Danielle Fontanine
Bottom row (kneeling): Christian Hurlow, Lori Fraser, Lynda Jane Cornelisse, Nancy MacDonald, Marion Brearly;
Middle Row: Barbara De Lorme, Heather Beausoleil, Barbara Cooper, Donna Bondy, Danielle Fontaine, Kathy Czerny;
Behind the Sign: Lynn Champagne, Shari Langevin.
Photo by John Dance
On November 15th, 2019, all 13 members of the Lady Evelyn Book Club met at Lady Evelyn Alternative School to celebrate 20 years of book club gatherings. Lady Evelyn was the original common factor for the members, as they had all taught there together at some point. The members gathered at the school for a commemorative photo and brought books to donate to the library as a way of honouring the connection to the school.
Afterwards, the group reconvened at the Royal Oak Pub for the official book club meeting. Needless to say, book discussion fell by the wayside, as much social catch-up was required. Toasts were raised to different members for such things as questionable attendance, political activism, archival record keeping, photography and, in one case, for reading the books after book club meetings.
Over the years the group has celebrated births, weddings, funerals, divorces and retirement parties. They have also reminisced about the students they taught and shared stories of their lives. Some people say that books are their bread. Some people say that books are their religion. For the Lady Evelyn Book Club, books are their friends.
