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PRESBYTERIAN
SPRING 2023
presbyterian.ca
Scholarship
for Indigenous
Connection
NEWS
Charlotte the Church Mouse in action at Knox Presbyterian Church in Vernon, B.C.
Charlotte the Church Mouse
    Medical Students
  Dr. Peter Henderson Bryce.
By Jo-Anne Stead and Phil Winkelaar, Knox Presbyterian Church in Ottawa, Ont.
In an attempt to advance the goals of the Truth and Reconcili- ation Commission, Knox Presby- terian Church in Ottawa, Ont., has initiated a new scholarship for Indigenous medical students and is continuing to fundraise for this University of Ottawa scholarship in a desire to make it a permanent award.
The scholarship is named af- ter Dr. Peter Bryce. For those unfamiliar with him, he was the Chief Medical Officer of the Fed- eral Department of the Interior and Indian Affairs. Dr. Bryce was born into a Presbyterian fam- ily in 1853 and pursued a career in medicine. He was appointed chief medical officer of health for the Department of Indian Affairs (DIA) in 1904. He made observa- tions about the conditions and the health of the children he observed in Residential Schools in his own words, through the “systematic collection of health statistics of the several hundred Indian bands scattered over Canada.”
His reports showed that a quar- ter of all students were known to have died from tuberculosis, mainly because of the unhealthy conditions in the schools and the treatment of the students. He wrote about it in “The Bryce Re- port,” with recommendations for government action. While it didn’t garner much political attention, it was leaked to the media and de- bated in the House of Commons but didn’t result in any changes at the time.
Upon his retirement from his position in 1922, he still felt so strongly about the situation in Residential Schools that he self-
published his report, “The Story of a National Crime: Being a Re- cord of the Health Conditions of the Indians of Canada from 1904 to 1921.” It was distributed in Ot- tawa and, while it gained some at- tention, it didn’t prove to result in the changes he was hoping for. Dr. Bryce died in 1932 and is buried in Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa.
The scholarship is a concrete way for Presbyterian churches, members and adherents to show their support for furthering the goals of the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Com- mission of 2015. It also aligns with The Presbyterian Church in Canada’s 1994 Confession to God and to Indigenous People, following the denomination’s involvement in the Residential School programs. The Presbyte- rian Church in Canada adminis- tered 11 Residential Schools on behalf of the federal government.
The decision to name the scholarship after Dr. Peter Bryce was made following consulta- tions with local and national In- digenous leadership as well as denominational contacts.
Scholarships of $2,000 will be awarded annually to an applicant who is a full-time student in the Undergraduate Medical Education Program in the Faculty of Medicine, who can demonstrate financial need and meets the requirements of the University’s Eligibility for Fo- cused Admissions, Scholarships and Bursaries for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. Selection will be made by a committee com- posed of University of Ottawa’s Di- rector of Financial Aid and Awards, the Director of Indigenous Affairs and the Director of the Faculty of Medicine’s Indigenous Program.
A recent good news update is that the Peter Bryce Indigenous Scholarship in Medicine cur- rently has sufficient funds for the first disbursement in the fall of 2023. Further donations to the fund will permit the university to administer the $2,000 scholar- ship each year and will ensure the continuation of the scholarship. Donations can be made online through the University of Ottawa at bit.ly/3I6mXxG. Charitable tax receipts will be issued.
By the Rev. Teresa Charlton, Knox Presbyterian Church in Vernon, B.C.
Charlotte is a mouse. She is not a country mouse. She is not a city mouse. She is a church mouse.
In the fall of 2020, as churches contemplated how to conduct their first Advent and Christmas season online, Knox Presbyterian Church in Vernon, B.C., invited members of Knox Presbyterian Church in St. Thomas, Ont., to exchange Christmas parcels as one way to keep everyone’s spir- its uplifted.
Charlotte arrived in Vernon as part of the Christmas parcel from St. Thomas. For two years, Char- lotte has been passed around to
members of the Vernon congrega- tion during the season of Advent. Each participant was required to take Charlotte “about town,” pho- tographing her getting ready for Christmas and enjoying the local festivities. The pictures were used as part of the Advent Countdown at the church, through the daily e- newsletter and, this past season, as part of an Advent Tree as well.
But Charlotte had not finished her magic! Following this Christ- mas season, the collection of two years’ wor th of photos were handed over to a creative member of the congregation with the task of designing a children’s Christ- mas storybook. We are delighted to announce that Charlotte has
her first publication! Headed to print, the book will be used as a fundraiser later this year.
While a little silly, and more than a little whimsical, Charlotte has helped Knox Vernon to en- gage some of our members in a new way and provide delight for “children” of all ages. And to think, it all started by a creative set of hands on the other side of the country! Thank you Knox, St. Thomas.
Copies of “Charlotte’s Christ- mas Adventure” are available by request by following the prompts at knoxvernon.ca.
Presbytery of Vancouver Island Camp VIP 2002 program.
but we welcome all ages.
For more information, con- tact our Camp Communicator at campvip@outlook.com.
  Vancouver Island Camping Program
 By Elizabeth Forrester, retired minister
Since 1978, the camping pro- gram of the Presbytery of Van- couver Island, Camp VIP, has held summer camps at group sites in B.C. Provincial Parks. We were happy to hold four camps in 2022 after a two-year hiatus because of Covid.
These camps are multi-gener- ational and provide a wonderful opportunity for extended-family camping as well as renewal of friendships, some of which began in the early days. Pre-schoolers to folks in their 80s look forward to meeting up from our various congregations.
Everyone brings their own camp gear and is responsible for their own meals. Camp VIP provides speakers for evening gatherings and crafts, games and
a children’s program. The parks are in beautiful surroundings with beaches and forests to explore.
We happily welcome guests who are travelling from other parts of Canada. In 2023, we have camps booked for French Beach Provincial Park from Thursday July 6 to July 10, and at Rathtrevor Provincial Park July 31 to August 7. French Beach is on the south coast of Vancouver Island, about an hour drive west from Victoria. Rathtrevor is on the east coast of Vancouver Island, half an hour north of Nanaimo near Parksville.
In addition to camps at the group sites, we have a mid-week camp June 5–9 in the regular campsites at Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park. This is a forested site beside the river and waterfalls and this camp is mostly attended by enthusiastic camping seniors,
  
























































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