A woman who loves talking to strangers

Myril Lynn Brason-Lediett enjoys doing something her mother didn’t want her to do when she was a child.

She enjoys talking to strangers.

Myril Lynn, an outstanding volunteer with the Sault’s Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site, said “I think that makes visitors to the site feel welcome when you can engage them in a conversation and take some interest in them.”

A retiree who worked at Sault College for 31 years, including a period as the president’s administrative assistant, Myril Lynn told SooToday “during my working years I dealt a lot with the public and you could say I had a special knack for making people feel welcomed and at ease.”

While Myril Lynn brings the essential social skills needed at any tourism site, she also brings a love of history to the Old Stone House. 

“In high school one of my favourite subjects was history.”

“I have always appreciated history and I feel that a lot of that history, the oral histories of families, are being lost because they don’t seem too focused on those types of subjects in schools anymore, so I feel it’s really critical for young people to know what their forebearers went through to survive and make a life for themselves (in the pioneer days of old Upper Canada).”

Myril Lynn’s greatest amount of volunteer time is spent at the Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site, where she serves as a greeter to visitors, answers their questions, dressed as an historical re-enactor “in period clothing, as a well to do woman of that time (the early 19th century).”

“It’s period clothing. Don’t ever call it ‘a costume,’” Myril Lynn chuckled.

She also assists in food preparation at Ermatinger Clergue, bringing a lifelong love of baking whenever the site holds a special tea for visitors at its replica kitchen.

"We get a lot of visitors from the States, some are from overseas, mostly from Great Britain and Europe, along with some Chinese and Middle Eastern young people who are students at Algoma University…the Chinese students love trying gingerbread cookies,” said Myril Lynn.

She added she enjoyed meeting and spending time with Charles Oakes Ermatinger’s Swiss descendants, who travelled from Europe to attend the official opening of the Ermatinger-Clergue National Historic Site’s Heritage Discovery Centre in July 2014.

Myril Lynn and her husband Darcy have also done a great deal of work for the Timber Village Museum in Blind River. 

After the couple retired, they spent time touring museums and national historic sites all across North America.

“I enjoyed it so much that when I returned home to the Sault I decided I would visit the Old Stone House to see if there were any opportunities to help them.”

“As it turned out, I was in luck.”

"As is the case with many museums and historic sites, they needed volunteers to help with school programming and special events.”

For history lover Myril Lynn, “it was a match made in heaven.”

“I love artifacts. I like to go through old antique shops and discover things, find out what they’re used for, and I found here that fulfilled a lot of that need without travelling around to a lot of antique shops.”

“I just love looking back at that old way of life. Sometimes I think I should’ve been born back then. Life was harder but simpler,” Myril Lynn laughed. 

Myril Lynn has volunteered at the site since 2004, after her retirement from Sault College.

Consistent with her way with people and fascination with life from years gone by, Myril Lynn also volunteers her time to the Extendicare Maple View long-term care home.

“It’s one-on-one at the nursing home,” said Myril Lynn, who enjoys giving manicures to elderly women who have never had their nails done before.

“I like spending time with older people, they have so much to share with people yet, and they don’t get to do that where they are (in nursing homes)…the staff try to spend extra time with them, but it’s hard, so I listen to them and I listen to their stories, it’s all interesting, and again, it’s all history.”

“It means a great deal,” said Myril Lynn, her eyes watering with tears.

“A lot of them don’t have family. It’s hard. They need that local contact with somebody, with someone from outside the nursing home.”

Myril Lynn commended work currently being done to vidoeotape seniors as they tell their stories.

Myril Lynn also took part in a Canada 150 fashion show, dressed in period clothing, with fellow volunteers of all ages, at the Seniors Drop In Centre on Bay Street.

“I think it’s important for people of any age to keep busy and to keep involved in the community. I like to promote our community as much as I can. Anything that promotes our community is worthwhile.”