It all began when Mrs. Louise Sanderson hosted a workshop in Hampton where we met Mrs. Leslee Fredericks, who entertained us on the advantages of having C@P sites in our rural communities.  Marilyn Durling and Françoise and Gontran Trottier of Centrelea attended this workshop, and though they had not heard of about C@P sites prior to this meeting, returned to the community enthusiastic about the prospect of beginning such a project here in Centrelea.

The enthusiasm was contagious. Some of us walked door to door to find out the opinion of the community. The answer was overwhelmingly "Yes", and within a few days 14 people began actively working towards creating a C@P site for our Community.  This core group of people included Linda Grant, Marilyn & Noel  Durling, Janice Brooks, Hans Tischler, Sandie Troop and baby Anna, Debbie Hannam, Roger Mosher, David Currie, Peter Newton, Anne & Bill Crossman, and Françoise & Gontran Trottier.

In just a few weeks the Centrelea Computer Club was formed and the first Board of Directors was in place – Gontran Trottier, Chair; Debbie Hannam, Secretary/Treasurer; and  Dave Currie, Peter Newton, Roger Mosher and Anne Crossman, Board Members. A proposal was  prepared and the Community applied for funding for the C@P program via Industry Canada (federal) and the Technology & Science Secretariat (provincial).  On the 3rd of May we received word that we were granted a C@P site.

While waiting, the Club was very active. With the help of a grant through HRDC and the sponsorship of WVDA, it hired a summer student, Robby Brooks, who under the supervision of Roger Mosher, began preliminary work for the site. Using two computers borrowed from Bridgetown elementary school, Roger Mosher generously

opened his home to our borrowed computers and to Robby and the volunteers who were willing to learn. In the meantime Britex had offered us space in their building and was willing to provide secure access to it for our site. Britex began construction of our room and in August, the Centrelea Computer Club moved to the Britex building. 

Anxious to get underway after our proposal was accepted, several people in the community donated money to start us off. We had a phone line installed and a table, a file cabinet, some  chairs and a playpen were donated. We were operational!  By September most of our start up procedures were in place, our first web page was on the Internet and a few members had received computer instruction. 

When our first funding installment of $9,000.00 arrived late in September, we purchased two new computers, a flat bed scanner, a printer and some software. In addition, (thanks to Roger Mosher) two rebuilt computers had been donated by COGS to our club. In January we received an additional $4,500.00 and in February we held a huge quilt show at the Bridgetown Elementary School for fundraising.

In the time since these founding days, there have been a few changes to the Club and the C@P site. The Britex plant closed and the C@P site moved to a new home at the Trottier house, and a wireless Internet access network has been created.

We are just beginning to unleash the potential of this Community.  Open to the information highway, individuals otherwise without access to this type of technology are venturing into the way of the future - our future.

– Gontran Trottier