The Georgetown Boys

Last updated
A group of the Georgetown Boys. Georgetown boys.jpg
A group of the Georgetown Boys.

The Georgetown Boys, or Canada's Noble Experiment, was the first humanitarian act on an international scale by the country. This effort was spearheaded by the Armenian Relief Association of Canada. [1] At this time Canada started to take in orphaned children from the Middle East. The first 50 came in 1923. [2] The following year another 40 boys came. [1] The boys came to Canada from the Middle East after they had been orphaned during the Armenian genocide. By the end of the project, a total of 110 came to Georgetown, Ontario, and eventually came to be called the Georgetown Boys. [3]

Contents

The Armenian orphans lived, worked and were educated on Cedarvale Farm near Georgetown. [3] The boys were largely trained for farming. The assistant superintendent at the school during this time was Aris Alexanian. [3] Mr. Alexanian helped the boys start a newsletter called Ararat. [4] The newsletter was written and published by the boys and used as a tool to improve their English skills. [3] By 1927 a total of 91 of the original boys were placed on farms throughout Ontario. [3] By 1928, most of the orphans originally at the farm had homes on farms. The majority became Canadian citizens. [5]

In 1929 the farm home of the boys was renamed the Cedarvale School for Girls. [3] In addition to boys, about 40 girls and women were taken in by the Canadian government. [1] The original farm is now part of Cedarvale Park in Halton Hills. An Ontario Provincial Plaque [6] was erected in Cedarvale Park on June 26, 2010, designating it a municipal historic site honouring the Armenian boys who lived there. An Ontario Heritage Trust plaque was added in 2011. [1]

In media

Books

A comprehensive book on the life of the Armenian orphans in Georgetown was written by Jack Apramian in 1976. [3] "The Georgetown Boys" is written in the first person since Apramian himself was a Georgetown Boy who arrived with the first group in 1923. The Armenian children retained some of their Armenian heritage while facing pressure to assimilate. [7] Jack Apramian's original self-published book was revised by Lorne Shirinian (including the addition of some mistakes) and republished by the Zoryan Institute in 2009. [3]

Aram's Choice, [8] a children's book written by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch and illustrated by Muriel Wood, was published in 2006 by Fitzhenry & Whiteside Canada. This was the first work of commercial fiction on the subject of the Georgetown Boys. This illustrated chapter book follows the journey of the first group of boys from their exile in Corfu all the way to the Georgetown Boys' Farm. In 2009, the sequel, Call Me Aram, [9] also written by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch and illustrated by Muriel Wood was published. [10] This book was about the Boys' first few months in Canada and their quest to retain their own Armenian names. Both of these books received high critical acclaim. Aram's Choice was shortlisted for the Canadian Library Association Children's Book of the Year Award, as well as the Ontario Library Association's Silver Birch Express Award and their Golden Oak Award. Call Me Aram was also shortlisted for the Silver Birch Express and Golden Oak. [11] [12]

Theatre

A play based on Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch's Aram books, [13] called "The Georgetown Boys" premiered at the John Elliot Theatre in Georgetown in 2008. [14] Superintendent Aris Alexanian is one of the characters in the play. The play was written, directed and produced by Sam Hancock. [15] There is also a musical entitled "The Georgetown Boys: A Musical" which performed at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts In April 2009. [16]

Film

A half hour documentary film, ‘The Georgetown Boys’ (available on youtube) was produced in 1987, written & directed by Dorothy Craig-Manoukian, camerawork, Peter Mettler & sound by Atom Egoyan. Post production work was done with the assistance of facilities at the National Film Board in Montréal.

The film tells the story of how the boys were brought to Canada. Early 1920’s attitudes to refugees, immigration policies, loss of identity & child labour exploitation are exposed through archival material & accounts of the boys, then, & sixty years later, at a reunion held at the old farm home. The film also covers an Armenian baptism & an annual cultural event at a Toronto Armenian community centre.

The film was distributed by the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre to schools & libraries in Ontario & was screened at various international film festivals. It had received a special recommendation at the 1988 CIAFF (Canadian International Annual Film Festival). TV Ontario aired the film frequently over a four year period.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armenian genocide</span> 1915–1917 mass murder in the Ottoman Empire

The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through the mass murder of around one million Armenians during death marches to the Syrian Desert and the forced Islamization of others, primarily women and children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marsha Skrypuch</span> Ukrainian Canadian childrens writer (born 1954)

Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch is a Ukrainian-Canadian children's writer who currently lives in Brantford, Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgetown, Ontario</span> Community in Ontario, Canada

Georgetown is a large unincorporated community in the town of Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada, in the Regional Municipality of Halton. The town includes several small villages or settlements such as Norval, Limehouse, Stewarttown and Glen Williams near Georgetown and another large population centre, Acton. In 2016, the population of Georgetown was 42,123. It sits on the banks of the Credit River, approximately 40 km west of Toronto, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area. Georgetown was named after entrepreneur George Kennedy who settled in the area in 1821 and built several mills and other businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Walters</span> Canadian author

Eric Robert Walters, is a Canadian author of young adult fiction and picture books. As of 2020, Eric Walters has written over 100 books.


Cedarvale Park is a municipal park located at 181-185 Main St. S. Georgetown, Ontario—a short walk from downtown. It is a multi-use facility, open year-round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabel Bayrakdarian</span> Armenian-Canadian operatic soprano

Isabel Bayrakdarian is a Lebanese-born Canadian operatic soprano of Armenian descent who now resides and works in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aram Manukian</span> Armenian revolutionary, first republic founder (1879–1919)

Aram Manukian, was an Armenian revolutionary, statesman, and a leading member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) party. He is widely regarded as the founder of the First Republic of Armenia.

Dear Canada is a series of historical novels marketed at kids first published in 2001 and continuing to the present. The books are published by Scholastic Canada Ltd. They are similar to the Dear America series, with each book written in the form of the diary of a fictional young woman living during an important event in Canadian history. The series covers both familiar and little-known topics such as Home Children, North-West Rebellion, and the 1837 Rebellion.

The Armenians in Syria are Syrian citizens of either full or partial Armenian descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aris Alexanian</span>

Aris Luke Alexanian was a noted world traveller, prominent Armenian Canadian and business man. Also, referred to in articles and publications as A. L. Alexanian and Aris L. Alexanian.

Armenian Canadians are citizens and permanent residents of Canada who have total or partial Armenian ancestry. According to the 2021 Canadian Census they number almost 69,000, while independent estimates claim around 80,000 Canadians of Armenian origin, with the highest estimates reaching 100,000. Though significantly smaller than the Armenian American community, the formation of both underwent similar stages beginning in the late 19th century and gradually expanding in the latter 20th century and beyond. Most Armenian Canadians are descendants of Armenian genocide survivors from the Middle East, with less than 7% of all Canadian Armenians having been born in Armenia. Today most Armenian Canadians live in Greater Montreal and Greater Toronto, where they have established churches, schools and community centers.

Armenian genocide in culture includes the ways in which people have represented the Armenian genocide of 1915 in art, literature, music, and films. Furthermore, there are dozens of Armenian genocide memorials around the world. According to historian Margaret Lavinia Anderson, the Armenian genocide had reached an "iconic status" as "the apex of horrors conceivable" prior to World War II.

Education is the foundation for the preservation of Armenian national and cultural heritage. Armenian schools teach and cultivate Armenophony, Armenology, the age-old Armenian history and the rich Armenian traditions, thus ensuring the perpetuation of Armenianism from generation to generation. The very existence of Armenian educational institutions in the countries of the Armenian Diaspora shows exactly the importance, the perseverance and the tireless efforts that the numerous Armenian communities make to avoid the "white massacre", the assimilation and peaceful disintegration of the Armenian nation. Therefore, in a way, the continuance of Armenian education up to our days is a sign of victory against the "red massacre", the Genocide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Armenian and the Armenian</span>

"The Armenian and the Armenian" is a short story written by William Saroyan in August 1935 in New York. It was first published in 1936 in the collection of short stories entitled Inhale & Exhale. Over the years, the story has become known for the excerpt—"arguably [Saroyan's] most famous saying"—about the survival of the Armenian people after the genocide of 1915.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Sysyn</span> American historian of Ukrainian origin

Frank E. Sysyn is an American historian of Ukrainian origin. His grandmother was from Ukraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Asian Canadians</span> Ethnic group

West Asian Canadians, officially known as West Central Asian and Middle Eastern Canadians are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to West Asia and Central Asia. The term West Asian Canadian is a subgroup of Asian Canadians and Middle Eastern Canadians. According to Statistics Canada, West Asian Canadians are considered visible minorities and can be further divided by nationality, such as Lebanese Canadian or Iranian Canadian.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ohanian, Daniel (2017). "Sympathy and Exclusion: The Migration of Child and Women Survivors of the Armenian Genocide from the Eastern Mediterranean to Canada, 1923–1930." Genocide Studies International 11, no. 2: 197–215. doi:10.3138/gsi.11.2.04
  2. ↑ The Globe And Mail, Feb 28, 1923, Editorial, "Shall We Let Them Die"
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Apramian, Jack (2009). The Georgetown Boys. Edited and revised by Lorne Shirinian. Toronto: Zoryan Institute. First published in 1976.
  4. ↑ Apramian, John [sic] (1982). "Ararat Monthly: The Only Armenian Publication in British North America." In "Armenians in Ontario." Edited by Isabel Kaprielian. Special issue. Polyphony: The Bulletin of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario 4, no. 1: 58–63.
  5. ↑ "Historical Plaques of Halton Region". Archived from the original on 2017-01-12. Retrieved 2017-08-20., Plaque 14
  6. ↑ "Georgetown Armenian Boys' Farm Provincial Plaque Unveiling". Archived from the original on 2013-01-22. Retrieved 2013-02-13.
  7. ↑ The Zoryan Institute, "The Georgetown Boys" http://www.zoryaninstitute.org/B4S/Booksforsale.html#Armenia_Books
  8. ↑ http://calla2.com/2006/03/arams-choice/
  9. ↑ http://calla2.com/2009/02/call-me-aram/
  10. ↑ "Fitzhenry and Whiteside - Detail". www.fitzhenry.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-08-27.
  11. ↑ "Marsha Skrypuch". Archived from the original on 2012-11-02. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
  12. ↑ http://calla2.com/about-marsha/awards-and-honours/
  13. ↑ KW Record "Childrens Books" February 28, 2009
  14. ↑ KW Record "Georgetown Boys Play" April 15, 2008
  15. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2012-10-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ↑ Kennedy Center "The Georgetown Boys: A Musical" Archived 2009-04-14 at the Wayback Machine February 28, 2009

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.