The Delta Fishing Heritage Society is hosting an online fundraising auction where a piece of history is available to the highest bidder.
The auction taking from June 7 to 14 includes a top prize of a scale model of a sailing schooner that the Massey family travelled on when they arrived from Ireland about a century ago.
Donated by Doug Massey, the model was built by his uncle Mathew Richard Massey, the brother of George Massey, who spearheaded the effort to have the tunnel built connecting Richmond to Vancouver.
Built in 1964, the model is of a two-masted, 77-foot long schooner belonging to their father, William Henry Massey, a ship called the Tempest he bought in 1914.
The Delta Fishing Heritage Society formed in 2009 as a group from pioneering families interested in preserving the history of the commercial fishing industry in Delta, as well as the symbiotic relationship and ecological importance of the lower Fraser River estuary to fish, bird and fauna habitat.
One of the group’s major projects is the restoration and eventual display of the Persian Fisher, a Fraser River gillnetter from the 1940s.
The society has held fundraising banquets at Ladner Fishermen’s Hall, but for the time being, those events are still off due to the pandemic.
There will be a link on the DFHS website - https://dfhs.ca/ - to the online auction, which is being hosted by Elevate Auctions, a service for non-profit organization.
Society president John Stevens can be contracted through the website for more information.
