The Miramichi Area Retired Teachers’ Association (MARTA) dates back to 1976 when a group of retired teachers was encouraged to organize Miramichi retirees into a branch of the newly formed New Brunswick Society of Retired Teachers (NBSRT).  Those early years were recorded in minutes, diary entries and recollections, and collated by a few amateur historians in a short document.

Here is a sample of the opening page …

CHAPTER ONE – In The Beginning

The Miramichi Area Retired Teachers’ Association came into being in 1976.  In the summer of that year Miss Molly Martin, our very first president-to-be ran into Ray Tibbetts of Fredericton’s New Brunswick Society of Retired Teachers’ group.  He urged Molly to start a similar branch for retirees in the Northumberland area.

So Molly, ever socially conscious, got busy and circulated a letter inviting all retired teachers to come to a meeting at St Michael’s Church Hall, Cunard Street, Chatham in the fall of 1976.

About 22 retirees responded to the challenge.  In short order the Miramichi Area Retired Teachers’ Association elected the first slate of officers as follows:

            President – Molly Martin                Secretary – Nora Daigle

            Treasurer – Irene Hogan                  Vice President (& Social Convener) – Sue Noonan

The entire document can be found at: MARTA – The Early Years