PARRSBORO - Private rock and mineral collections with uncertain futures will have a potential new home, if the Gesner Institute Society has its way.
The new group has been established to ensure that important collections of rocks, minerals and fossils, such as that of Parrsboro's Eldon George, are not one day lost to Nova Scotians, but will be preserved and displayed in Parrsboro for generations to come.
A public information session was held in Parrsboro on Aug. 18, followed by the annual general meeting, and board members are pleased with the high level of public interest the project is receiving.
"Now that we have all the legal work and the necessary letters of support, we can go ahead openly with fund-raising," explained Helen Tyson, secretary. "We're collecting memberships, people have been very supportive and enthusiastic, and donations have been coming in."
The hope is for the society to eventually be able to purchase the collection of local collector Eldon George, who has expressed his desire to retire after several decades of operating his Parrsboro Rock and Mineral Shop, and other private collections of significance, according to Tyson.
(For the full story, see the Sept. 1 issue of The Citizen-Record)
