From: "Richard Eberhardt" Subject: Saturday Night Date: Sun, 4 Apr 2004 15:48:33 -0400 Hey you guys, Words can't really express how inspiring last night was, but I tried anyway. I wrote out these notes about the evening and sent them around to some of the alums I haven't talked to in a very long while, and who I can bet don't know anything about the Sadleir House project. Notice the spelling is now correct. If you need help renovating, I'm available most weekends in May. Thanks again for all you've done. Rich -------- Last night I witnessed the grand re-opening of Sadleir House! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you may not know that Trent University students have successfully purchased and taken possession of the main PRC building and the south lawn as a result of a levy referendum and a lot of hard work by a volunteer board led by Catherine Dickenson, John Muir, Derrick McIntosh and Marisa Barnhart. I was barely able to believe the news of the purchase myself until I stepped through the front doors earlier yesterday, flooding my synapses with familiar sensations and vivid memories. The dining hall! The staircase! My old res room! College dinners and cabinet meetings.... ISW! My sentimental side was just warming up when someone handed me a toilet brush and pointed me to the basement washroooms. Remember? The ones that were never very clean, with the funky mouldy smell? Imagine leaving them unserviced for over two years! But even before the walls were scrubbed down, sidewalks weeded and swept, windows washed, floors vacumed, sinks disinfected, etc, it was so obvious what an incredible thing the students had done (and what a foolish thing the university did). Sadleir House is so beautiful, yet so functional! A dedicated team of volunteers has started carefully stripping away years of institutional neglect to reveal how amazing the building really is. For example, if you remember the old library at the front, you may recall a dark room with a purple carpet and high stacks of books. Now refinished, it was the showpiece of the evening - brightly showing off a gorgeous inlaid hardwood floor and spiffy new coat of pale lemon paint. Speakers last night included Tom Symons, Sylvia Sutherland (Ptbo Mayor), John Muir, Cat Dickenson, and the guest of honour Dick Sadleir - the first PRC Master for whom the building was (re)named. However, I think it was Tom Miller, Alum from '85, who said it best when he compared spaces like Sadleir House to casks of fine scotch. As the scotch itself takes on the flavour of the cask and the environment around it, so too have the faculty, students and staff been flavoured (and will be again!) by PRC and Sadleir House. Following the dispensing of formalities came the dispensing of beer, the enjoyment of great music, and from the SCR to the dining hall a house full of joyful people. Sadleir House promises to be for Trent what Hart House is at U of T - a cultural center of great importance, for students and the community alike. And by the way, the PR Community and Student Association is looking for more financing to pursue the restoration of the building. If you are interested in investing or donating, check out the project website: www.dsft.ca. More info about the project can be found at the following links: http://www.peterboroughcollective.org/44sadleir.htm www.reinvented.net/article/1943 --------