Lewis Bartholomew knows the value of a story.
Bartholomew is the project director for The Alberni Project, an ever-changing education collection of stories, letters, photos and memorabilia dedicated to the men of the HMCS Alberni.
The permanent display, situated at the south end of the Comox Centre Mall, is celebrating the Year of The Veteran (2014) with two temporary displays, which Bartholomew said allows people to see a different side of the military: Creature Comforts and One War: Two Victories.
“I want to keep the story alive. The next generation is truly the first generation without a connection to World War Two; I would like them to understand what was going on,” he explained.
Running until the end of this week as a joint exhibit with the Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum, Creature Comforts celebrates the various animals who served in Canada’s Navy.
The second exhibit, which runs from June 17 to July 19, looks at honouring the Chinese Canadian veterans of the Second World War.
“I would like to make people aware of the different Canadians who are veterans,” Bartholomew said.
“It shows the stories of resistance and discrimination they faced from the government, and shows their inclusion in the armed forces, but also it shows their loyalty to Canada.”
He added the display shows individual stories of people, many of which are from B.C.
An official opening for the exhibit is scheduled for June 16 at 1 p.m. at the blue arch entrance of the mall.
Bartholomew said veterans, along with local government officials will be in attendance.
In addition to a special Remembrance Day display in the fall and a haunted museum in October, TAP will host a display dedicated to the air force in conjunction with Nautical Days in August and one for the 25th anniversary of the RCMP international peace mission.
For more information about the museum, visit www.alberniproject.org.
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