Orillia Public Library Remembrance Day Exhibit Ends
By John Swartz
History tends to repeat itself, and some say we are repeating it now, which is why focused exhibits about our history are important.
For ten years Jayne Turvey has stickhandled a fantastic display at the Orillia Public Library to bring the history of World War One and Two to the forefront. This year marks the last such a gigantic display will be set up.
She is not retiring and the exhibit with her. Nor is she tired of doing it. The logistics have become too much.
“Some of the collectors I work with, it’s time to move on to other things and I can’t do it without their help,” Turvey said. Almost all of the exhibits are brought in from other museums or from private collections. Some of those exhibitors have their own commitments, like the museum at Fort York, which could only commit to two days here in Orillia this year.
“The bulk of artifacts and uniforms don’t belong here I have I had to get them in from military collectors,” she said.
The exhibit has been popular with teachers who have sent busloads of students to the library to learn about and why we have Remembrance Day.
“825 students I had this week. We had scouts at night. We had Grades 4, 6, 7, 8 and 10. It’s been literally non-stop,” she said.
Remembrance Day started as a commemoration of World War One, but World War Two is also closely linked, as are other wars and conflicts. WW2 looms large, and remembering why our fathers, grandfathers, uncles and aunts – the whole country – expended so much effort and sacrifice seems to be forgotten, or forgotten to be taught. The point of the library’s exhibit isn’t to replace what should be taught in school, but it has become an important aid.
“We don’t specifically (teach) because the kids are pretty young. They don’t know the difference between (World War) one and two, they don’t even know who Canada fought. Sometimes when we are speaking to them individually we might say something; we have to remember because we don’t want it to happen again.”
‘There’s a few kids that thought we fought Mexico in World War Two. We have a lot of teaching to do.”
2024 marks the anniversary of the creation of the Royal Canadian Air Force and the 80th anniversary of D Day. Two elements of the display commemorate those events.
(Photos by Swartz – SUNonline/Orillia) Main: Orillia Public Library Remembrance Day volunteers Amy Sed, Nicole Turvey, and Jennifer Lang
