Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

THE COONEY PAPERS

New show chronicles the lives of some of Kamloops’ founding figures

Oct 23, 2019 | 8:23 AM

KAMLOOPS — One day, a woman drove up to Tim McLeod’s front door with a box full of papers, claiming they contained information about the Tranquille Farm property and the people who once called it home.

McLeod put the box aside and forgot about the papers for a while. When he rediscovered them, he found a treasure trove of information about the Cooney family who once owned a ranch that used to exist on the property.

“What we wanted to do was try and explain to people how the Cooney Papers came to us,” McLeod says. “I didn’t remember [the woman’s name] much to my chagrin, so we re-enacted it so people could get a sense where they came from, and why us and not somewhere else.”

Once he had a full understanding of what those papers contained, Tim saw a story about some founding members of our community that needed to be told.

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“The show is all about Betsy and Charles Cooney, who met in 1865,” McLeod explains. “They married four years later and moved to Kamloops to live in a one-room hotel. We found the story to be an incredible story of love.”

Image Credit: CFJC Today

The show incorporates elements of video and live theatre to try and tell the Cooney’s story, which dates back to the 19th century. It’s also unique because the production takes place on the very property where it’s set.

“How do we live and exists in our world? It’s set in the backdrop of what’s happening around us,” McLeod says, describing the show. “We’re always talking about whats going on in the community. We got thinking that most people wouldn’t have known what was going in Betsy and Charles’ community.”

Tim says the show is about an hour and fifteen minutes long. There are performances on Friday and Saturday evenings, as well as Sunday afternoons. Based on the feedback they’ve received from audiences so far, he has one piece of advice if you’re coming to the show:

“Bring your handkerchiefs.”

For more information on the show, you can visit www.tranquillefarmfresh.ca.