A new book launched recently at the Wellington Terrace is certain to become a Keepsake in more than name only.
Keepsake is a collection of photographs and stories from the Wellington Terrace.
The Wellington Terrace residents’ council and artist and author Marilyn Koop held the official launch of Keepsake.
On May 1, Wellington Terrace administrator Peter Barnes said, “After three years, I thought that maybe we were finished with all the firsts. Now along comes another one – our first book launch.
“We’ve enjoyed some of the photos that are in the book, in the hallways (of the Terrace) over the last two years. We’re very very pleased they’ve been put into a book and will travel around the province and hopefully around the country for other people to see what we enjoy everyday.”
Wellington County Warden and Centre Wellington Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj said she was “absolutely delighted” to take part in the celebration.
“Every time I’ve had the opportunity to be up here, I’m always so interested in what people put into their area where they can place their personal treasures outside the rooms.”
“Each of you choose very special things, and there must be stories behind the collections.”
She noted the warden’s office was recently redecorated and part of that included a cabinet where she could bring out items from the Wellington County Museum.
“I wanted to be able to speak to the stories of the county … and what they meant to the county as a whole.”
She was excited about Koop’s book “because she’s captured the stories that we don’t often hear.” “It’s going to be such a delight to read, and a treasure for many years.”
Louise Goldsmith, a residents council representative and a featured individual in the book, said, “For years, I, with my mother, have been interested in antiques and keepsakes, so it comes rather naturally for me to talk about this. “I have a lot of keepsakes, some very special ones.”
She spoke of her necklace of beads, which hold a special place in her heart. When Goldsmith was 7, her grandmother in Scotland passed away. “I remember that, because my mother was crying. I asked my father why she was crying and he said, ‘Your Grannie passed away. She won’t be able to meet you any more.’ That was rather sad.
“But out from Scotland came this great big barrel with a lot of things my mother had in Scotland. When she came to Canada, she wasn’t going to stay. Then, she got a job and decided she liked being in business and not just being at home with my grandmother. She was quite happy to be a Canadian.
“All these memories were in this barrel. And these beads were there. They weren’t strung, they were in a box. I remember her saying to me, ‘Now, these beads came from Scotland and when I was a little girl, I played with them’.”
“We talked about this in the years that followed.”
Although Goldsmith had strung the beads in the past, it was not that successful. Recently, she had the beads restrung.
“And this is what I chose to hold for the photograph,” she said. “I have spoken to a few people about what they think a keepsake is. And you know, when you boil it all down, it was a memory.
“I have quite a few keepsakes, the most important keepsakes are those which came from another era – a generation or two generations back. Many people have keepsakes they don’t talk about much, but keep tucked away.
“It’s kind of nice to have Marilyn’s book, and have us all remember our keepsakes and let you have a look at them. I have seen them, and the photographs are delightful,” she said.
Barnes described Koop as a visual artist who works and lives in Elora. Koop is also a painter, designer and illustrator
“Even though this book is comprised of photographs, she does not consider herself a photographer, but rather a documentary artist.” he said.
For her, the photos were a means of focussing on the hands of her subjects and the special things that they held.
Koop is also an active member of Village Idiot Productions – a group of six Elora artists who produce concerts and art exhibitions. She is also an active member of the Elora Centre for the Arts
Koop said the day was not about herself. “The book is finished. It’s that way with my paintings and everything I do. Once it’s finished, it’s yours. I hand it over and it has a life of its own. I do hope the book has a life beyond me and the Terrace community.”
Koop dedicated the book “to all the elders in our community who have so much to offer … and in particular, the 21 wonderful people who I photographed for the book. Four of those people are no longer with us.”
Books were presented to their families in memory of them.
Koop also dedicated the book to her mother, Agnes, also a resident of the Wellington Terrace.
In that photo, Agnes is holding a bar of soap carved by her husband on their wedding night in Niagara Falls.
“She kept it safe in the toe of a hand-knit baby bootie for over 65 years. It’s now prominently displayed in her memory cabinet at the Terrace.”
The way the Keepsake project began, was “with my parents,” Koop said.
Three years they were living in their own condo near Niagara-on-the-Lake “and it was time to bring Mom and Dad closer to us. I had helped Mom with the first cull, in a sense. We had to extract a very small household, from a larger one with all the things they had accumulated during a lifetime together.
“That’s when it really hits home that all these things are just things. But there are some which stand for special memories and I became interested in what those things are that people hang onto. Even if they have no innate value, they mean a lot to the person who has held them.”
She took photos of some items while her parents were in Highland Manor.
But then Koop wanted to take the idea a step further.
She applied to the Ontario Arts Council for funding of a book – under the Artists in the Community program.
That funding required the artist have a non-artist partner. In this case, it was the residents’ council.
Koop felt they were always very excited about the book.
“The Terrace has become a very important part of my community,” Koop said. “I started hanging around here an awful lot. And I thought I should be doing something useful. That is where the book came from.”
The process included finding people willing to share their keepsakes. She also asked if they had any advice.
“Most of them had something ready. It was like they were waiting for someone to ask. The price of the book is well worth it just for the advice these people have,” she said.
“In our age-denying culture, images and stories of our elders are all too rare,” said Koop. “I hope that this book will bring the very elderly closer to us. For those of us who are privileged to care for an older relative, and those who will do so in the future, this book might help us to slow down and contemplate what a long life can mean, and to value the wisdom the elderly can impart to us.”
The books are available for $24 at the Wellington Terrace.
For more information email koopwood@sympatico.ca or telephone 519-846-9336.
