Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

H.V.C.R. COLLAR MEDAL

Date Range From

1960

Date Range To

1970

Materials

COTTON, POLYESTER, METAL

No. Pieces

1

Length

28

Width

21.7

Description

RED AND BLUE COLLAR MEDAL; RIBBON IS RED WITH BLUE TRIM ALONG EDGES; BRONZE MEDAL AT END IS CROSS-SHAPED AND DISPLAYS THE SEAL OF THE INDEPENDENT ORDER OF FORESTERS WITH SYMBOLS EMBOSSED ON FRONT, ARRANGED CLOCKWISE: OPEN EYE AT TOP, FEMALE FIGURE HOLDING SPEAR, TWO HANDS EXTENDED IN A HANDSHAKE AT BOTTOM, A FEMALE FIGURE HOLDING A BASKET, AND IN CENTER CIRCLE AN ELK TEXT ABOVE “I.O.F.” AND TEXT BELOW “L.B.C”. RIGHT-WEARING SIDE OF RIBBON HAS GOLD-FINISHED PIN OF LAUREL BRANCHES FORMING A BORDER AROUND GOLD LETTERS “H.V.C.R.” ON TEAL CLOTH BACKGROUND. COLLAR RIBBON HAS PUNCTURED HOLES FROM BEING STAPLED TO PAPER; OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

ASSOCIATIONS

History

ON AUGUST 21, 2018, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN INTERVIEWED LLOYD CAREFOOT REGARDING HIS DONATION OF MEMORABILIA RELATED TO COURT WINDY WEST (#562) LETHBRIDGE CHAPTER OF THE INDEPENDENT ORDER OF FORESTERS. CAREFOOT WAS ACTIVELY INVOLVED WITH THE FORESTERS WHILE HE LIVED IN EDMONTON, ALBERTA, AND CONTINUED HIS INVOLVEMENT FOLLOWING HIS MOVE TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1963. ON THE COLLAR MEDAL, CAREFOOT NOTED, “THIS [BELONGED TO] DEAN LOW…HIGH VICE CHIEF RANGER. THIS ONE WAS 1970-71 AND IT WAS A BIG ONE. I WOULD NOT HAVE [WORN] IT. DEAN WOULD HAVE [WORN] IT.” “[IT WAS FOR] THE PROVINCIAL PEOPLE…DEAN LOW WAS…THE STRONGEST LEADER WE HAD IN LETHBRIDGE AND THAT’S WHY HE ALSO REPRESENTED US TO PROVINCE.” “HE WAS THERE AND IF YOU NEEDED TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT FORESTERS, CALL DEAN AND HE’D HELP YOU OUT. HE BECAME THE PROVINCIAL TOP DOG.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT HIS TIME SPENT IN THE FORESTERS, CAREFOOT RECALLED, “WE [WIFE RUTH AND LLOYD] WERE INVITED TO [AN] ACTIVITY. [IN THOSE] DAYS THERE [WERE] SOCIAL PARTIES…SOMEBODY THAT I KNEW INVITED ME TO COME AND I HEARD WHAT THEY WERE DOING. IT WAS SOMETHING THAT RUTH AND I THOUGHT…WOULD BE SOMETHING WE’D LIKE TO BE INVOLVED IN…MY FATHER WAS A MEMBER OF THE CANADIAN ORDER OF FORESTERS WHICH WAS A STAGE BEFORE THE INDEPENDENT ORDER OF FORESTERS.” “I BECAME A MEMBER IN EDMONTON… I WAS ONLY AS ASSOCIATE AT THAT TIME. WHEN WE MOVED DOWN HERE, WE BECAME MEMBERS HERE…MY FIRST WORKDAY WAS THE SECOND OF JANUARY, 1963 [IN LETHBRIDGE]. I WAS A FULL-BLOWN MEMBER IN 1966.” “[I JOINED BECAUSE OF] THE SATISFACTION THAT IT’S A STRONG CHARITABLE WAY OF DOING THINGS TO GIVE BACK. THAT’S PART OF MY PHILOSOPHY; JUST GIVE A LITTLE BACK FOR THE GOOD LIFE I’VE HAD.” “I WAS THE PRESIDENT OF THE LEAGUE…OF [THE] LETHBRIDGE CHAPTER. AND [I] WOUND UP WITH [THE TRUNK] AND IN IT [WERE] THESE THINGS. IT PRE-DATES ME.” “MOST OF THOSE THINGS WERE FOR MY PERSONAL USE…EITHER IN EVENTS OR A POSITION I HELD IN THE FORESTERS. I LOOK AT [THE OBJECTS] AND I SMILE.” REGARDING HIS DONATION, CAREFOOT ELABPRATED, “THE FORESTERS IN THE COMMUNITY DID A LOT OF CHARITY WORK AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A WAY OF COVERING FOR THE FUTURE [ABOUT] THE THINGS THAT WE DID, OR STILL DO. THAT WAS, MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, MY REASON FOR [DONATING IT] – A WAY OF PASSING IT ALONG SO IT JUST DIDN’T GET SHOVED IN THE JUNK…TO SOMEBODY IN THE FUTURE, IT INDICATES SOMETHING OF WHAT WE DID AND SOME ILLUSTRATION OF THINGS THAT WE DID. FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE P20120045001-GA.

Catalogue Number

P20120045017

Acquisition Date

2012-12

Collection

Museum

Less detail