Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC Canada — Volunteers at the Canadian Aviation Heritage Centre say the recent death of its founder, Godfrey Pasmore, has filled them with more drive to keep the museum’s doors open. Pasmore died on March 12, at the age of 83.
Eighteen years ago, he founded the little-known museum located on the western tip of the island in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. It remains the only museum in the province dedicated to the history of aviation.
The centre was Pasmore’s way of paying tribute to his late father – a World War I flight instructor and president of Fairchild Aircraft Ltd., an aircraft manufacturer active in Longueuil from 1920 to 1950.
“I just became enamoured with [Pasmore’s] commitment. He virtually lived here,” said John Lawson, president of the Montreal Aviation Museum. The museum is located in the old farm buildings on McGill University’s MacDonald Campus.
“We converted the cow manger into [an] art gallery…[Pasmore] did everything from sweeping the floors, to shoveling manure from the manger, to inspiring all the people around him to get this done” Lawson said. Eric Campbell, the museum’s chief of operations, said it’s important to keep the province’s aviation history alive.
“We need to find people with inspiration to come and help us to continue on,” Campbell said, adding that the museum is looking for more visitors and donors. “Right now we have our budget for one half of the year, and the other half of the year is up in the air.”
The museum already has a dedicated army of volunteers, including Patrick Campbell. The 92-year-old spent a lot of time fixing planes and flying them.
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