Remembering: How One Student is Reviving Orillia’s Wartime Stories
Every November, red poppies bloom across Canada’s jackets and lapels, reminders of lives lost in the world wars. Yet for many, Remembrance Day passes as a moment of silence and brief ceremony. Solemn, but distant. At Lakehead Orillia, one student is working to Change that.
Ethan S., a war memorabilia collector, is curating an on-campus exhibit this November 11th to give students a tangible connection to history. His display will feature many gems ranging from uniforms to personal effects carried by soldiers, each with a story behind it. “I don’t think everyone gets recognition in the country,” he says. “We always have Remembrance Day ceremonies, but nobody really gets to know what’s behind it. That’s why I collect, so I can actually show what we’re celebrating to people*.”
Orillia itself has a deep-rooted connection to Canada’s wartime past. During the Second World War, the city was home to Camp 26, a basic training centre which opened in April 1942. Many families of Orillia have grandparents or great grandparents who served overseas or supported the war effort through local industry. The community's landscape, its street names, and even the name of the hospital all reflect the city's history, a history shaped by war.
At Lakehead Orillia, Remembrance Day has become a quiet but meaningful part of campus life. Students and faculty often attend ceremonies downtown or participate in moments of reflection around the university. This year, Ethan’s exhibit adds a more personal dimension. “The overarching story of the Second World War is very important," he explains, “but the individual stories are most important to me. You can get the personal details of that era through people’s experiences. By collecting, I can bring what would just be a piece of clothing or an object into an entire narrative that follows someone’s life.*”
For Ethan, Remembrance isn’t just about honouring veterans in the abstract; it’s about reconnecting with human stories that risk being forgotten. “Recognizing all veterans on Remembrance Day is important,” he says, “but it's a little impersonal, in my opinion. Getting into the personal stories of people is a lot more important than just celebrating all veterans.”
Ethan's display will be set up the entire day on November 11th in the Orillia campus commons. Through it, Ethan hopes to inspire others to see history not as a collection of dates, but as the lived reality of ordinary people. “In general,” he says, “it’s about bringing personal stories into the light.” This Remembrance Day, Lakehead Orillia won’t just be remembering the war, it’ll be remembering the people who lived it.