Lower Fort Garry A Visitor Service AttendantDay Labourers Memoirs

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Lower Fort GarryA Visitor Service Attendant/Day
Labourers Memoirs

• Summer Work Term
• May to August 2007
• Carmelle Kenny

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The Stone Fort

• What and Why?
• Living History Museum teaching visitors about the
  fur trading era by portraying characters from
  1851 who would have worked for the Hudsons Bay
  Company or lived near Lower Fort Garry.
• Where?
• 15 mins north of Perimeter on Highway 9 or 2 kms
  south of Selkirk
• When?
• Open 9 am to 5 pm, Mon-Fri, Mid May to Labour Day
• Who (management)?
• Hierarchal system (Parks Canada/Federal
  Government)
• Who (visitors)?
• School groups
• Seniors
• Large tour groups
• Families
• International visitors
• History buffs

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Duties in the Visitor Reception Centre (VRC)

• Keep VRC organized and clean
• Provide excellent customer service to visitors
• Orient visitors before they go on site
• Handle comments and/or concerns
• Provide shuttle service
• Provide information about other tourism venues in
  Manitoba or Canada
• Handle cash
• Reconcile sales at the end of the day
• Provide buggy tours to seniors
• Help create new displays for the VRC
• Provide bilingual assistance to both staff and
  visitors

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Responsibilities Inside the Fort

• Provide brief orientation tours in French
• Prepare mini-talks/programs and deliver the
  program to visitors
• Provide bilingual assistance to both staff and
  visitors
• Interact with visitors while staying in character
• Keep post clean and well maintained

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The Crazy Days

• Training Week
• Historical and employment information jammed into
  one week not to mention meeting A LOT of new
  people!!
• Opening Day
• Will I remember everything??
• Canada Day
• Busy, BuSy, BUSY!!!
• Organizational and teamwork skills needed
• Training a new employee in the VRC
• First day on site and in costume
• Character name Malvina Gibeault
• Presenting my first tour and mini talk

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Professional Gains

• Skills
• Organizational
• Customer service
• Time management
• Multitasking
• Public speaking
• Teamwork
• Cash handling
• Leadership
• Bilingualism

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Personal Gains

• Improved speaking in French (my first language)
• Made several friends
• Confidence
• Creativity
• Learned more about Manitobas history

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So many costumes
At Work
Lower Fort Garry Car Rally
Lower Fort Garry Scavenger Hunt
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Id like a spot of tea and a bite of bannock
please!
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Conclusion

• Learned more about Manitobas history
• Practiced bilingualism
• Worked in a large tourism venue
• Uniform and costume
• Great co-workers and supervisors
• Able to meet all my goals
• Fun and challenging work experience!

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The End