GRAND-PRÉ, July 9, 2008
— July 28th is the
official day of commemoration of the Deportation of the Acadians
because it was on that day in 1755 that the decision was made to
deport the Acadians from Nova Scotia. On July 28th, 2005,
the first service of hope and healing was held at the Covenanter
Church in the village of Grand-Pré. One of the driving forces behind
this initiative is Mrs Betty Curry who lives with her family on the
large dairy farm in Horton Landing where the Deportation Cross and the
Planter Cairn are located.
Mrs Curry (née Wentzell) was born near Bridgewater.
After graduating from the Nova Scotia Normal College in 1949, she
moved to the Annapolis Valley to teach in the little Grand-Pré School.
Not long after she arrived she met her future husband, Fred Curry.
After their marriage they settled on the land that the Curry family
have been farming since the 1760s. Aside from raising nine children
and doing all the bookkeeping for the family farm, Mrs Curry has been
an active member of her community. One of her most treasured projects
has been the restoration of the old Covenanter Church, built by
Presbyterians in 1804. The Covenanter Church is now in the trust of
Saint Andrew’s United Church in Wolfville.
In the days of the Acadians, the area encompassed by
the Curry Farm was known as Pointe Noire or Vieux Logis (Black Point
or Old Dwelling). The Deportation Cross, originally erected by the
railway tracks for practical reasons, was moved to the Curry Farm area
because it is thought to be the actual embarkation point of the
Acadians deported in 1755. According to the archaeologist Jonathan
Fowler, in all likelihood, it was also “one of the earliest places
settled by the Acadians in the Grand-Pré district, since it has one of
the only two natural landing sites.” He also says that the Curry Farm
was “the scene of some of the 'action' during the 1747 Battle of
Grand-Pré and the location of a small British fort between 1749-1754
which made use of three houses abandoned by Acadians.” Fowler also
points out that there was a “significant skirmish fought on these
lands in late 1749 between Aboriginal warriors and the British
garrison.” In short, the lands of the Curry Farm have been marked by
the Native People, the Acadians, the French, and the British – in both
happy and tragic circumstances.
When talking about this year’s Commemoration Service at
the Covenanter Church, Mrs Curry says she firmly believes that by
forgiving past hurts and past resentments, we can look with hope to
the future. At noon, on July 28th, there will be a wreath
laying ceremony at the Deportation Cross on behalf of the United
Church of Canada, Les Ami(e)s de Grand-Pré, and other groups. The
bells will be rung at 17:55 (5:55 pm) to mark two minutes silence.
This will be followed by a Sweet Grass Blessing and a First Nation
Prayer. After the bilingual and interfaith service in the Covenanter
Church, people are invited to participate in a Walk of Solidarity to
Grand-Pré National Historic Site where a reception will be held under
the auspices of Les Ami(e)s de Grand-Pré.
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