Field notes

Budding Arcs – Q&A with Georgina

We have some fresh faces that have joined the team this field season, and we’re eager to make some introductions through our signature Q&A style posts. First up, we have Georgina Covey, our Co-op student from SFU. Georgina has been a world traveller since she was a wee babe. Born in West London, UK, Georgina immigrated to Canada when she was seven months old. When she was 13, Georgina moved to Dubai with her family and they lived there for a little under 5 years. It was a great experience for her, and she’s forever grateful that it allowed her to travel the world much more than she otherwise would have from Canada. Georgina currently is currently living and working out of Williams Lake, but spent three seasons working in Ontario; she holds an Avocational Archaeological licence in Ontario, allowing her to conduct Stage 1 and 2’s with the direct supervision of a field director. Since Georgina has moved around so much, she’s always ready for her next adventure and has compacted her belongings so they can all be easily packed away in a car. So without further adieu, meet Georgina!

So, we all know about Simon Fraser, the explorer; tell us more about Simon Fraser the University? What is one of your favourite on-campus buildings or activities?

One of my favourite on-campus buildings is the new Student Union Building, where there are lots of places to study, meet up with people and even nap stations! Honestly, after spending a good chunk of my degree online and back in Ontario, being anywhere on campus excites me! I also lived on residence at SFU in the townhouses last year, and one of my favourite activities was hanging out and playing games in the courtyards.

We hear you’ve worked in Ontario! Care to share some of your experiences?

I worked in Southern Ontario mostly on development projects. It was predominately in farmers’ fields in preparation for suburban housing, but we did have some jobs in downtown Toronto and in smaller towns about 2-3 hours north of Toronto. Most of the archaeology done in Ontario is excavation (stages 3 and 4s) conducting salvage archaeology. We also spent a good number of months over my three years at my previous company working in Niagara Falls and the surrounding regions.

Post-European contact or Pre-contact or both?

Most of the archaeological sites that we worked on were post-contact, but we would occasionally have joint pre and post-contact sites. In Southern Ontario, because of the long history of settler activity, many of the sites are homesteads and their associated buildings and features such as wells and cellars. Most of the artifacts are ceramics, earthenware, and metal (mostly nails…. soooo many nails). However, we would occasionally get the odd flake or point on a site that would classify it as both.

Do you prefer cats, dogs or another type of pet?

I definitely prefer dogs as I am allergic to cats. I still really like cats and will pet them but will be regretting it for the rest of the day. I have a dog named Luna, who’s around 4-5 years old and is a former street dog from Mexico.

Do you have any siblings or interesting family members?

I have two sisters who live back in the UK (where I am originally from). My oldest sister and her partner just recently had a baby, and I am now a proud Auntie to a little boy named Luke (yes, after Luke Skywalker).

What’s a fun fact about yourself?

I love driving, and at the end of last year went on a road trip from Ontario to British Columbia for two weeks. 

How would you spend your evening if you were in a cabin with no cell service and little internet?

I would probably sit by the water or on the porch and listen to music.

What is your archaeological dream?

One of my archaeological dreams would be to conduct archaeology in the Middle East and help protect the heritage resources there.

If you could travel to a country specifically to do archaeology, where would it be?

I would travel to Petra in Jordan. I visited Petra when I was 15 and it inspired me to go into archaeology. I would love to go back now to help researchers learn more about the site and help the local communities benefit from the research and tourism there. The country is beautiful, and the people are so kind.

How did you learn about Circle, and what made you want to join our community?

I learnt about Circle CRM through the Co-op Program at SFU, which I am currently part of. This season (my summer and fall) at CircleCRM will be 3rd and 4th terms of co-op before I gain my co-op designation for my undergrad degree! It is a goal of mine to conduct archaeology in as many places as possible. Cultural Resource Management has been a passion both in school and professionally since my first year of university. I can’t wait to dive further into the field with Circle CRM, as the opportunities and training they provide have been amazing thus far!

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