Fonds MS-394 - Joy and Cam Finlay fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Joy and Cam Finlay fonds

General material designation

  • Textual record
  • Moving images
  • Object
  • Graphic material - photograph
  • Textual record - published
  • Graphic material - artwork
  • Cartographic material
  • Architectural drawing

Parallel title

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Title statements of responsibility

Title notes

  • Source of title proper: Title based on name of creator.

Level of description

Fonds

Reference code

CA EDM MS-394

Edition area

Edition statement

Edition statement of responsibility

Class of material specific details area

Statement of scale (cartographic)

Statement of projection (cartographic)

Statement of coordinates (cartographic)

Statement of scale (architectural)

Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1935, 1950-2000, predominantly 1970-1990 (Creation)
    Creator
    Finlay, Joy and Cam

Physical description area

Physical description

454 cm of textual records and other material

Publisher's series area

Title proper of publisher's series

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Other title information of publisher's series

Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series

Numbering within publisher's series

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1931-2023)

Biographical history

Audrey Joy (Joy) Finlay was born 18 September 1932 to Leonard Noel and Vilhemine Marie (Rossander) Barton in Davidson, Saskatchewan.

James Campbell (Cam) Finlay was born in 1931 to Hugh and Muriel Finlay in Russell, Manitoba.

Cam obtained a science degree in geology from Brandon College. In 1954 Joy would receive a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Brandon College (now Brandon University) in Manitoba, where she met Cam. They would marry around 1955 and they would have three children: Brett Finlay, Warren Finlay and Rhonda Finlay Johnson.

Cam became a geologist for Shell Oil and traveled throughout the north, where he began to take a keen interest in birds. With Joy’s encouragement, he then went back to school to get his master’s in zoology. Shortly thereafter, he became the first chief park naturalist for Elk Island National Park. A few years later, he was recruited by John Janzen, City of Edmonton senior manager, to develop Fort Edmonton and the City Archives. Cam used his characteristic unbridled enthusiasm and determination to ignore any politics and controversy around the project, focusing on getting things done. He also started the John Janzen Nature Centre. Cam remained with the City of Edmonton for the rest of his career, playing an integral role in protecting and preserving Edmonton's parks and river valley and natural history.

Joy would work as a Family Case worker from 1954-1959 in Brandon, Regina and Edmonton. In 1966 she began working as a Naturalist Interpreter at Elk Island National Park and Edmonton Parks and Recreation and established the Edmonton Junior Naturalist Program.

In the 1970s Joy embarked on what became her lifelong passion - outdoor education. Based in Edmonton, Joy became a teacher, and then a teacher’s teacher, inspiring thousands of elementary school children and their teachers to go outside and experience for themselves the awe and beauty of science and nature. She wrote the seminal ‘Winter Here and Now’ for teachers on how to teach the science curriculum outside. She started and ran the Teacherage, a resource centre for teachers, and she was a sought after presenter to teachers on using the outdoors to teach science. She obtained her masters in outdoor education from the University of Alberta, where she also taught.

Joy and Cam wrote a weekly nature column for the Edmonton Journal, sharing their love of the outdoor spaces and its flora and fauna, especially its bird life. They both lent their time and knowledge to many natural history causes in Alberta, BC and across Canada, culminating in leading the cross Canada campaign in 1987 to celebrate 100 years of wildlife conservation in Canada. Joy was presented with a plaque for her work by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and received the Order of Canada along with numerous other awards.

In 1996 Joy and Cam retired to Victoria, British Columbia where they continued to explore the natural environment around them. Cam spent increasing time learning about local birds, particularly hummingbirds. He used his master bird banding status to gather data about this little understood species. His dedication to nature and natural history led to him receiving many awards, including the Canadian Nature Federation’s highest award, the Douglas Pimlott Award. Joy also developed her pottery hobby that she had started in Alberta, and earned accolades and awards at local British Columbia shows.

Audrey Joy Barton Finlay died 27 May 2021 in Victoria BC with Cam holding her hand.

James Campbell Finlay died December 2023 in Victoria BC at the age of 92 shortly after an ice cream visit with his children and grandchildren.

Custodial history

These records were received from Joy and Cam Finlay. One accrual was received from Rainer Ebel, Executive Director of the Alberta Wildlife Conservation Centennial Association. When Rainer Ebel's donation was received the archivists placed the records in the Joy and Cam Finlay fonds. After placing the Ebel donation into the Finlay fonds the original donor for each record was lost. Therefore Rainer Ebel's records remain part of Joy and Cam Finlay's fonds and they have been separated into a sous-fonds to note the distinction in provenance.

Scope and content

Fonds consists of records collected and created by Joy and Cam Finlay, their son Dr. Brett Finlay and Rainer Ebel. They primarily relate to Joy and Cam’s environmentalism and how they acted out their beliefs in their personal and professional lives. The fonds includes a sous-fonds “Wildlife ‘87” which documents Joy, Cam and Rainer’s work and volunteer activism creating the national celebration of the 100 years of wildlife conservation in Canada. This fonds also includes two series, one including Joy’s Environmental Education Teaching and Curriculum Development career. The final series includes records that Cam, Joy and Brett created and collected throughout their adult and teenage lives in both their professional and personal activities.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

This fonds was donated to the City of Edmonton Archives by Joy and Cam Finlay from 1967 to 2000. Some material was donated by Ebel Rainer of the Alberta Wildlife Centennial Association in 1989.

Arrangement

The material was arranged by the archivist by function and event.
The photographs were assigned the prefix EA-2.
The cartographic material was assigned item numbers with the prefix the prefix EAM-26.

Language of material

  • English
  • French

Script of material

    Location of originals

    Availability of other formats

    Restrictions on access

    There are no restrictions on access.

    Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

    Copyright may apply.

    Finding aids

    Finding aid available online.
    Photographs have been described at the item level; some are available on the online database, with the remainder available in the Reference Room.

    Generated finding aid

    Associated materials

    Federation of Alberta Naturalists fonds (PR1215), Provincial Archives of Alberta.
    Cam Finlay collection (PR3291), Provincial Archives of Alberta.

    Accruals

    No further accruals are expected.

    General note

    Accession numbers: A67-463, A76-132, A80-2, A88-74, A89-101, A91-117, A91-118, A92-134, A93-32, A93-140, A94-99, A94-167, A95-32, A96-114, A99-75, A2000-85

    Physical description

    Includes: 63 photographs, 38 negatives, 6 artworks, 4 architectural drawings, 3 objects, 1 map, and 1 videocassette

    Alternative identifier(s)

    Standard number

    Standard number

    Access points

    Subject access points

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    Control area

    Description record identifier

    Institution identifier

    City of Edmonton Archives

    Rules or conventions

    Rules for Archival Description (RAD)
    Archives Society of Alberta Subject Terms

    Status

    Final

    Level of detail

    Dates of creation, revision and deletion

    Language of description

      Script of description

        Sources

        Accession area