Meet Our Team
The 2023 Staff
Carlee
Carlee Pearn is the museum curator. This is her second summer working at the museum and she is looking forward to hosting Museum Day again this year! Carlee is a full-time student at Carleton University in Ottawa, where she is entering her third year completing an Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences degree. Upon the completion of her studies, she intends to pursue Medicine and a career in Paediatric Orthopaedics. In her free time, Carlee enjoys cooking and baking, gardening and caring for her houseplants, and spending time with her friends and family. Carlee's favourite thing about working at the museum is meeting new people and interacting with the community.
Kate
Kate Craig is a grade 10 student at VCI. It will be her second year at the museum, and she is excited to return after a great first summer. Kate enjoys spending time with her cats, riding her bike, and going out to the lake, along with learning to drive. She also loves reading and history, so spending time going through the many history books of the area is enjoyable for her. Kate is most excited to start giving tours again this summer, as sharing as much of the town history as possible, meeting all the different people, and hearing their stories are some of her favourite things about work. Kate is also excited for Museum Day, and how fast paced it is.
Dylan
Dylan Southam is a grade 12 student at VCI. He enjoys performing in musicals, the Youth for Christ band, Known, and in local choirs, including Konektis and Westman Youth Choir. He also enjoys performing in the Virden Music and Arts Festival and has done so since elementary school. This year Dylan attended Provincial Speech Arts Festival in Winnipeg where he placed first in his class! Dylan is graduating high school and plans to attend Brandon University’s School of Music this fall. He hopes to pursue a career as a high school choir teacher following his education. This is Dylan’s first summer working at the museum and he is excited to learn the history of the Pioneer Home Museum and to run activities for kids on Museum Day. In addition, Dylan is most looking forward to wearing a costume as part of his job!
Nadine
Nadine Vachon is a grade 12 student from Oak Lake, Manitoba. She enjoys being outside with her dog, bingeing shows, and painting. Nadine has graduated from VCI this year, and this fall she will be attending Brandon University in hopes of becoming a high school teacher. She is excited to move to Brandon and experience living in a city. She has a passion for history, which makes the museum an incredible learning opportunity for her. In fact, Nadine had never even visited the museum until starting work! This will be her first summer working at the museum and she is most looking forward to learning about our history while here.
The Museum Board
Rick
Rick Kristjanson is the Chairman of the museum board. Rick has been a part of the museum since the 1980's, when he joined as a friend of the museum. He has always had a fascination with history and even majored in the subject at university! Hand in hand with that interest was a lifetime of collecting; match books, coins, and later on, collectables.
Rick loved visiting museums and was thrilled when he was asked to join the Pioneer Home. As a junior member, he learned from the old hands, including Miss Myrtle Lane, Ruth Craik, and Dave Reid. This has helped him become the excellent chair person he is today! In the off-season while the museum phone forwards to his number, Rick has many interesting conversations with folks who are connected to Virden through their ancestors. Rick says, "It is always fascinating to talk with people whose ancestors were pioneers in Virden and area. The Virden Pioneer Home Museum is truly a treasure that must be preserved in our community."
Jake
Jake Davidson is the Vice Chairman of the museum board. He was born in Winnipeg and has lived and worked in Winnipeg, Brandon, Calgary, Abbotsford, Minnedosa and now Virden. Jake joined the Pioneer Home Museum Board in 2022. He is a Licensed Agrologist and Certified Livestock Nutritionist by the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists since the mid-1970’s. Jake is currently primarily involved in the formulation of companion animal diets for national and international pet food brands. He is retired as the Executive Director of 2 provincial grain commissions and 1 Western Canadian winter wheat producer organization. Jake has also authored over 200 newspaper and magazine articles, 40+ newsletters for the producer groups and authored or coauthored 2 scientific papers. He is still working and does not have much free time!
More board members coming soon...