The recipients have all contributed to the establishment, furtherance or veneration of Edmonton historical institutions. The awards were presented earlier this autumn at the Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre in a gala coordinated by the exceptionally dedicated staff at the City of Edmonton Archives.

The Restoration Department of the Alberta Aviation Museum and Learning Centre

Like the aviators who flew courageously into the unknown and unconquered, the people who pilot the Restoration Department of the Alberta Aviation Museum and Learning Centre know the meaning of audacious spirit. Nearly 15 years ago, with no money and no facility, they embarked on a journey to celebrate and preserve Edmonton's historical aerial achievements.

They were part of ten groups that banded together to form the Edmonton Aviation Heritage Society and work towards establishment of a living museum to preserve and commemorate our aviation heritage. In 1989, when the society moved into the historic Hangar 14 on Kings way Avenue, the restoration department began restoring vintage aircraft.

Since then, several hundred dedicated volunteers have generously donated literally thousands of hours of their time to restore vintage aircraft and keep alive the spirit of those who over much of the 20th century flew out of Edmonton and Blatchford Field. Its painstaking work that requires enormous skill and dedication and, thanks to their tireless efforts, the results are now on display for visitors to admire and for children to learn.

The Muslim Pioneers of Edmonton, Builders of the Al Rashid Mosque

Edmonton has been home to Muslim citizens since the beginning of the 20th century but, in the early days, there was nowhere for Muslims to celebrate their faith and strengthen the citys Middle Eastern Culture. Through perseverance and dedication, a number of Muslim families pushed ahead with plans to build a mosque and , on May 15th, 1938, received a building permit.

When construction was soon halted by financial shortages, the determined pioneers began fundraising once again and sufficient funds, from Muslims and non-Muslims alike, were collected and construction on the project resumed. The official inauguration on December 12, 1938, celebrated the opening of Canada's first mosque, the Al Rashid. On that day, Edmonton's proud Muslim pioneers honoured what they had built a foundation for Islam in Canada, and an essential component of Edmonton's cultural development.

The Canadian Council of Muslim Women (Edmonton Chapter

Canadas first mosque, built in Edmonton in 1938, was saved and sits at Fort Edmonton Park because of the Edmonton chapter of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women. For several years, the Al Rashid Mosque stood vacant on 111 Avenue and 102 Street and there were concerns it would be destroyed so a new development could be built on the site.

In 1988, the Councils Edmonton Chapter launched an effort to relocate and restore the mosque. It was an enormous undertaking that was to take four years. Through their remarkable dedication, Canada's first mosque and a priceless piece of Edmonton's history was saved and can now be viewed and remembered as a priceless living part of Edmonton and Canada's history.

The Heritage Community Foundation

Established in 1999 by Museums Alberta, the Heritage Community Foundation is a charitable trust that links people with heritage through discovery and learning. Its priorities are the development of online learning resources, creation of experiential learning opportunities for children and youth, research into aspects of our history as well as building sustaining support for heritage.

Alberta Source www.AlbertaSource.ca is the gateway to the Foundation's collection of online learning resources. The web sites provide easy access to the historical, natural, cultural, scientific and technological heritage of Edmonton and Alberta and are developed in partnership with heritage institutions and organizations, the media and others in Edmonton and throughout the province.

The Foundation defines heritage broadly to embrace landscapes, buildings and streetscapes, objects and records, as well as stories all of the tangible and intangible things that help to define Edmontonians. It is a vital link between the expert and the ordinary citizen and helps to bring to life Edmonton's past.

Legacy, Alberta's Cultural Heritage Magazine

Legacy, an award-winning independent magazine launched by Barbara and Gurston Dacks in 1996, contains stories about the ways in which Albertans create, celebrate and preserve our rich, enduring and diverse cultural heritage. Its mandate is to share with readers the distinctive aspects of the essence of what gives the people of our communities their sense of place. Within this mandate, Edmonton, its history and those striving to preserve it are well represented.

Alberta writers and photographers explore architecture, special places and events, and historic and contemporary arts. Legacy's feature stories have also described the value of historic buildings in Edmonton's neighborhoods and the little-known tales of those who have come from near and far to call them home. The little magazine that could has helped to bring to life and celebrate Edmonton's rich and diverse cultural past.

>Compiled from information generously provided by members of the Edmonton Historical Board and the staff at the City of Edmonton Archives.