File F35 - Anna Tremere collected materials

Anna (Brass) Tremere is the President of the Riverview Hospital Historical Society. She attended the School of Psychiatric Nursing and graduated in 1967. She worked at Riverview as a student nurse and as a Registered Psychiatric Nurse from 1965 to 2001.

Tremere's mother Olive Brass was also a psychiatric nurse at Essondale Hospital, and Tremere grew up to know the hospital well. Tremere later became head nurse and a case manager for the transitional housing program at Connelly, Cottonwood and Cypress lodges.

In 1993, Tremere established and assumed the role of President of the Riverview Hospital Historical Society. In 1998 the Society under Anna’s leadership established a museum on the hospital site and welcomed the public to access Riverview’s history. Thanks to Anna’s work, the museum preserved and presented the history of the hospital and preserved an incredible collection of records and artifacts relevant to daily life of the patients and staff at Riverview. When Riverview Hospital was closed in 2012, Anna worked with government partners to transfer the collections to the City of Coquitlam and to the BC Provincial Archives.

Anna continues to pass on her knowledge and inspire others by participating in several projects, organizations and committees including the Suitcase Project with Heidi Currie, the Riverview Lands Advisory Committee, the Riverview Horticultural Centre Society, and by serving on the Coquitlam Heritage board of directors. Tremere won the British Columbia Historical Federation's Award of Merit in 2018.