Thinking of Len…

East Kildonan

I was recently thinking of Len Kaminski, the president of the first iteration of the Seven Oaks Historical Society, which was founded by him and a few others, including the late Floyd Williston (local author of Through Footless Halls of Air – an evocatively named book of stories about his brother, and other air force members who didn’t return from the Second World War).

My mother grew up in Point Douglas, and I thus grew up on the stories of her life, and she didn’t hold back. I have a profound affection for the area.

The Seven Oaks Historical Society was an interesting group, where I could learn even more about and stay connected to local history.

Len penned an impressive history of the Home of the Friendless Orphanage and organized the collecting of oral histories. He was a professor at the University of Manitoba’s faculty of social work, and his particular knowledge of power dynamics, societal structures and the historical era added insight to the stories of the vulnerable and others that is often missed in the historical record.

The Seven Oaks Historical Society was a vital group. It undertook many activities, including running tours, and their lengthily prepared annual general meetings at St. John’s Anglican Cathedral were events in themselves. Fascinating guest speakers brought the past to the present. One meeting featured a panel of guests who had grown up in the area, including a retired social worker whose work brought her once again to the North End.

My young daughter (with a few friends in tow) always looked forward to the AGMs, where they explored the cathedral’s basement spaces, ate good food and made sure to say hi to city councillor Ross Eadie.

“He is cool,” they said. (They saw him as a bit of a celebrity from television news).

Len passed away on March 23. I think of him with fondness as a welcoming, kind, and innovative pioneer in the development of a progressive model for community heritage organizations, and thus community well-being. With like-minded colleagues, he created a considerable organizational template that fostered fellowship and thoughtfulness through valued discussions and ideas that steered historical inquiry. Creativity was supported in the co-operative development and expression of the historical story (including a commissioned musical work performed by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, commemorating the bicentennial of the arrival of the Selkirk Settlers).

Len granted a new local history group the use of the Seven Oaks Historical Society name. Headed by Kenneth Ingram, the new Seven Oaks Historical Society is quite active. As in Len Kaminski’s time, and most important to me, they too are providing a place for people to connect in a way that honours their past and allows memories to be shared.

This creates meaning and belonging in a world increasingly fraught with disconnection and loneliness amid our mass fixation with the inanimate, glowing internet screen.