British Home Children Advocacy & Research Association

and activities of the BHCARA

Past Events

Most events feature the 2015 OMAH Historical Award Nominated Author & British Home Child expert Lori Oschefski President of Home Children Canada

We would like to thank each and every single location for hosting our display and/or our presentations. You guys are a huge help in getting the word out about the British Home Children!!

Scroll For Gallery Of Past Events

Black Creek Pioneer Village

partnership from 2013 to present

Black Creek Pioneer Village Page

2017 Events

WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY January 2017
Freedom Talk Radio - live from Scotland Jan 2017
The Toronto Ward Museum Census Workshop Mar 2017
Commemoration of Vimy Ridge at the Barrie Legion
Caledon East and District Historical Society
Vaughan Township Historical Society
Pier 21 in Halifax - Toronto Ward Museum
Fresh Start Foundation Conference, Scotland, Video
Bradford Public Library exhibit
Bradford Public Library - evening presentation
the official private opening of the new Canadian History Hall at the Canadian Museum of History
Nottawasaga Inn Probus
Waterloo Region Museum & Doon Heritage Village
London, Ontario Western Fair
Dufferin County Museum & Archives
Park Lawn Cemetery BHC Monument Dedication
Display at the Orillia Public Library "People of Orillia"
The Veterans' Classic , The Raceway at the Western Fair District
University of Waterloo Renison College
Bolton and District PROBUS Club
Orillia Public Library, Student Remembrance Event

2018 Events

Probus Etobicoke Club
Bracebridge Probus Club
Harriston Library
Wellinngton County Historical Society
Kitchener Public Library Genealogy Fair
Colonel John Butler (CJB) Branch of the United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada
Champlain Seniors Service Club - Orillia, Ontario
Beaverton Thorah Eldon Historical Society
Orillia Public Library Family History Festival
Waterloo Region Museum
London Western Fair
Gravenhurst Probus Club
Hamilton Public Library
Historical Automobile Society of Ontario
Orillia Public Library 3 day Remembrance event

Past Event Locations

2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Events

Black Creek Pioneer Village 2014, 2015, 2016
Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library
Upper Canada Village 2013
Orangeville Public Library 2012, 2013 & 2014
Wellington County Museum
Richmond Hill Public Library
Niagra Branch OGS
Ottawa Public Library
Clarington's Agricultural Heritage
Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library
Barrie Public Library
Barrie Legion 2014 2x, 2015
Barrie Historical Society 2015
Simcoe County Historical Society 2015
Newmarket Public Library
Curtain Club, Richmond Hill
Peterborough Public Library
Orillia Historical Society 2013
The Sparrow Lake Historical Society
Millbrook Historical Society
One World- One Family Conferance - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints the, Brampton Ontario Stake 2014, 2015 August
4th Line Theater, Millbrook, Ontario 2014
Kawartha Lakes
Peoples Church
Hamilton, Ontario book Launch 2014
Calgary Public Library 2014
The Beach Celtic Festival 2014
Northridge Community Church, Newmarket 2014
Scottish SIG Symposium 2014
Toronto Roman Catholic School Board 2014
Orillia Public Library 2013, 2014 & 2015
Meaford Speaker's Series 2014
Ontario Genealogical Society 2014
North Emily Women's Inst. 2014
Newmarket Historical Society 2014
Painswick Library Branch
Orillia Rotary Club 2015
The Royal Canadian Legion 2014 & 2015
The White Lions Tea House 2015
Mono Mills United Church 2015
Muskoka Boat and Heritage Center 2015
St. John's Church - Men's Breakfast Club 2015
Sparrow Lake Historical Society 2015
Uxbridge Historical Society & Uxbridge Genealogy Group 2015
Etobicoke Historical Society - 2015
Shelbourne Public Library - 2015
HOMECHILD the Musical - 2013, 2015

2016 Events

Woods Park Retirement Home - 2016
Simcoe County Branch of OGS - Barrie - 2016
Canadian Legion - Erin, Ontario - 2016
Orillia Public Library 2016 Exhibt and Quilt show
Orangeman's Lodge - Newton Robinson 2016
Barrie - Huronia Probus Club 2016
Private Bus Tour of Black Creek Exhibit 2016
White Lions Tea House 2016
Beaverton branch of Brock township Library
Barnardo's Children's Church Tea 2016
North York Historical Society 2016
Stratford Perth County Branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario 2016
Enoch Turner Schoolhouse, Toronto 2016
Palgrave Unite Church 2016
Rotary Club of Etobicoke 2016
Pier 21, Halifax 2016
Maple Leaf Women's Probus in Newmarket July 2016
Centre-Wellington Probus July 2016
Millennium Library - Winnipeg August 2016
Folklarama Winnipeg - August 2016
Rotary Club of Barrie - August 2016
Innisfil Historical Society - Sept. 2016
Black Creek Pioneer Village 2016 BHC Day
Family History Festival Orillia Public Library Oct 2016 table hosted by Carol Black
St. Andrews Presbyterian, Guelph, Ontario Oct 2016
speaker: John Jefkins
Ramara Historical Society, Udney, Oct 2016
Georgina Pioneer Village, Georgina Ont Oct 2016
Orillia Rememberance Event -OPL, Nov 2016, tables hosted by JoAnn Clark and Susan Hall
Black Creek Pioneer Village

2020/2021 Events
Due to Covid 19 in-person events were
canceled for 2020 and 2021. We expect
there will be no in-person events in early 2022

Barrie, Ontario school presentation (before Covid)
Peel Art Gallery, Museum & Archives (before Covid)
Release of "The Forgotten Home Child". #1 on the Canadian Best Sellers list for 11 weeks. Lori Oschefski served as the historical consultant
Zoom Presentation with Genevieve Graham, author of The Forgotten Home Child
Made 300 BHC masks for members
Released our "Beacons of Light" 2019 Tribute Book
After 6 years of lobbying, Veterans Affairs Canada formally acknowledged the service of our BHC in the Wars
We saved 661 Huron Street, Toronto from the wrecking ball, formally the receiving home for Waif and Stray's girls.
Lori Oschefski & Dan Oatman attended the drive by birthday party for BHC George Beardshaw mid Sept 2020
For BHC Day, we initiated our Grave Commemoration, we had hundreds of BHC graves visited and commemorated - 2020 and also repeated in 2021
2021 reunited our last 2 surviving Barnardo Boys, George Beardshaw and Cyril Hewitt - both came in the same party of children

2019 Events - BHC 150

Probus Bracebridge, Ontario
Black Creek Pioneer Village Madge Gill Embroidery workshop - working in conjunction with England's Madge Gill Exhibit a the William Morris Museum
Hamilton Genealogy Club
Windermere Women's Institute, Muskoka
Barrie, Ontario event Ferndale Banquet Hall
Ontario Genealogical Conference
Tillsonburg Legion, Tillsonburg, Ontario
Probus - Parry Sound Canado College
Orillia Public library - Greet the Public
ALLISTON LADIES PROBUS
Madge Gill Walking Tour of Peterborough,
BHC 150 Family Reunion Orillia Public Library
Bradford, Ontario Probus Club
Milford Bay Community Centre
Barrie Genealogy Fair
7th KPL Genealogy Fair Kitchener Portillo's Empire Journey Public Library
How to Research British Home Children" Workshop in Oakville, Ontario
How to Research BHC in Hamilton, Ontario
Orillia Military event November 7 – 9
Hamilton Public Library’s 2019 Genealogy Fair
Ladies Lunch in Barrie, Ontario
London, Ontario Veterans’ Classic
Appeared in Portillo's Empire Journey, an England TV program
September 28th historic Beacons of Light - over 240 organizations across Canada and the UK paid tribute to our British Home Children
https://www.britishhomechildren.com/beacons-of-light-2019
Celebrating George Beardshaw's Birthday
Rogers TV Interview
Month-long large exhibit at the Orillia Public Library for BHC 150th
Lori Oschefski worked as the historical consultant on "The Forgotten Home Child" released in 2020

3 November, 2016
2016 OMA Awards of Excellence Recipient for Excellence in Exhibit
presented to the Black Creek Pioneer Village, Toronto for the exhibit "Breaking the Silence", created in partnership with the BHCARA. Accepting the award at a gala dinner was Jennifer Harrington, Curator Collections BCPV and CEO of the BHCARA, Lori Oschefski

2015 Barrie Legion, Barrie Historical Association & Simcoe County Historical Association

Bradford Public Library 2017 exhibit

Black Creek Pioneer Village long term exhibt.
Awarded the 2016 Ontario Museum Association Award of Excellence in Exhibitions

Opened again in 2017 for our 4th year

The BHCARA has an extensive collection of information and artifacts for display purposes. Our exhbits include our 2016 Memory Quilt which has been shown across Canada and England.

The BHCARA has been the main contributer of information and artifacts for a long term BHC exhibit at the Canadian Musuem of History, Canadian Immigration Hall, 100 Laurier Street
Gatineau, QC K1A 0M8.

Our first exhibit in Bradford, Ontario 2012

Richmond Hill Public Library Exhbit

We are available or special events and short term exhibits as well.

Orillia Public Library 2016 exhibit

Orangeville Public Library 2014

Orillia Public Library

Hockey icon Don Cherry 2014 - Opening of Breaking The Silence exhibit at Black Creek, with Mr. Cherry is

Jennifer Harrington and Lori Oschefski

Winnipeg, Manitoba Folklorama 2016

Although our artifacts are generally available for exhibits in Ontario, we are happy to work with other organizations providing information for exhibits across the world.

Our quilt is available for short term loans across Canada. Contact us at info@BritishHomeChildren.com for information. Postage and insurance must be covered.

2021 Reunion in London, Ontario Reunion of our last two surviving Barnardo Boys, George Beardshaw and Cyril Hewitt. They both came over to Canada in 1938 in the same party of boys. The two men had not seen each other since 2016.	The Forgotten Home Child Piles of Books available at Costco in 2020	Pandemic Masks Home Children Canada designed special pandemic masks so our member could continue to share our story while keeping safe
2020 Inaugural Grave Commemorations Initiated in 2020 during the pandemic, hundreds of graves were commemorated of BHC during 2020 and 2021. This will become a yearly event so that members across the world can participate.	Release of Beacons of Light Our BHC George Beardshaw in 2020 with his newly released copy of our Beacons of Light commemorative book.	Veterans Affairs Canada 2020 recognition of the Service of our Home Children in the Wars.
Orillia Public LIbrary Part of our large exhibit to honour BHC 150. This case showcases the service of our Home Children in the Wars	CN Tower in Toronto One of the 240 venues which illuminated or honoured our BHC for the150th anniversary of when the first BHC arrived in Canada	Tillsonbury, Ontario BHC 150 event Don Grey, producer of "Nobody's Child", Marjorie Kohli - author of "The Golden Bridge" cut our BHC 150 cake with BHC George Beardshaw
Roger's TV TV Interview for promoting BHC Day in Canada	Portillo's Empire Journey Lori Oschefski and Ali Thompson appears in the UK series Portillo's Empire Journey to promote Home Children in Canada	Barrie, Ontario On hand to raise the flag in Barrie Ontario for September28th, BHC Day in the town of Barrie
London Ontario Lori Oschefski was on hand to celebrate BHC George Beardshaw's birthday in London, Ontario	Petitions In 2012 the BHCARA started the very first official petition calling on the House of Commons to offer an apology to the BHC. An apology was given in a motion passed in February of 2017.	2014 Commemoration of Service The BHCARA hosted a Commemoration of Service event at the Black Creek Pioneer Village in Toronto. Special guest speakers were BHC George Beardshaw and also BHC descendant Don Cherry.
Kenneth Bagnell Mr. Bagnell presenting Lori Oschefski with a plaque listing the libraries around the world that have his book "The Little Immigrants" in stock.	Don Cherry 2014 Don Cherry in the procession at the Commemoration of Service event. Black Creek Pioneer Village in Toronto	IMG_7993.JPG
Folklorama, Winnipeg, Manitoba 2016 event	Bradford exhibit.jpg	Walter Goulding's 106th Birthday Ms. Oschefski with BHC Walter Goulding and BHC George Beardshaw, celebrating Walter's 106th Birthday, April of 2014
2014 photos bomb..	Lamb collection for 2015 book launch	2015 afternoon out with descendants Betty Norfolk from New Zealand and her hubby. We had a lovely afternoon out, even if the ship we were to take was broken!
2012 Open Book Event Bradford Public Library	Our first exhibit in 2012 Bradford Public Library	2015 evening out with George With BHC George Beardshaw and his wife Emma
Lori and her sister Gayle in England With a former Barnardo boy from Ireland	Dawn Heuston & Mark McKinlay 2016	Lori Oschefski in Orillia 2016 At the Queen's Tea fundraising afternoon to celebrate our trip to the Palace!
2012 returning Fegan medal 2012 - presenting their Father's newly found Fegan Roll of Honour Medal of Samuel Gibbs to his children - the three on the couch. At least we thought it was newly found!! Turns out this very house had been robbed 2 years before this. The medal has been taken in the robbery.	2011 Herefordshire, England Lori Oschefski's first public speaking event, in Herefordshire, England - in the community where her mother was born.	OMA Award of Excellence 2016 Black Creek Pioneer Village in Toronto was awarded the 2016 OMA Award of Excellence in Exhibitions for the exhibit they created in partnership with the the BHCARA.
BHC George and Emma Beardshaw Black Creek Pioneer Village, Toronto, October 2nd 2016	BHC George and Emma Beardshaw At the Black Creek Pioneer Village BHC Day event October 2nd 2016	Our 2016 Memory Quit At the site of the Russell, Manitoba Training Farm, August 2016
George Beardshaw 2016 George with his square on the quilt	Russell, Manitoba The site of the Barnardo Training Farm in Russell, Manitoba, August 2016	Human Right Museum, Winnipeg Discussing a new exhibit for 2017
Folklarama Winnipeg August 2016	Maple Leaf Women's Probus in Newmark July 2016	JoAnn Clarke making our quilt 2016
Sarnia June 2016 Filming for "A Barnardo Boy" with Bob Huggins - reunited 2 BHC, Cyril Hewitt and George Beardshaw	Pier 21 June of 2016 With co-speaker Beryl Young	Peggy's Cove June 2016
Revival House in Stratford, Ontario June of 2016	Stratford, Ontario June 2016 After the presentation, everyone toured the Annie MacPherson Receiving Home on Avon Street.	Barrie legion event 2015
Descendant visit to Peterborough Taking Ferris up to see his mother's name on the monument 2015	Save the Date for Buckingham Palace	Ms. Oschefski at Buckingham Palace May 2016 - Ms. Oschefski was one of three Canadians invited to the Barnardo's 150th Anniversary Royal Garden Party to represent the British Home Children. Also invited was Ivy Succee and Sidney Baker.
Etobicoke Rotary Club with John Jefkins, Lori Oschefski, June 2016	London, Ontario June 2016 BHC George Beardshaw, Lori Oschefski, Len Brown - BHC Descendant and Dawn Heuston.	Quilt and BHC exhibit Orillia Public Library April 2016
Orillia April 2016 Part of the exhibit	Erin, Ontario 2016 March 17 2016, about 200 came out, our largest event ever!	Erin, Ontario 2016 Our first public showing of the quilt! 200 people came out for the event, by far, our largest showing to date!
One Family One World 2015 Hosted by Beverley Schulz	Sparrow Lake Historical Society 2015 Special guest speaker Beverley Schulz	BHC George Beardshaw 2015 Presenting George with a copy of "Bleating of the Lambs" in which his story is told.
Forgotten in London, England 2015 The BHCARA helped with the production of this film in 2012 - Premiered in Toronto, shown in LA, Hamilton and London, England	Orillia Art and History Museum Lori Oschefski nominated in 2015 for a History Award	Uxbridge 2015 Uxbridge Historical Society & Uxbridge Genealogy Group 2015
Beverley Schulz guest speaker 2015 Sparrow Lake, Ontario	Ms Oschefski & Kenneth Bagnell 2015 Black Creek Pioneer Village, Kenneth presented Lori with a plaque showing all the libraries around the world that carry his book.	2015 Student Award Chen Chen
Pier 21 Halifax, Nova Scotia 2016 with guest speaker Beryl Young and Lori Oschefski	Grade 6 presentation Lori presenting to Grade 6 students at a Barrie, Ontario school	Speaking in Hamilton, Ontario 2014
Barrie, Ontario School January 2015	Orillia Public Library Remembers Special First World War event for students November 2014	Display in Orillia Nov 2014
Barrie Legion First World War Event 2014	Orillia students Nov 2014	Upper Canada Mall 2013
Orangeville Public Library 2014	Northridge Community Church 2014 Newmarket, Ontario	Black Creek Pioneer Village Exhibit opening 2014
First World War Commemoration Black Creek Pioneer Village Toronto, Special guest speakers BHC George Beardshaw and Don Cherry	Queen's park wreath laying 2014 First wreath layed at Queen's Park in Toronto 2014 for the BHC, sponsered by the BHCARA members	Wellinton Museum April of 2014
Wellington Museum	Upper Canada Mall	Upper Canada Mall
Upper Canada Mall 2013	Upper Canada Mall 2013 The BHCARA loaned the Ottawa group their collection for the grand opening of the museum at Upper Canada Village	Orillia Public Library November 2014
Richmond Hill Public Library	Richmond Hill Public Library	Richmond Hill Public Library
Owen Sound 2013 The BHCARA, partly through donations, paid for a memorial stone for BHC George Green who was murdered by his mistress	Owen Sound Public Library	Owen Sound Public Library
Owen Sound Public Library	2013 Winner of Orillia draw This man, out of 500 entries, won the framed photograph taken by Lori Oschefski. Oddly enough, his Grandfather had come with the same party of boys as Lori's Grandfather.	Owen Sound Public Library George Green makes the front pages!
November 2014 With the students in Orillia at the Public Library	Owen Sound Public Library	Ottawa Public Library
Ottawa Public Library 2013	Ottawa Public Library	Ottawa Public Library 2013
Ottawa Public Library	Ottawa Public Library	Orillia Public Library 2013
Orillia Public Library	Orillia Historical Society	Orangeville Public Library 2013
Orangeville Public Library	Orangeville Public Library	Orangeville Public Library
Orangeville Public Library	One World - One Family	Newmarket Public Library
The Curtains Club	The Curtains Club	Bradford Public Library
Beach Celtic Festival 2014	Barrie Public Library	Barrie Legion