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‘The Big Rock’

SGURRA BREAC-.The history of our local area is rapidly being lost. Institutions disappear before our eyes. Not so noticeable is the disappearance of knowledge. As someone has observed, a book dies with every man. There is no point to bemoaning what is lost. We should concentrate our energy on saving what is left.

Hopefully the community will some day set up a formal historical society, but we should not stand by idly until that happens. Some of us who have a particular interest in our history feel that we should do what we can to get the ball rolling; and so, as a stopgap measure, we shall try, in a rather informal way, to do that; and we hope that others with the same interests will become part of the effort.

Since there is a lot of interest here in the world of nature, we decided that we would at the same time try to sow the seed of a nature society, in the hope that it too will some day develop into a full-blown community society.

Not wanting to take a name that the community may well want at some time in the future, we decided to call ourselves “The Sgurra Breac Society” approximately "skoor ah brec"). Sgurra Breac is of course the well-known landmark on the northern edge of The Big Barren, between Rear Big Pond and Glengarry Valley. Some of us still call it by its historical Gaelic name, while others call it simply "The Big Rock." "Breac" here means "speckled", perhaps referring to the lichens growing on the rock.

Read more about the Society in the First Issue by Clicking HERE or for past issues click HERE

Current  ISSUE

Volume 6, March, 2009
PDF Version Available "Click Here"

"FINAL EDITION"

LOOKING BACK A HUNDRED YEARS
By Jack MacNeil

I intended to write about the Bras d’lake in winter, but I changed themes in mid stream when I discovered, while looking for information on the once annual ritual of bushing the ice, that I had the minutes and reports of the Municipal Council of the Cape Breton County for 1909, the year that marked the hundredth anniversary of the first land grant in the local area. .....
(Read the rest of this section in the Full PDF archived version)

REMEMBERING JIM VOOGHT AND JIM CHARLIE
By John Campbell

James, better known as Jim Charlie. Hopefully this little item in the final edition of Sgurra Breac will help to rescue and preserve the memory of these two great Gaels from our part of the island.......
(Read the rest of this section in the Full PDF archived version)

SGURRA BREAC: The Final Run
By Donald “Brother” MacNeil

Well, five years have passed since eight or nine people met in Jackie’s kitchen to discuss some ideas that resulted in a monthly printing of four pages of little stories that we called “Sgurra Breac” There were a number of reasons why we met that day, but what triggered my interest was a discussion that took place earlier on a visit to Johnnie Eoin’s......
(Read the rest of this section in the Full PDF archived version)

A LITTLE SPECULATION ON THE MACPHERSONS OF BIG POND
By M.A. MacPherson

As the decision was made to wrap up the publication of the Sgurra Breac I wondered what my last article would be......
(Read the rest of this section in the Full PDF archived version)

EDITOR’S FINAL NOTE
By Dennis MacDonald

The first edition of SGURRA BREAC was deposited in your mail-boxes in early March 2004. Five years later we are presenting the last. Those of us involved in “The Sgurra Breac Society” hope that some satisfaction even utility has been gleaned from these pages. We have certainly enjoyed doing it......
(Read the rest of this section in the Full PDF archived version)

Missed an Issue! No worries, click on one of the yearly links below, to take you to the back issues, as far back as the first issue in March of 2004.

    -    2009   -    2008   -    2007    -    2006    -    2005    -    2004    -

The Squrra Breac is a publication of the Sgurra Breac Society. It is printed in hard copy thanks to the Recreation and Cultural Department of the CBRM and distributed locally thanks to the Big Pond Community Council.

It is available in print subscription to Canadian addresses for $8.00; US addresses for $9.00 and International addresses for $14.00. This small fee will get you a full year (12 - issues).

Mailing Address:

Squrra Breac Society
200 MacNeil's Lane
Big Pond, NS
Canada, B1J 1T9

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