“There were, and are, a lot veterans from Enderby, but we also still have people in the armed services continuing to serve all over the world – right now. It’s not over – it’s never over, and there are still people fighting for us.”
Nov. 11 is the day most people set aside to remember the fallen members of the armed forces, but for some, like Enderby and District Museum and Archives director Margo Ludwig, Remembrance Day isn’t just a one-day affair.
She hopes a Remembrance Day project she is organizing will help Enderby families feel as connected to their lost loved ones as she feels to hers.
Ludwig is asking residents to create shadowboxes that highlight their loved ones’ military service for a display that will be available to view at the legion following the town’s Remembrance day service at Cenotaph Nov. 11.
A museum employee or volunteer would take a photo of the display for its archives before returning it.
“This isn’t just a one-day thing where you go and remember,” Ludwig said. “There were, and are, a lot veterans from Enderby, but we also still have people in the armed services continuing to serve all over the world – right now. It’s not over – it’s never over, and there are still people fighting for us.”
Although she says you would be hard-pressed to find a family not touched by the effects of major military conflict at some point in history, Ludwig, a former special education assistant with the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District, said Remembrance Day became even more personal for her after seeing one of her students enlist in the armed forces.
That is, in part, what inspired her to create the project, which is being run through the museum in partnership with the Enderby Legion Branch #98.
“I’m trying to make it more personal,” she said, adding that her shadowbox, which she describes as “a picture frame, but deeper,” contains items that depict her father’s length, place and type of military service and his accomplishments.
She is encouraging people to showcase any relative from Enderby that served in any of the World Wars or any other military campaign.
The display boxes should be no more than 18 inches square.
Those interested in creating a display are asked to fill out a form beforehand to give Ludwig an idea of how many displays to expect on Remembrance Day.
Forms can be picked up at the Enderby and District Museum, the legion or online at www.enderbymuseum.ca
For those who are unsure of how to create a shadowbox, Ludwig will be conducting a workshop at the museum Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. There is no charge to take part, but those who participate are asked to supply their own photos and items they wish to display.
For more information, contact Ludwig by phone at 250-308-9980 or email margoludwig1@gmail.com.