Hammerfest

Date(s) of occurrence: 1908 (Officially named Hammerfest in 1911) -

Previous/other names:

Origins: In 1911, Professor Miller of the Department of Forestry suggested that the annual dinner of the Forestry Club be called Hammerfest, a name that was thereafter embraced by Forestry students. The event originally took place annually in the spring but was moved to the fall in 1948.

History: The "time-honored institution" known as Hammerfest began as an annual dinner, hosted until 1912, in the office of Mrs. McLeod.

In the mid-1940s the event was held at Mr. Woodbridge's camp, known as "The Queen of the Forest"; students and faculty of the Department of Forestry (as well as some guest Foresters) would venture here in the early evening for an out-of-doors dinner served by the Freshmen. Musical entertainment during the dinner consisted of a small orchestra, while the meal was followed by a speech and several rounds of jokes before breaking up around 9:00 PM.

Notes: There is evidence that suggests Hammerfest gradually became an increasingly rowdier affair, evolving from an annual dinner to more of a party.

Source(s):

• The Brunswickan: Forestry Issue, vol. 62, no. 15, 9 October 1942, p. 3.
• Forestry Brunswickan, vol. 71, no. 5, 7 November 1951, p. 1.
• Bryant, David G. (ed). The Fiftieth Anniversary of the Faculty of Forestry at the University of New Brunswick 1908-1958. Fredericton: The U.N.B. Forestry Association, 1958, p. 77.
• Up the Hill, 1949, p. 154.