Name/Title
Thelma Morrison - Author, Journalist, Artist & ArchivistScope and Content
Thelma Morrison - Author, Journalist, Artist & ArchivistContext
Thelma Morrison was a local journalist, entrepreneur, author, artist and Archivist for the Town of Wasaga Beach Archives. Thelma was born in Brampton, Ontario, to Thelma and Jack Morrison. Thelma’s grandfather, Ed Capps, built the family’s first cottage in Wasaga Beach in the 1920’s. Thelma spent summers as a child at the cottage with her parents and brothers Jack and David.
Thelma attended the University of Western Ontario followed by a career at the Stratford Beacon-Herald that lasted a decade, beginning as a summer student and later as a full-time reporter and editor. Thelma won a National Newspaper Award for feature writing. She was also a columnist for the Kitchener-Waterloo Record and Toronto Star and taught creative writing at Conestoga College.
Thelma moved permanently to Wasaga Beach in 1989 and was a writer for the Wasaga Star and Wasaga Sun newspapers. Author of several books, Thelma was commissioned by the Town of Wasaga Beach, to write "Wasaga Saga, A History of Wasaga Beach", in 1999 to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Town of Wasaga Beach. The book is a collection of 18 chapters describing the history of Wasaga Beach from early years to incorporation to the Town's 25th Anniversary. In 2025, the 50th Anniversary Edition of Wasaga Saga was released to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Town of Wasaga Beach. In addition to the original contents, historical updates are included in the new edition.
Thelma was a member of the Community Theatre Group, Gardening Club, Wasaga Artists and the Library Board. She was the founder of the Wasaga Beach Book Club and Writers Club in 1995 and was the first female member and later President of the Rotary Club, and editor of the Rotary Bulletin called the Rubicon. Thelma was awarded the Order of Wasaga Beach in 2008.
Thelma was instrumental in the opening of the Archives in 1997 in a small room in the Wasaga Beach Public Library when it was located on Glenwood Drive. Thelma worked tirelessly to gather donations and to preserve the history of the Town. After retirement in 2008, Thelma passed away in 2014 after a lengthy battle with Cancer and Parkinson’s Disease.