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PHS Speaker Series: A Life’s Work on Ice: Preserving the Flooded F.L. Roy Film Collection

Presentation by Bo Pickett

Tuesday October 20, 2026

7:30-9pm

Peterborough Lions Community Centre

347 Burnham St

Admission is free (Donations welcome)

Join us Tuesday October 20, 2026  from 7:30-9:00pm for Bo Pickett’s Presentation ‘A Life’s Work on Ice: Preserving the Flooded F.L. Roy Film Collection.’ Bo Pickett is a Peterborough (or at least Keene) local with a passion for film and photographic history. After getting his Bachelor’s in History from the University of Ottawa in 2023, Bo attended Toronto Metropolitan University’s Film + Photography Preservation and Collection Management graduate program, earning his Master’s in 2025. Since 2018, Bo has been with the Peterborough Museum & Archives through repeated internships and short-term contracts, and is currently the Archives Assistant at the PMA.

Bo will deliver a talk on the subject of the PMA’s upcoming exhibit, “A Life’s Work on Ice: Preserving the Flooded F.L. Roy Film Collection”, which was itself based on his 2025 major research project to complete his Master’s in Film Preservation at TMU. His talk will trace the history of the films, from their creation by local photographer-filmmaker F.L. Roy, to their ordeal in the 2004 flood, and ultimately the project designed to preserve and restore the films for future audiences. Accompanying the talk will be a presentation of one of the restored films, with a demonstration of how restoration tools can be used to reverse damage and decay to motion picture film.

The Peterborough Historical Society monthly speaker series takes place on the third Tuesday of September, October, November, January, February, March, and May. The meetings are being held at the Lions Club Centre on Burnham Street, starting at 7:30. Members, guests, and the general public are welcome.