Pinning Together Memories
From favourite cartoon characters to the Olympics, there’s a pin for every occasion
Pins, pins and more pins! I started collecting unique pins later in life, beginning with the Walt Disney Series, because it brought back many a memory of my childhood days watching Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket, Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, and of course the most famous mouse of all, Mickey, along with Minnie and many other beloved mousy characters. Pins for one of the most popular kids’ movies nowadays, The Lion King also made their way into my collection, along with Batman, Robin and the Joker, and Superman from the ‘60s era.
Living in the oasis-like climate of Victoria, we enjoy the beauty to be found throughout our region, including the 150-year-old Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites in Sooke, which was a logging town for many years serving Nanaimo, the original Fort Victoria and Port Alberni, where the fishermen came home with their catch of the day. I’ve accumulated many pins from these historic places.
Back in the 1980s, EXPO 86 came to Vancouver at the PNE Grounds and then in 1988 the Calgary Winter Olympics got under way. Pins commemorating these cities and the amazing events they hosted take me back to Stampede cowboy boots, bucking broncos and parades, as well as memories of the Native headdresses worn by chiefs when dances were being performed and enjoyed by all who attended.
Leading up to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, many organizations and companies such as grocery stores, banks, soft drink makers, couriers and breweries like Labatt’s, were asked to create pins. Add to these all the mementos surrounding what to many was the highlight of the Olympics—when Queen Elizabeth along with her two grandsons William and Harry opened the games—and you’ll understand why my collection is so vast.
More recently, Canada’s 150th anniversary added many “keepers” to my trove. And there is one special pin I will always treasure—the CGIT pin given to me when I signed up in the Canadian Girls in Training program back in the early ‘60s.
These are just a few of the pins I enjoy looking at when I have them on the wall. The rest of my pins are in a box in my cedar chest, safely tucked away for future reference.