Exhibit items bring back memories

The Galt Museum & Archives’ new exhibit, “Recollecting Home,” has opened and featured items selected by community members because how they represent different experiences of “home” in our community.

G. Wayne Dwornik was one of the participants in the exhibit. Dwornik’s selections included a fountain pen that reminded him of the one he used as a grade school student learning handwriting in Morden, Man.

“Those pens were quite different. Look closely and you’ll see a little metal stick (actually a ‘lever’) on the pen. This was used to pump ink from a small bottle into the pen. Once filled, you’d wipe the pen’s nib, to remove excess ink. Here’s a hint: always keep tissues handy, for that task and for a problem I faced! This ink of those days did not dry immediately and I was a ‘lefty.’ So I was always sliding the side of my palm right over the fresh ink. Yes, it most often smeared the ink and always left a blue stain on my hand.”

Dwornik also selected a milk bottle, recalling the common scene of the milk delivery to homes in Lethbridge.

“Twice weekly we would have milk delivered to our doorstep. I recall from my school days back in Manitoba, we also used to take a small bottle of milk for lunch at school. It had a soft cardboard cap you would lift out; you would drink, rinse the bottle and return it to the milkman. To pay for the milk we purchased tokens every couple of months. We would leave tokens on the doorstep; the milkman knew what to leave by the colour of the tokens. Our milkman always started off my day with a cheerful greeting if I saw him come by.”

“Recollecting Home” is open at the Galt Museum & Archives until May 5.

Your old photos, documents, and artifacts might have historical value. Please contact Galt Museum & Archives for advice before destroying them.