Week of Remembrance display extended at Station Arts Centre
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Tillsonburg Military Club's Week of Remembrance display at the Station Arts Centre has been extended to Saturday, Nov. 15.
"It's a collaborative effort," said Chris Jezovnik, a member of the Military History Club and president of Station Arts Centre. "Different people have contributed things."
The 2014 edition includes displays showcasing the First and Second World Wars, and Afghanistan, which ties in with the recent addition of Afghanistan to the town's cenotaph.
"In the first year I had the walls plastered with WWI attestation papers," said Military History Club member Jerry Turner. "The second year I did WWII, and this year I concentrated on Afghanistan – the casualties."
They also have a variety of WWI and WWII artifacts on display. Items include a photo of the 168th Oxford Regiment (WWI), trench art, military medals, and helmets.
Also on display is a continuously running slideshow, created by Jezovnik, focusing on Canadians in Afghanistan.
A large painting was contributed by Jeff Hamill, a friend of the Tillsonburg Military History Club.
"I enjoy it – we do this every year. We look forward to working with the Tillsonburg Military History Club and we're glad to be part of it during Week of Remembrance," said Station Art Centre GM Deb Beard. "While we do show artworks and cultural pieces, doing archival and historical pieces, especially with this group because it's local, it gives people the opportunity who might not normally get to see it."
"And this is Jerry's work," said Jezovnik, noting a presentation that takes up an entire wall, "which lists the fallen from Afghanistan."
It was a time consuming project for Turner.
"It took a while," Turner smiled. "I had a smaller version of these at the Legion last month when we did the Afghanistan dedication. But I wanted something a little bigger."
Two booklets in the WWI section feature those who fought in the war from Tillsonburg, and those who died in the war. A similar booklet for WWII lists those who died. The booklets, which are usually located at Annandale National Historic Site through the year, were researched using seven or eight sources, said Turner, including Veteran Affairs and www.canadianfallenheroes.ca.
"I think this is our fourth or fifth year doing the Week of Remembrance," said Jezovnik. "We've done it different ways in different years – we adjust to the resources available and how much effort it takes. The initial week, we raised $2,000, made a big splash and went around to all the retirement homes. We had guest speakers each night."