Caledon is one of the most beautiful places in Canada, but it sits precariously on the cusp of the booming 905 belt, making it extremely vulnerable to the ravages of urban development. Much of Caledon's beauty and heritage has been protected by a small, determined band of volunteers who put in countless hours on various boards and committees to make sure the essential heart of the Town is not lost in the name of 'progress.' Among the most active story-keepers and protectors of Caledon's past is Bolton resident, Heather Ghey Broadbent. When I go to interview her on a beautiful clear morning in July, little do I know that I am going to take a trip back in time - from the recent past to 10,000 B.C.

Broadbent has laid out some artefacts from her own life on the kitchen table. There are plaques and certificates on every wall and on the table sit a number of medals and awards.
"That one's from Bill. That's from Ernie," she says, referring to decorations 'For Service to the Community' in commemoration of Ontario's bi-centennial year 1984 presented by then Premier Bill Davis. The other is the Golden Jubilee Medal given by former Premier Ernie Eves on the occasion of the Queen's 50th year on the throne.
"I haven't yet gotten an invitation that says, 'Decorations must be worn.' - much to my disgust," Broadbent laughs.

Born in Hampshire, England, Broadbent came from a family that loved history, and she was always at the top of her history class at school. In 1955, she married and had two children.
"Volunteering was just something I always did. My family did it. It's part of my genetic make up."
As a young mother, she took in foster children, and in 1961, 260 refugees arrived in nearby Calshot from the remote island of Tristan da Cunha, a British dependency in the south Atlantic that had experienced a catastrophic volcanic eruption. Eighteen of them ended up in her village of Fawley. Broadbent did everything she could to help the extended family adjust to their new life. In 1963, the refugees were allowed to return to the island, and in 2006, Broadbent travelled there for the 500th anniversary of its discovery. There she was reunited with many of the family members she'd helped.
"I had taught one of the boys, Albert, to jive - and, of course, we jived again!"
Broadbent and her family immigrated to Canada in 1969 living for a year in Downsview before moving to Bolton's north hill. In 1971, Bolton's centennial year, there was no historical society. The Rotary Club called a meeting to explore the possibility of creating one. Harold Egan, Werden Leavens, and a number of other people, including Broadbent, founded the Albion-Bolton Historical Society.
An early project was to identify all the human burial places in the newly formed Town of Caledon.
"After in-depth research, we were able to add several 'farm burial' places to the list and then a pre-historical burial when the (then) oldest known grave in the Great Lakes Region was discovered accidentally on an Albion farm carbon dated to 3,000 B.C. Now habitation sites dating back 10,000 and 8,000 years are known in this area," Broadbent explains.
Because of all the field work she'd done, in 1981 Broadbent was granted a Conservation Survey License by the Ontario Ministry of Culture. This usually requires formal academic training, but she'd received all her training in the field. The license allows her to do surveys and identify artefacts.
In 1975, the Ontario Heritage Act was passed. "So many important buildings were being lost because of all the development. The best thing about the Heritage Act was that all future acts in various other ministries had to include reference to the Heritage Act. Now heritage evaluations have to be done for all land-use changes," Broadbent said. "In addition, all local municipal councils were encouraged to form heritage advisory committees. We went to each municipal council in Peel asking them to form heritage advisory committees, and Peel was the first region with complete coverage. These committees were so great because they helped municipalities with things they didn't have the people for - like cleaning up and recording abandoned cemeteries. I used to borrow a gang of prisoners from Camp Dufferin. They'd come down and work for several days. When I thanked one of the men, he replied, 'Your welcome. I didn't have anything else on at the moment.'"
Around this time, Broadbent was putting in about 30 hours of unpaid work for the town. As her personal circumstances changed, she needed to find full-time work. When she informed the town she would no longer be available, the municipal officials decided a paid position had to be created. Of course it was posted and there were other candidates, but no one knew Caledon as well as Broadbent and none of the others had their archaeologist's license. One department head expressed surprise when Broadbent applied for the job.
"I thought she was already a full-time staff member. I yelled at her the other day for being late with a report."
In 2000, Broadbent retired as Caledon's Heritage Resource Officer after 14 years of paid service and 11 years unpaid.
"My favourite saying is retirement is a myth," she says.
Since leaving the Town, Broadbent has had many retirement projects and continues to serve on many boards and committees. The area close to Bolton's Edelweiss Park, which is now used mostly for soccer and tennis, was once a small community called Glasgow centered around a large woollen mill (destroyed by fire in 1923). Broadbent produced the Glasgow heritage commemorative exhibit, which stands near the edge of the park. She also wrote a booklet explaining the natural and social history of Glasgow. The beautiful footbridge that now crosses the Humber River near the Glasgow plaque was another project which Broadbent played an integral part in - this time as a member of the Bolton Community Action Site Committee, which assists the Toronto Regional Conservation Authority.
"We had to consult so many levels of government to get that bridge built - even the coast guard - we used to laugh and wonder if they thought we were bringing drugs down in canoes."
Why is our local history so important? "If you don't know where you've been, you don't know where you're going." says Broadbent. "During the years I was active in heritage conservation in Caledon, 97 heritage designations occurred, involving over 100 structures or features."
The preservation of local history has an economic benefit to Caledon as well, says Broadbent.
"Because we've preserved so much of our heritage, Caledon is a destination spot for many people. When they come, they spend money in restaurants, craft and antique shops and bed and breakfasts. They also come to use our trails."
Broadbent is proud of her work as chair of the heritage designated property grants sub-committee of The Caledon Heritage Foundation. This group, funded by the town, provides funds to cover up to 50 per cent of the cost of renovations to historically designated buildings.
Broadbent becomes passionate when she talks about the threat to history posed by some developers.
"I have talked to developers who say, 'Oh, that building's only a hundred years old. In Europe, we have buildings that are 800 years old.' And I say, 'Yeah, and if people hadn't protected that building when it was 100 years old and 500 years old, it wouldn't be here today. That's what we're doing - protecting the past for future generations.'"

Michael Reist is a local educator, writer and speaker. www.michaelreist.ca

Captions for photos:
Heather Broadbent sits with her medals from two provincial premiers.
Broadbent stands on the heritage footbridge over the Humber River near Glasgow.
Broadbent stands in front of the Glasgow commemorative exhibit she helped create.