Part of Miramichi’s Story.
My roots in Miramichi run deep.
My great-great-grandfather, Edward J. Gallivan, came to the Miramichi in the late 1800s. He built a business in Chatham supplying tobacco and soft drinks throughout the region and later served on town council. He was also part of the committee that oversaw the construction of St. Michael’s Basilica, one of the most recognizable landmarks in our community.
His life was closely tied to that church and the people around it. In fact, he passed away inside St. Michael’s Basilica — a place he had helped bring to life decades earlier.
That spirit of entrepreneurship and community involvement carried forward through the generations.
My great-grandfather, Frank Gallivan, founded Gallivan’s Ginger Ale Works in Newcastle in the late 1920s. It was a local pop bottling plant that produced and distributed soft drinks throughout the Miramichi region. The land where that plant operated is the same land where I live today.
After my great-grandfather passed away, my great-grandmother stepped in and continued running the bottling operation herself. In the 1960s, that was no small thing. A woman running a manufacturing business at that time speaks to the determination and resilience that runs through my family.
My grandfather, Tommy Gallivan, continued that tradition of community leadership in another way. He founded the Downtown Miramichi Business Network and spent more than twenty-five years supporting the growth and vitality of our downtown. He also owned and operated Gallivan’s Bookstore, a beloved local business that many people in our community still remember fondly.
As a child, I spent countless hours there with Tommy and my father, Greg. I followed them around the store like a little shadow, watching the daily life of downtown Miramichi unfold from behind the counter.
Ritchie’s Wharf Kids Parade - 1991
Those early experiences shaped how I see this community. I saw firsthand how small businesses, families, and neighbours are all connected to the strength of a city.
Today, I’m proud to continue that tradition of community involvement through my work supporting local businesses, strengthening our downtown, and helping lead community initiatives.
For me, Miramichi isn’t just where I live.
It’s part of my family’s story.
And it’s a future I care deeply about helping to build.
