Julia Mary Appley-Mitra
Obituary
Born May 11, 1938 at 11:40 pm at South Anston, England.
It is with great respect and sadness that we report the passing of Julia Appley-Mitra. Julia was a strong supporter of the arts and a great asset to the community, touching many lives with her passion for the arts, sense of humour and generous spirit. Julia felt a huge commitment to the cultural arts in Kamloops, that everyone should have access to participating and enjoyment.
Her initial involvement was with the Thompson Valley Potter’s Guild where she was a founding member, the Community Arts Council (now Kamloops Arts Council, KAC) which offered an opportunity for exploration into many aspects of creative arts development such as, Art in The Park, the Kamloops Art Gallery, Children’s Arts Festival; Regional Arts Events through the Okanagan Mainline Regional Arts Councils.
Ms. Mitra was a strong advocate for the inclusion of all artists in the growth of the arts community in Kamloops and after retiring her legacy lived on through the KAC’s Julia Appley-Mitra Youth Scholarship, intended to support local emerging artists. Two (2) scholarships of $500.00 each are awarded annually to individuals graduating from Grade 12 who are pursuing post-secondary studies in art & graphics, music, drama or dance.
Julia asked that should anyone wish, donations may be made to either: Kamloops Arts Council, The Julia M. Appley-Mitra Youth Scholarship Fund, or any local Arts organization, or the Kamloops Hospice Association.
A line from her obituary stands out well to those who knew her, “Julia has now moved on, to a plain of pure love, enlightenment and joy, where she expects that some of life’s mysteries will be solved – things like quicksand, spelling and punctuation.”
