In 1954, Norma Geggie came to Canada from her native Australia to fill a nursing position at the newly created Gatineau Memorial Hospital in the village of Wakefield, Quebec. In the 50 years since then, she has been a dedicated contributor to her adopted community. A few years after her arrival in Wakefield she married Dr. Stuart Geggie whose family had deep roots in the Gatineau Valley. Together they developed a keen interest in local history and soon began to record their findings in books, articles, and through the collection and display of artefacts at the local museum of the Gatineau Valley Historical Society.
The Geggies' first book, "La Peche:A History of Wakefield and its Surrounding Areas", was published in 1974, with an expanded version in 1980. This was followed in 1976 by "Unto the Hills", a history of the local churches. In 1987 the Geggies published "The Extra Mile", from the jounals of the hospital's founder, Dr. Harold Geggie, a fascinating 132-page account of medicine as it was pracitsed in rural Quebec between 1885 and 1985.
Mrs. Geggie has written a number of local history books on her own. These include "Wakefield and its People:Tours of the Village," (1990); "A Place A part: A Search for the Pioneer Cemeteries of the Lower Gatineau Valley", (1999); and "Wakefield Revisited" (2003). She has also published numerous articles in the Society's periodical, Up the Gatineau.
For many years, Mrs. Geggie served on the Municipality of La Peche's Heritage Committee with emphasis on the built history of the region. She has been honoured with a life-membership in the Gatineau Valley Historical Society, where she is a volunteer in the Archives and has served on its board for several terms.
Besides her role as a researcher, writer and editor, Mrs. Geggie has worked with youth, as a literacy tutor and as an activist promoting affordable housing for senior citizens.