Sponsored by The Richmond Hill Historical Society, the Bert Hunt Heritage Award recognizes contributions to preserving Richmond Hill’s heritage. It acknowledges outstanding contributions to the preservation of Richmond Hill’s past and efforts to raise awareness about the value of that past to the community and its citizens.
This award also acknowledges the contributions made by the late Bert Hunt to heritage conservation efforts in Richmond Hill over many years. Bert Hunt was recognized as a community volunteer and Citizen of the Year by both the City of Richmond Hill and the Province of Ontario. His advocacy for a new museum in Richmond Hill was instrumental in launching a Museum Feasibility Study that saw widespread consultations and a final report that was accepted by Town Council and now forms the basis of ongoing efforts to move towards the reality of a new Richmond Hill museum. Bert was also a leader in a project to preserve individual peoples’ stories of Richmond Hill, and his personal efforts to capture this invaluable historic resource were fundamental to it’s success. Bert Hunt was a tireless advocate for preserving Richmond Hill’s history and his contributions have been recognized on many occasions.
The Bert Hunt Heritage Award is an attempt to acknowledge the legacy that is Bert Hunt’s lasting gift to our City.
The Award will be made annually by the Richmond Hill Historical Society in June.
The recipient will be chosen from nominations received from the community following a public Call for Nominations issued in March of each year.
The recipient will be selected based upon the degree to which their nomination meets the following criteria:
- a resident or organization of the City of Richmond Hill
- an ongoing contribution to the conservation and preservation of Richmond Hill’s heritage
- an effort to raise awareness about the value of that heritage to the community and its citizens.
A nominee’s contribution can relate to:
- tangible heritage in Richmond Hill, such as buildings, monuments, landscapes, books, works of art and artifacts;
- or intangible heritage in Richmond Hill, such as folklore, oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, language and the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts.
Nominations open on March 1st and close on May 1st , 2024.
A final decision will be made by the Executive of the Richmond Hill Historic Society in May of each year, the recipient will be notified, and arrangements made, with appropriate publicity, for the award to be presented at the Society’s June meeting.
Please contact Jim Vollmershausen, President of the Richmond Hill Historical Society to submit your nomination to [email protected].
Previous recipients include:
- 2017 – Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church
- 2018 – Richmond Hill Lawn Bowling Club
- 2019 – Burr House
- 2023 – Archives Committee, St. Mary’s Anglican Church
