Mary-Jean Page – ACO Heritage Awards

2024 Recipient of the Eric Arthur Lifetime Achievement Award

Mary-Jean Page has spent a lifetime devoted to heritage preservation, beginning with her family home known as The River House/White House, which dates to the 1830s. As described in the ‘Greenfield Village Heritage Walking Tour’ booklet, edited by a team including Mary-Jean:

“In 1976, (Dr.) Chris and Mary-Jean Page bought the River House’s half acre lot with the house. Eleven years later they also bought Lots 37 & 38. Soon after, the River House became designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1990 for its historical significance and its association with the Goldie Family and the Goldie Milling Company.” The Goldie family were one of the founders of Goldie & McCullough Company Ltd., a steam engine manufacturer in Galt.

Mary-Jean remains an outstanding advocate for the conservation of our significant built and natural heritage. Appointed by council as a member of Waterloo Region’s Heritage Planning Advisory Committee, Mary-Jean represented North Dumfries Township and advised on heritage policies, issues and strategies. As a longstanding member of the Township of North Dumfries’ Municipal Heritage Committee, she was instrumental in raising the profile of local heritage assets:

Designation in 2016 of the Ayr Ice House and Creamery, built in 1860 and one of four such structures remaining in Canada.
Initiated the first Heritage Conservation District study in North Dumfries and was the linchpin with her community to obtain Part V Designation for the Village of Greenfield.
Key member of the team that researched and published the Greenfield Village Heritage Walking Tour booklet.

Mary-Jean was a member of the Board of Directors of ACO’s Cambridge and North Dumfries Branch from 2014-2019. In 2014 she received an Award of Excellence from the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation.