A lifelong resident, Vince MacLean has been paying attention to the history and people of Washabuck–his people–for as long as he can remember. Soon the rest of us will have access to his insights in the form of a new book from CBU Press. These Were My People: An Anecdotal History of Washabuck is set to be officially launched on August 1.
MacLean has spent a lifetime exploring local history. A retired Nova Scotia Community College teacher in Port Hawkesbury, MacLean is a spirited character with a diverse background and speckled interests, directing his volunteer time toward fostering Celtic culture, local infrastructure and community initiatives. A long-time advocate of Bras d’Or Lake, he is truly passionate about its significance and relevant potential to the vitality of the province. He and wife Charlotte live at MacKay Point, Washabuck. They have a family of four children and four grandchildren.
The book is a unique and satisfying account of the colourful community and its people by way of the stories they told and the stories told about them, writes historian A. J. B. Johnston in his foreword to the book.
“MacLean’s lifetime of listening to oral traditions and of his research of every written source he could find, combine for a compelling examination of both the place and its time,” says Johnston. “This approach to the history of his community is unique and satisfying. We learn of its people by way of the stories they told and the stories told about them – a history rich in character without sacrificing facts and figures.”
These Were My People received support from the Beaton Institute at Cape Breton University through the Robert J. Morgan Grant-in-Aid Program. It is the second book in the Cape Bretoniana Research Series, a partnership between the Beaton Institute and Cape Breton University Press.
The official launch will take place on August 1, 4-6pm, at the Washabuck Community Centre, 4449 Washabuck Road, kicking off the Along the Shores of Washabuck summer festival. This is a free public event – everyone is welcome.
