The Golden Shovel and Its Full-Circle Moment in 50 Years
Date Posted: Jul 22, 2024
(L-R) CBU Elder on Campus, Lawrence Wells; CBU President and Vice-Chancellor, David C. Dingwall; and ACAP Cape Breton Executive Director, Kathleen Aikens, at the launch event of the ‘Growing Forward Together’ project.
During the Anniversary Week, Cape Breton University launched Growing Forward Together, an initiative to plant 50,000 trees across Cape Breton Island in partnership with ACAP Cape Breton. A highlight of the event was the golden shovel used to plant the first nurse pocket, a native mix of early succession trees, long-lived anchor trees, a shrub layer and a ground layer, in the project. It was a full-circle moment for the golden shovel, as those in the crowd who attended the College of Cape Breton (CCB) and University College of Cape Breton (UCCB), would know.
“The Beaton Institute is the holder of many documents of historic significance, but it also holds important artifacts related to Cape Breton University,” says Catherine Arseneau, Dean, Library and Cultural Resources. “Artifacts, such as the ceremonial shovel, provide a tangible link to the events of our past and to those ground-breaking individuals who led, and to those who continue to lead, the development of our Island’s University.”
Back row, L-R: MLA Minister of Lands and Forests, Vince MacLean; Grand Chief Donald Marshall; Chairman of the Board of Governors, Justice Charles Denne Burchell. Front row: CCB President, Rev. Dr. Donald Campbell, holds the golden shovel at the sod turning of the new campus on October 28, 1976. U-10.17. Photographed by Owen Fitzgerald. Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University.
The shovel, simply a humble garden shovel spray painted gold, first came into use on October 28, 1976, to mark the construction of the Campus Centre. The construction would expand the existing site of the former Nova Scotia Eastern Institute of Technology (NSEIT) and bring the two campuses of the College of Cape Breton together. When the College was established in 1974, the former Xavier Junior College (XJC) buildings on George Street became the Sydney campus for Arts and Science courses, while the NSEIT site on Grand Lake Road became the Tech campus for Technology and Trades programs. With a firm grip and a hopeful heart, Rev. Dr. Donald Campbell, CCB’s first President, turned the first sod with this shovel and marked the start of a journey that would see countless students pass through the College’s doors.
The historic sod turning was preceded by a sweetgrass smudging ceremony by Grand Chief Donald Marshall. The procession was led to the site by the MacDougall Girls’ Pipe Band. These details, back in 1976, reflected the deep-rooted cultural connections to the Indigenous community and Cape Breton’s Scottish Gaelic heritage. The new CCB campus officially opened on June 19, 1980, becoming the permanent home for what would later become UCCB, and now CBU.
(L-R) UCCB President Emeritus, Dr. William Reid; Director, Physical Plant, Howard MacIntyre; UCCB Interim President, John Terry; Chairman of the Board of Governors and Partners for Progress, Joe Shannon; UCCB Students’ Union President, Bobby MacLean; MLA, Brian Young; CCB President Emeritus, Rev. Dr. Donald Campbell; and former Chairman of the Board of Governors, Irving Schwartz, at the MacDonald Residence sod turning, ca. 1991. Alumni Photos004. Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University.
The golden shovel was once again brought to life on April 5, 1991, for the groundbreaking ceremony of the first student residence, MacDonald Residence, which opened five months later. Since then, additional residence buildings such as Harriss Hall, Alumni Hall and Cabot Residence have been added. In September 2023, a $1.4 million renovation to MacDonald Residence added 111 beds and communal kitchens, enhancing the campus living experience.
More than a ceremonial object, the shovel represents a commitment to growth and sustainability with the launch of the ‘Growing Forward Together’ initiative. We are honoured to still keep and use the shovel that started it all to again plant the seed of today, grow forward together and build a better future for generations to come. It reminds us of the dreams and aspirations of our founders and the countless individuals who have long advocated and contributed to the establishment of the Institution.
Now placed in its display case, the golden shovel is part of the exhibit ‘Cape Breton University: 50 Years in the Making’ at the Old Sydney Society’s Sydney Museum (173 Charlotte Street, Sydney). It carries with it the humble beginnings of Cape Breton University and the stories that have been told with it over the past 50 years and beyond. As we celebrate our 50th Anniversary, we invite the community to visit the Museum to learn more about the journey that has brought us here and discover more artifacts that have helped define who we are today.
The exhibit is open to the public from now until November 15, 2024 during the Museum’s regular opening hours: Tuesday-Friday: 9:00am-5:00pm and Saturday: 10:00am-4:00pm.
For more information on the Old Sydney Society, please call 902-539-1572 or email: oldsydneysociety@gmail.com
To stay up to date on the 50th celebration, visit cbu.ca/50.