Hornby Island Community Archives
R.G. 17
Acc. No.: 2016-04-07/16
Finding aid created by Hannah Wiseman
Last updated: April 2017
Title: The First Edition collection
Level of description: collection
General material designation: textual records and graphic materials
Extent: 26 cm
Creator(s): The First Edition (1979-present)
Dates of creation: 1979-1983, 1992, 2000-2003
Administrative history:
Founded in 1979 by Mary MacKenzie, at that time Mary Turk, The First Edition is a community newspaper based on Hornby Island, B.C. The first issue was published in November 1979.
The monthly paper was originally created in order to consolidate the reports and newsletters of the various organizations on Hornby Island, such as Islands Trust, Hornby Island Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association, and the Co-operative Association, and to provide the residents of Hornby Island with a method to respond to and provide feedback to these organizations.
The paper is produced through volunteer labour and the fees charged to island organizations and advertisers pay for the costs of producing it, as well as to provide the “Free Pages”, pages reserved for readers’ responses, feedback and individual contributions in the form of articles, letters, poetry, and stories.
Mary MacKenzie (Turk) edited the paper from November 1979 to October 1981. Several editors have followed MacKenzie, including Michael Smith, Nadeane Trowse, Sheila Macpherson, and Stevi Kittleson.
Early issues of the paper were produced using a gestetner duplicating machine. From the paper’s beginning Uldis Arajs printed it, running the gestetner equipment, until sometime in the late 1980s. Nadeane Trowse purchased the equipment from Arajs, who trained her on how to use it, and printed the paper until 1989. Trowse trained the current printer, Gabriel Jeroschewitz, who took over printing in 1990 as the first paid employee in the paper’s history.
Typewriters were used by volunteers to produce the text of the paper until the early 1990s, at which time computer word processing software was employed. Even with the use of computer software, the classic cut-and-paste method was used from the paper’s inception for decades. Layout night occurred once a month and was a group effort. Paper print-outs were laid out on master sheets, which were delivered to the printer to be printed. Once Stevi Kittleson took on the role of editor the paper layout was done entirely on computer.
In the beginning the paper was collated by Mary MacKenzie and Uldis Arajs, with the help of a few friends, until MacKenzie stepped down. Arajs oversaw collating for several years after that. Today the paper is collated by several volunteers.
Scope and content: The collection consists of original records submitted to The First Edition, and financial documents related to the business of running the paper. Textual records include correspondence, financial documents, graphic materials, photographs, drawings, cartoons, notes and other ephemera.
Source of supplied title: Title is based on the creator of the collection.
Immediate source of acquisition: The original accession date(s) and donor(s) are unknown as Hornby Island Community Archives acquired the records several years prior to their being accessioned in 2016.
Arrangement: The records were labeled and filed in manila envelopes upon their arrival to the Archives. The labels and original physical order of the materials have been retained in the archival arrangement.
Language of materials: English
Record no.: R.G. 17
Repository: Hornby Island Community Archives
Rights: Copyright held by The First Edition.
Finding aids: Finding aid available with file level control.
Related groups of records: The First Edition is available for onsite reference use. An inventory of issues (1979-2017) is also available.
Accruals: Further accruals are expected.
File Inventory
Box 1
1-1 November ‘79
1-2 December ’79, EPM cartoons
1-3 January 1980
1-4 February 1980 – June 1980, financial documents and originals
1-5 Summer 1980, newsprint issue and originals
1-6 September 1980- December 1980, financial documents and originals
1-7 January 1981 – November 1981, financial documents and originals
1-8 January 1982 – May 1982, financial documents and originals
1-9 July/August 1982 – December 1982, July/August 1982, financial documents and originals
1-10 January 1983, March/April 1983, June – August 1983, financial documents and originals (1 photograph)
10-1 Photograph – b&w; 4×6; two people seated by pool. Note on verso from Kathi Linnman regarding rainfall dated January 4, 1983
1-11 Correspondence, notes, ads, articles, financial documents, and ephemera, 1979-1983
1-12 March 1992, originals
Box 2
2-1 April 2000, July/August 2000, originals
2-2 March 2000 – May 2000, September-October 2000, originals
2-3 November 2000 – February 2001, originals
2-4 March 2001 – May 2001, originals
2-5 June 2001, originals (1 photograph)
5-1 Photograph – colour; 4×6; “The Water Taxi, May/01”
2-6 July 2001, originals
2-7 August 2001, originals (2 photographs)
7-1 Photograph – colour; 4×6; “Chilkat Moon Mask, yellow cedar, 24” DIA, $2500.00”
7-2 Photograph – colour; 4×6; sculpture of seated figures
2-8 September 2001 – November 2001, originals
2-9 December/January 2001-2002 – March 2002, originals
2-10 April 2002 – June 2002, originals
2-11 July, September, October 2002, originals
2-12 November, December/January 2002-2003, originals