Longtime volunteer Charlie Baldock receives historical preservation award

Manitoba’s lieutenant-governor was set to present awards to four Manitobans Tuesday evening for their outstanding volunteer contributions to local heritage.

Charlie Baldock, who is from the Killarney area, was one of the recipients of the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Historical Preservation and Promotion.

Baldock established the Wakopa Store Museum, helped establish the Boundary Trail Railway, purchased and restored a sawmill for public display, and much more.

In an interview Tuesday morning, Baldock said he couldn’t believe he was one of the recipients of the award, which is handed out in consultation with the Manitoba Historical Society.

“I’m sort of overwhelmed about it,” Baldock said. “I never thought anybody would worry about what we were, what we or our association did. We just enjoyed what we were doing and just went about our business.”

Other recipients are Gilles Messier and Christian Cassidy of Winnipeg and Eleanor Proctor of Woodlands.

Baldock, a retired farmer, said he had always been interested in what people have had to say and the stories they would tell about the past.

“I think people should know what went on before we all got here, and some of the many sacrifices people made. It was pretty tough for a lot of people in general,” he said about the First and Second World War and the Great Depression.

More recently, Baldock and other volunteers did a re-enactment of when surveyors first measured the 49th parallel between Canada and the United States, and retraced the Sunshine Highway with classic cars from Crystal City to Brandon.

Lt.-Gov. Anita Neville said it’s a pleasure to recognize the volunteers’ efforts and achievements.

“The individuals selected to receive awards this year represent the many dedicated individuals throughout Manitoba who take great care in preserving and promoting this province’s rich and vibrant history,” Neville said.

The awards took into account how advancements in technology are being used to share the province’s history not just locally, but outside the province as well. It included blogs, videos and podcasts.

Manitoba Historical Society executive director Gordon Goldsborough said the criteria it looks for is long service, and those who do the work on a volunteer basis, as they do it “purely for the passion.”

“Charlie Baldock is absolutely worthy on both of those counts. Charlie has been doing this for decades, and he’s done all of it without any expectation of reimbursement,” Goldsborough told the Sun.

He said all of the recipients are very deserving of the awards.

The historical society receives about 20 nominations per year, and is forced to whittle it down to a maximum of five recipients, with two reserved for emerging historians who are in the mid-30s or younger. Only one emerging historian — Messier — was awarded this year.

It is difficult to choose winners, Goldsborough said, because so many people who are nominated deserve to be recognized.

» alambert@brandonsun.com