Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

SLEEVE REMNANT FROM EXPLORER'S UNIFORM

Date

1965

Materials

COTTON, METAL, PLASTIC

No. Pieces

1

Height

1.3

Length

17.3

Width

7.0

Description

SLEEVE REMNANT, WHITE COTTON WITH ACCESSORIES. FOLDED EDGE OF COTTON HAS THREE EMBOIDERED STAR PATCHES IN RED, BLUE AND YELLOW ON EACH SIDE. FRONT OF PATCH ADORNED WITH FOUR PINS INCLUDING A BLUE AND WHITE BUTTON MARKED "CGIT", A WHITE BUTTON WITH A RED MALE LEAF DEPICTING A COMPASS MARKED, "EXPLORERS", A BLUE, GOLD AND WHITE BUTTON MARKED "1915-1965, CGIT" AND A GOLD COLORED LETTER "E" PIN. THE "EXPLORERS PIN ALSO FASTENS A RED COTTON RIBBON TO THE SLEEVE REMNANT. CUT EDGES OF FABRIC AND RIBBON ARE FRAYING.

Subjects

UNCLASSIFIABLE OBJECTS

Historical Association

ASSOCIATIONS

RELIGION

History

ACCORDING TO THE DONOR, WENDY AITKENS IN AN INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY NICOLE HEMBROFF, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT, IN JULY OF 2011, SHE "WAS A MEMBER OF THE EXPLORERS AT SOUTHMINSTER. SHE ATTENDED CHURCH CAMPS DURING THE SUMMER. WHEN THE FAMILY MOVED TO CALGARY, THE FAMILY JOINED NORTHMINSTER UNITED CHURCH WHERE WENDY JOINED CGIT AND THE CHOIR." THE SLEEVE IS PART OF ONE OF HER UNIFORMS. THE RED LANYARD WOULD HAVE BEEN PART OF THE EXPLORER UNIFORM. SHE CAN'T RECALL WHAT THE 'E' PIN WOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN OUT FOR. THE BLUE AND WHITE CGIT PIN IS FROM HER DAYS AS A 'CANADIAN GIRL IN TRAINING' (CGIT) AND THE MAPLE LEAF PIN IS FROM HER DAYS AS AN EXPLORER. THE STAR PATCHES REPRESENT PERFECT ATTENDANCE. THE GOLD AND BLUE CGIT PIN COMMEMORATES 50 YEARS OF CGIT. THE UNIFORM FOR EXPLORERS WAS A WHITE BLOUSE WORN MOSTLY WITH A SKIRT. BY CGIT, THE GIRLS COULD SWITCH OUT THE SKIRT FOR DARK COLORED PANTS. AITKENS WOULD HAVE JOINED IN THE EXPLORERS AROUND THE AGE OF 7-10. SHE JOINED IN THE WINTER TIME. HER PARENTS LIKELY DROVE HER TO CHURCH SO SHE COULD ATTEND MEETINGS WHICH WERE HELD ONE EVENING A WEEK IN THE CHURCH BASEMENT. SHE COULD NOT RECALL ANY OF HER GROUP LEADERS BUT THOUGHT BARB MARSHALSAY (ANOTHER EXPLORERS MEMBER) MIGHT REMEMBER SOME NAMES. DURING MEETINGS THE EXPLORERS CONDUCTED BIBLE STUDY, DID CRAFTS AND SANG SONGS. AITKENS WAS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH CHOIR WITH ANNE CAMPBELL. DURING HER TIME AS AN EXPLORER, AITKENS ATTENDED "CANYON CHURCH CAMP" IN WATERTON, ALBERTA. SHE LOVED BEING IN THE MOUNTAINS, HIKING, CAMPFIRES AND SINGING. MOST DAYS HAD A CRAFT SESSION. THE CAMPERS SLEPT IN CABINS AND MICE OFTEN GOT INTO THEM. AITKENS SAID, "I WASN'T SCARED BUT SOME OF MY CABIN MATES WERE SO THEY SLEPT ON THE TOP BUNK." THEY ALSO DID A LOT OF OUTDOOR ACTIVITES LIKE SWIMMING IN RED ROCK CREEK OR WALKING UP TO CRANDALL TO GO SWIMMING. SHE REMEMBERS, "ONE CAMP, I WENT WITH A FAMILY FRIEND. DR. JOHN AND HELEN MCCUTCHEON AND MY PARENTS WERE VERY GOOD FRIENDS. AT ONE CAMP I DISCOVERED THAT THEIR DAUGHTER JUDY WAS ATTENDING THE SAME CAMP. WE WENT ON A HIKE AND JUDY AND I WERE IN THE SAME GROUP. WE WENT UP A HILL TO THE NORTH OF THE CAMP. SHE GOT A NOSEBLEED AND IT WAS HOT OUTSIDE. THE LEADER DECIDED JUDY NEEDED TO GO BACK TO THE CAMP. I WENT WITH HER BUT I REMEMBER BEING A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED THAT I DIDN'T REACH THE TOP OF THE HILL DURING THE HIKE." THE CANYON CHURCH CAMP HAD CAMPFIRES AND SINGING. AITKENS SAID, "I LOVED TO SING. I CAN REMEMBER TUNES AND HARMONY AND WORDS. IT APPEALED TO ME - MAYBE BECAUSE I HAD A SINGING VOICE." SOME OF THE SONGS SHE REMEMBERS SINGING INCLUDE "SHE'LL BE COMIN' ROUND THE MOUNTAIN", "FIRE'S BURNING," "TWINKLE TWINKLE", AND "ROW YOUR BOAT". ONE SONG IN PARTICULAR, "THE CORNER MASTER STORE" INVOLVED CHOOSING SOMEONE FROM THE CAMP AND MAKING LIGHT FUN OF THEM (SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR EXAMPLE). THE CAMPFIRE SONGS WERE SIMPLE AND EASY TO LEARN. AT THE ALL GIRLS CAMP, THE CABINS HAD TO HELP WITH CHORES. FOR EXAMPLE, THEY CLEANED AND DECORATED THEIR CABINS (THERE WAS AN AWARD FOR THE CLEANEST AND BEST DECORATED CABIN) AND THEY SET TABLES OR WASHED DISHES. AITKENS REMEMBERS THAT CAMP "MEALS WERE NOISY WITH THE CHATTER AND CLANGING DISHES. THE FOOD SMELLED REALLY GOOD BECAUSE YOU WERE SO HUNGRY. SOME OF THE MEALS HAD THEMES. ON BACKWARDS NIGHT WE WORE OUR CLOTHES BACKWARD AND ATE DESSERT FIRST." THE DONOR REMEMBERS STRUGGLING TO BE QUIET ON "MONK'S NIGHT" WHERE DINERS HAD TO REMAIN SILENT FOR THE ENTIRE MEAL. ANOTHER THEME NIGHT INVOLVED EATING WITH A RANDOM UTENSIL. CAMPERS WOULD REACH OUT A BAG AND PULL OUT A RANDOM UTENSIL, ANYTHING FROM A TEASPOON TO A LADEL TO A WHISK. AITKENS SAID "I DON'T THINK I GOT ANYTHING REALLY HARD, MAYBE A LARGE COOKING UTENSIL - BUT I COULD MANAGE." BEFORE EVERY MEAL, CAMPERS HAD TO SING GRACE, (JOHNNY APPLESEED IS ONE EXAMPLE). CAMPERS ALSO HAD TO RECITE A PLEDGE WHEN THEY RAISED THE FLAG. BESIDES GRACE THE CAMPERS ALSO DID OTHER RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES. FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WAS AN OUTDOOR SERVICE IN A CLEARING WITH A LOT OF BENCHES (THE DONOR WAS NOT ABLE TO RECALL ANY ADDITIONAL DETAILS). AITKENS SAID, "I COULDN'T WAIT TO GO TO CAMP. IT WAS SO FUN HELPING PACK. MOM AND DAD WOULD DROP US OFF AT THE CHURCH AND WE WOULD SING ON THE BUS ALL THE WAY UP [TO CAMP]. I KNEW LOTS OF THE KIDS GOING BECAUSE WE ALL WENT TO SUNDAY SCHOOL TOGETHER. I THINK THERE MUST HAVE BEEN PEOPLE FROM OTHER CHURCHES THERE TOO. I TOOK MY AUTOGRAPH BOOK AND GOT IT SIGNED BY LEADERS AND NEW FRIENDS." THE DONOR REMEMBERS, "THE LAST TIME I CAME HOME FROM CAMP I GOT OFF THE BUS AND MOM PICKED ME UP. ON THE WAY HOME SHE SAID SHE AND DAD HAD A SURPRISE. SHE WANTED ME TO WAIT UNTIL WE GOT HOME BUT I COULDN'T. SHE TOLD ME WE WERE MOVING TO CALGARY IN TWO WEEKS AND I HAD NO WARNING. I WAS SHATTERED. LETHBRIDGE AND THE SCHOOLS, THE PEOPLE I KNEW ON 12 ST. A... IT WAS ALL I KNEW. IT TOOK YEARS FOR ME TO ADJUST TO CALGARY... I JOINED NORTHMINSTER CHURCH RIGHT AFTER WE MOVED. I WAS A FEW MONTHS LATE IN JOINING THE CANADIAN GIRLS IN TRAINING (CGIT) BECAUSE OF THE MOVE." DESPITE THE FACT THAT SHE JOINED LATE AITKENS STILL RECIEVED A STAR PATCH (AND OTHERS IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS) IN RECOGNITION FOR HER PERFECT ATTENDANCE AT THE WEEKLY MEETINGS. SHE COULDN'T REMEMBER THE NAME OF HER LEADER BUT RECALLED THAT SHE WAS A SINGLE LADY WHO WAS DEDICATED AND INVOLVED IN ALMOST EVERY ASPECT OF THE CHURCH. CGIT WAS SIMILAR TO EXPLORERS BUT WAS ATTENDED BY OLDER GIRLS (AITKENS PARTICIPATED FROM ABOUT GRADES 7-9). AT CGIT THE DONOR PARTICIPATED IN THE CHURCH PARADE AND 2-3 TIMES A YEAR CGIT RAN THE SERVICE (EXCEPT FOR THE SERMON). SHE ALSO ATTENDED SUMMER CAMP AT KAMP KASOTA IN SYLVAN LAKE. THE ACTIVITIES AT KAMP KASOTA RESEMBLED THOSE AT CANYON CHURCH CAMP, ALTHOUGH THERE WEREN'T AS MANY GOOD HIKES AROUND THE AREA. THUS, THE CAMPING EXPERIENCE INVOLVED A LOT OF WATER ACTIVITIES. IN ADDITION, THE CABIN LEADERS DID CALISTHENICS. WHILE MANY CAMPERS WERE INITIALLY RELUCTANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EXERCISES, THE SOON JOINED IN AND HAD FUN. AITKENS REMEMBERS THAT THE GIRLS HAD "WRITTEN GRADE 9 EXAMS PRIOR TO ATTENDING KAMP KASOTA. WE HAD A CARNIVAL NIGHT WITH A OUIJA BOARD. ONE GIRL ASKED IF SHE HAD PASSED HER DEPARTMENTAL EXAMS. OUIJA SAID 'NO'. SHE HAD A PANIC ATTACK AND THE LEADER HAD TO PHONE HOME TO SEE IF THE RESULTS HAD ARRIVED. SHE HAD PASSED. AFTER THAT, WE FINALLY GOT TO SLEEP. WE WERE ALL UPSET BECAUSE WE WERE ALL UNDER THE SAME PRESSURE. WE WERE ALSO TRAUMATIZED BECAUSE OF HER REACTION." FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE PERMANENT FILE. FOR FAMILY HISTORY SEE P20090030001.

Catalogue Number

P20090031011

Acquisition Date

2009-09

Collection

Museum

Less detail