[Sust-mar] Friends of McNabs Island 2011 AGM

[Friends of McNabs Island]

Media Release for Friends of McNabs Island

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_For Immediate Release:_

April 6, 2011

_With the May opening of a major restoration project at Fort McNab, visitors
can rediscover this historic site at a Friends of McNabs Island presentation_

_HALIFAX_—Fort McNab's strategically historic role as the "Gatekeeper of
Halifax Harbour" will be the focus of an illustrated talk on April 14,
offering metro residents a preview of the restored island fortification and
repatriated cannons that will welcome its first visitors this May.

Dr. Carla Wheaton, Cultural Resource Manager at Parks Canada, will be guest
speaker at the Annual General Meeting of the Friends of McNabs Island
Society. Her topic will be _Fort McNab: the Gatekeeper of Halifax Harbour_.
She will discuss the year-long conservation and restoration of Fort McNab
National Historic Site. The Parks Canada project entailed repairing the
concrete structures and roofing as well as reviving the metalwork.

The return of two of the fort's original cannons, which had been transported
decades ago to Point Pleasant Park and York Redoubt, highlights the
completed work. The two guns have a significant heritage—and not only for
military historians. Both are so-called breech-loaders with one gun able to
hit a target up to 12 kilometres away. Their design was innovative when the
fort construction was completed in 1892.  Breech-loading meant that
ammunition no longer needed to be rammed down from the front of the barrel.

"The Fort McNab restoration will enhance the island's appeal and boost the
number of visitors coming to the island," says Cathy McCarthy, President of
the Friends. "This showcase project by Parks Canada complements the work our
society has done to preserve and protect the island over the past 21 years,
and more recently, to rebuild the trails leading to Fort McNab."

Fort McNab has another noteworthy distinction. It's the only Halifax area
fortification that can claim its guns "fired in anger" in over 200 years.
The recorded incident, which was not during combat, came when two warning
shells were fired in 1914. Fort McNab served as a gun battery for about ¾ of
a century, spanning the eras of prime ministers John A. Macdonald and John
Diefenbaker. After being decommissioned in 1959, the fort became a Parks
Canada property.

Dr. Wheaton's presentation will take place at 7 p.m. at the Small Craft
Gallery of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, 1675 Lower Water Street,
Halifax. (See a [2]map of the island for the location of Fort McNab and
[3]guidebook _Discover McNabs Island _for a capsule history of the
fortification._)_
  Links:
    2. http://mcnabsisland.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fa8f9fd27de7a1bbbd8d58640&id=361693ecd5&e=0c83f0457b
    3. http://mcnabsisland.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fa8f9fd27de7a1bbbd8d58640&id=038940dd3f&e=0c83f0457b

The Friends of McNabs Island Society is a volunteer, non-profit, registered
charity, dedicated to the preservation of McNabs and Lawlor Islands
Provincial Park. The Society was incorporated in March of 1990 with the
objective of promoting the islands as a Nature Park and Outdoor Classroom.
The Society hosts events on McNabs Island such as picnics, nature and
historical tours, and annual beach clean-ups. It maintains the trails with
co-operation from the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Parks
Canada.

_-30-_

_Media Contact:_
Cathy McCarthy
President, Friends of McNabs Island Society
902-434-2254 (evenings and weekends)
902-456-9167 (cell)
[4]mcnabs at chebucto.ns.ca
[5]www.mcnabsisland.ca

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_Copyright © *|2011|* *|Friends of McNabs Island|*, All rights reserved._

Friends of McNabs Island Society
P.O. Box 31240
Gladstone RPO
Halifax, NS, B3K 5Y1|*
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