (Red) Heisler.

The positions were filled as follows: President – Murphy Shewchuk, Vice-President – Jack Polmans, Secretary/Treasurer – Mavis Polmans, Directors: Mary Charters,Tom Edwards, Peter Samra, and Grant (Red) Heisler.

President Murphy Shewchuk explained to the audience of more than 20 in attendance at the Merritt Seniors Centre, that the museum has been archiving its written historical information and extensive photo collection, scanning its extensive archives year by year, which will eventually all be transferred to its new servers.

The Museum has been able to purchase a scanner, servers and the necessary software to catalogue it’s archives. Shewchuk explained that the new software will make available at the touch of a keyboard the museum’s photos and archives.

“This will greatly increase our ability to further protect and archive Merritt’s unique history, ” says Shewchuk.

The equipment needed to digitize the archives came from a grant received through the Irving K. Barber B.C. History Grant, which is distributed by the University of British Columbia.

The attendees of the meeting were also treated to a very well researched history of the 2000 block of the Quilchena Avenue merchants and buildings by Ron Sherwood. Sherwood focussed on the block which currently houses the Community Police Station, Fields and CFDC, giving brief accounts of the various merchants who have populated what has long been Merritt’s main commercial centre.

Sherwood’s family had owned and operated Sherwoods Variety Store for over 30 years, selling the store and name in 1986. To compile the information for his presentation Sherwood says he worked with the museum, talked to long time residents and utilized his own personal memories of the many changes that have taken place on that specific block.

“We owned a variety store that was open seven days a week nine to nine,” says Sherwood.

Sherwoods family came to Merritt in 1948 from Vernon, where his dad came to work in the Overwaitea store that was located in the same spot their variety store would later be.

After Sherwood sold the store in 1986, it was run in a number of locations on the block keeping the Sherwood name.

“It moved several times, it kept getting smaller, but the name travelled with it,” says Sherwood.

The museum is operated with a yearly budget coming from the City of Merritt, the T.N.R.D. and various grants and bursaries.