Sidney Culverwell Oland (17 June 1886, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia – 17 November 1977,

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

) was an owner of

Oland Brewery Oland Brewery, formerly S. Oland & Sons, is a brewing company in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (established 1907), which also acquired Alexander Keith's Brewery (1928), and is now owned by Labatt Brewing Company (1971), itself a unit of InBev. Sidn ...

and philanthropist. He made significant contributions to the military, the arts and the cultural life of Nova Scotia. He commissioned the building of

Bluenose II ''Bluenose II'' is a replica of the fishing and racing schooner '' Bluenose'', commissioned by Sidney Culverwell Oland and built in 1963 as a promotional yacht for Oland Brewery. Sidney Oland donated the schooner to Nova Scotia in 1971 and it h ...

and donated it to Nova Scotia.Sidney Culverwell Oland. Dalhousie University Archives
He also donated a fountain to Halifax in memory of his wife, which is located in

Victoria Park, Halifax, Nova Scotia Victoria Park is an urban park on Spring Garden, Halifax, Spring Garden Road in Halifax Regional Municipality, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, across from the Halifax Public Gardens. The North British Society erected various monuments and statues: ...

Sailing

Oland's interest in sailing began with the purchase of a sloop-yacht named “Lady Betty” that he sailed in local races and fishing trips. He later sailed his ninety-foot schooner “Nomad” and later the 70 foot motor cruiser called “Lady Betty 2.’ He became the Commodore of the

Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron The Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron (RNSYS) is a yacht club, the oldest in the Americas, and is located on the Northwest Arm of Halifax Harbour in Halifax, Nova Scotia. History Originally established as the Halifax Yacht Club in 1837, the c ...

. He built the “Bluenose 2” in 1963 for $300 000 (2.4 million in 2018) and sold it to the province of Nova Scotia for $1.00.

Military

Black-Binney House, Halifax, Nova Scotia

During WW1, Oland commanded the 6th Battery at Fort McNab on

McNabs Island McNabs Island (formerly Cornwallis Island) is the largest island in Halifax Harbour located in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. It played a major role in defending Halifax Harbour and is now a provincial park. The island was set ...

. He went to France and as Commander of the 66th Battery, C.F. A, the 144th Brigade, CFA and the 1st. He fought in the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917 and the Battle of Amiens. He was mentioned in the dispatches signed by Winston Churchill. In 1937, he organized the Nova Scotia Division of the

Canadian Corps of Commissionaires Commissionaires Canada is a Canadian non-profit security firm, originally established to provide employment to ex-servicemen. History Modeled after the British Corps of Commissionaires, the Canadian Corps was formed in 1925 with the opening of offi ...

. In 1965, he acquired and renovated the

Black-Binney House The Black-Binney House was a former residence built in 1819 in Halifax, Nova Scotia which is now a National Historic Site of Canada. The house was built by John Black (merchant) and is reflective of the Palladian-inspired residences common during ...

to serve as the Headquarters for the Corps in Nova Scotia.

The Arts

Between 1923-1925, while prohibition was enforced, Oland went to Hollywood, California, acting and directing silent films. He was friends with Lillian Gish,

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

, and

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several prominent films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's '' L ...

. He played a small part in

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930 film) ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' is a 1930 American pre-Code epic anti-war film based on the 1929 novel of the same name by German novelist Erich Maria Remarque. Directed by Lewis Milestone, it stars Louis Wolheim, Lew Ayres, John Wray, Arn ...

. He would later become the founding director of The Theatre Arts Guild (1931). He was instrumental in establishing Neptune Theatre (1963) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He also was a director for the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the ...

in Ottawa.

Brewery

He was educated in beer making at the

United States Brewers’ Academy United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

in New York. Oland and his father purchased a brewery in Halifax in 1907 and named it Oland and Son Limited. The Brewery has located in Dartmouth and destroyed in the

Halifax Explosion On the morning of 6 December 1917, the French cargo ship collided with the Norwegian vessel in the waters of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The ''Mont-Blanc'', laden with high explosives, caught fire and exploded, devastating the Richmond ...

. Upon his father's death, Oland became the President of Oland and Son Limited (1933) and president of A. Keith and Son Limited, which they acquired in 1927.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oland, Sidney Culverwell 1886 births 1977 deaths People from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Businesspeople from Nova Scotia 20th-century Canadian businesspeople