Written by Toni Lavigne-Conway | Special to the Valley Gazette
Despite the extreme heat, history buffs and railroad enthusiasts gathered at the Barry’s Bay Railway (BBR) Station this past Sunday to travel back in time and revisit the Agents, Operators and Clerks employed by the Station from the bygone era. Fittingly, attendees sat amongst carefully preserved railroad themed memorabilia and artifacts that added to the authentic mood of the afternoon.
The event was organized by the StationKeepers MV, a local nonprofit group committed to the preservation and enhancement of the Railway Station and Water Tower Park. President of the organization, Joanne Olsen, was pleased to introduce the guest speaker for the event, former local resident and one of the founding members of the StationKeepers MV, Mark Woermke.
Ms. Olsen paid tribute to Mr. Woermke’s talents as a historian and his passion for the railroad, saying that he has spent countless hours on research not only for today’s topic but for much of the history for the railroad itself.
Mr. Woermke opened the presentation by welcoming everyone, most notably the relatives of some of the BBR Station staff he would be speaking about during his presentation.
He shared his own special relationship and personal affiliation with the Railway and the Station, saying that his mother, Gwen Billings and father Roy Woermke met at the Station as employees. “Quite literally, without the Railway, I wouldn’t be here today.”
He noted that the establishment of the Ottawa, Arnprior, Parry Sound Railway was “the most important event in the history of Barry’s Bay. Without it, Barry’s Bay might not have developed, or it would have been a very different community.”