Louise,

I think that your project is magnificent and I wish you all the best.  What a way to preserve history and yet make it accessible to the public. We are always looking for old newspaper items and this really touches our region. ! Congratulations. I’m marking the date on my calendar. I believe you will reach your goal in no  time.

Thank you for letting me know about this.

Lorraine Chevrier

What a super idea for a project: to preserve local history by digitizing the Review Archives. Dalkeith and Vankleek Hill are connected in  many ways but especially through the ROBERTSON Family. Originally from Dalkeith two  Robertson brothers set up complementary  businesses in each towns. Vankleek Hill grew while Dalkeith remained tiny.  Nonetheless both communities did and do share a rich and passionate history and where better to see it recorded for posterity than in  this Archives project-which will be accessible to all history buffs, fact finders etc.  and perhaps more importantly in this ever changing world it will be available to future generations who will be able to "walk through" the lives of their forefathers/ancestors. I,  on behalf of the Dalkeith Historical Committee congratulate Louise Sproule and the "review digitizing archive" Committee wishing continued success.

Frances Fraser, Chair, Dalkeith Historical Society

On August 24, 1996 I embarked on a journey that would change my life forever. I had connected with a man on the internet from Hamilton,ON. As you know, The term ‘Internet dating’ was non-existent in 1996. Nevertheless, I excitedly climbed aboard the train in Cornwall, ON and began my adventure. Twenty-one years later, my “Hamilton boy” and I are happily married with beautiful twin boys and live a wonderful blessed life.

Over the years, The Review has been my connection to where I called ’home’ for the first 29 years of my life. Any time I visit Vankleek Hill (which my parents will tell you is not often enough), one of my favourite things to do is to bring back past copies of The Review that my mom and dad seem to always have around. It is my connection to ‘home’. I didn't realize how much it connected me until I read your post on Facebook this morning about The Review Ink Project, 125 years of The Review. As I read through your article about fundraising for the project, a lump grew in my throat. As my eyes welled with tears, I knew this was an incredibly valuable project.

I can remember when Tuesday nights in our household growing up consisted of not one, but TWO copies of The Review that were purchased after 9 pm. This could simply not wait until Wednesday. It was a ritual. My parents would sit at the kitchen table, each with their own copy, and chat back and forth over the latest news. As a child, I could sense that this time was sacred.

On a few occasions we had ‘made’ The Review!! I recall the sense of joy when I was nine or ten years old and my photo was on the front page, or at least it was the front page in my mind. The annual tulip show - one of my favourite events of the year. There I was, leaning over smelling a tulip. I may as well have won an Oscar! Another time, my brother Billy was photographed with a kitten at the Vankleek Hill Fair pet parade. He proudly had said over the microphone at the grandstands that the kitten was named “Lucky” because he was lucky that he wasn't drowned-ed by my grandmother! My mom would carefully cut out our pictures and place them in her memory box.

My parents came to visit a few weeks ago. “I brought you some copies of The Review” says my mom as she sets down the folded stack on the table. She doesn't know how much they mean to me. I eye them up and look forward to my quiet time at 630am a few days later before I head out to work. I will sit with my coffee and St. Albert’s cheese curds and be taken back in time. A time when we would go into Leo Seguins or The White Palace for candy and a nickel was enough for the group of friends. Pilon’s bakery had the best nut bar cookies (what I wouldn't give for that recipe). I recall the whole town smelled of butterscotch from the Norda Factory, wafting through the air as I walked home from my piano lessons at Ian Hepburn’ studio. So many great memories brought back as I turn the pages of the latest edition.

Thank you Louise for keeping me connected and for all that you do.

My dad, Keith Allen turns 75 on May 28th (I can remember his ‘Lordy Lordy look who's 40’ picture in the classifieds). In his honour I would like to donate $100 to the Review Ink Project. I know that he will enjoy every page of the past 125 years of memories. Precious memories in Vankleek Hill and many more to come.

Sandra Allen-Flegg

Archiving is embracing the future and preserving the past. To guarantee the survival of today’s information for tomorrow. To ensure that the public record remains available for generations to come. To making them accessible to all. We all depends on accurate, accessible information. The best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. We need to understand the past, need sufficient information to gain some insight on how our past generations got to where they did and how. Without this understanding, missing links etc, always bring doubts and leaves many thing up to interpretation. Misinformed, we stand to make the same mistakes over and over again instead of staying clear from mistakes and moving forward. Archives serve as our region’s memory, and offer a rich source of history to help individuals contextualize their modern-day experiences. They allow for better risk management and the delivery of more effective services. Not only does preservation of past research enable us to track different sorts of developments, it also secures the future of research happening today. Our challenge is to help The Review ensure that the information essential for day-to-day business and for tomorrow’s historians stays accessible and useable for as long as it is needed.

Paula Assaly, B.A.,B.Ed., M.Ed.,L.L.B

Local newspapers in Canada are a virtual treasure trove of the history of a community, which is why I am proud to support The Review's 125th Anniversary archive project. Over the past 125 years The Review has – on a weekly basis – documented everything from community events to high school plays to local politics and more – virtually everthing that has ever happened in Vankleek Hill and the surrounding area since 1893. To have all of this data on a keyword-search-enabled online database will be an invaluable resource for local historians, people seeking information on their ancestors or even someone who just wants to try to find an old photo that The Review published of them back when they were in Grade 3. Louise and her team at The Review should be commended for their efforts to ensure all of this information is preserved for now and the future. I can't wait to see the completed project and am already jotting down search ideas.

Reid Masson

The archiving of the entire library of The Eastern Ontario Review Newspaper from 1893 to 2018 is a fantastic, expensive and difficult undertaking. The Archive will allow future generations, researchers and students of history, a complete, available, accessible and searchable data base for perusal. I am pleased to make a donation to this project without end, a project that will continue to benefit the community for the next 125 years. Imagine!

Kathleen Gillespie, Terry Gillespie Management Team, Former Eastern Ontario Farm Labour Pool Manager, and potential user of The Archive.

I am pleased to hear that “The Review” is undertaking the project of preserving their history as part of their 125th anniversary celebrations. This information will certainly be an excellent resource for many generations to come whenever anyone wants to look back to try to understand how our community has developed over the last 125 years. This project is a huge undertaking by The Review and I encourage everyone in our community to support Louise Sproule in this endeavour.

Gary Barton, Mayor of Champlain Township

Just imagine the wealth of family and community stories collected by The Review over its 125-year history in Vankleek Hill. Shall we leave them all to our imagination, as the aged newsprint inescapably and catastrophically surrenders to time? Or, will we choose to make use of the bright digital age to salvage our history and unlock the life chronicles of birth, school, sport, wedding, achievement, and death. Let’s unravel these buried treasures – our stories - of bravery and defeat, about our politics, our social activities, our commerce & agriculture, and our growth as a wider community. Support The Review Project Ink to digitize 125 years of unique newspaper history. Let’s combine our imaginations with digital technology to bring family and community history to life as never before. Yes, The Review has accomplished 125 years unabated. Yes, Project Ink will provide a new beginning to our learning.

Michelle Landriault, Museum Studies
Registrar, Musée Vankleek Hill Museum
Founding President, Vankleek Hill & District Historical Society
Former Editor, The Review, Supporter, Project Ink

What an exciting opportunity! Whether you are researching your family story and creating a family tree or just interested in the life of your community over the past 125 years, the reality that you can use an archive of the issues of The Review over the years to browse the evolving story of the communities of eastern Ontario and western Quebec is a tremendous asset.

Thank you to Louise Sproule for microfilming past issues and making them available. Such a herculean effort takes time, talent and money, and Louise is to be commended for her imagination and generosity. I am delighted to learn about the expansion of the project and welcome the opportunity to contribute financially to its completion. I urge others to do the same.

Local archives are springing up all over Ontario. They provide a place for communities to collect, preserve and share their story. Valuable information comes to light instead of being hidden in mouldering collections in attics and basements.

It is my hope that this initiative will grow to include other historical print collections – letters, documents, journals and such.

But first, let’s get this first step off the ground and assist Louise to get the job done as only she can do so efficiently.

William Byers, genealogy and history junkie