County councillors will have a chance to see current exhibits up close at their meetings here after a change in presentations by the new Wellington Place administrator.
Janice Hindley recently took over the post. At the county council meeting on May 26, she brought a suitcase from the current exhibit From the Old Country.
It was a suitcase owned by Peggy Norris, a war bride who emigrated to Canada in 1945. It was donated to the museum by her sons, Ron and Keith, after remaining for the last 60 years in the possession of the family.
Hindley said Norris met her husband and was married in three weeks. Her father was a sign painter, and he painted her initials on the suitcase before she left England. Inside, he also placed her new address in Canada.
The suitcase, about 18 inches tall and two feet long, had a depth of about eight inches, and Hindley surprised councillors by stating that Norris brought all her possessions in that suitcase to Canada. She lived at RR2 Alma.
Hindley is mindful of the care needed to handle old artifacts, and provide white gloves used to handle pieces in the museum’s collection.
Many councillors noted how thin the material of the suitcase was – much different from today.
In the past, councillors had an opportunity to see various art pieces from the museum’s collection. Hindley plans to show other sides of what the county museum possesses.
The From the Old Country exhibit opened on May 14 and runs until April 1 of next year. It reflects the possessions brought to Canada by millions of immigrants.
The museum web site states of the exhibit, “From earliest days to the present, people have emigrated to and settled in Wellington County. From across the globe, survivors and adventurers have uprooted their pasts to settle here for reasons that remain constant: hope for a new start and a better future.
“Yet the past lingers and defines much of our identity. What do people bring with them that speaks to them of their past? This exhibit features these poignant reminders that bear witness to the strength of our roots.”
