A display case holds the Royal Victorian Chain, the Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order and the Order of Merit.
Wayne Gretzky carves ice like the pro he has always been and has carved his way into the Canadian consciousness as the legend he became. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Norman Jewison brought stories such as Fiddler on the Roof and In the Heat of the Night to the screen. Actor Eugene Levy has made theatre and moviegoers laugh themselves sick for years.
All herald from Canada and are big Canadian names, but nationality is not all they have in common. All have received high national honours for their contributions to their community and their country. Gretzky, Jewison, and Levy are just a few of the many Canadians now being honoured in a new exhibit, appropriately located just across from Parliament Hill, that opens to the public Thursday.
Canadian honours comprise orders, decorations, armorial bearings, and other heraldic devices that are presented by the Governor General.
From Far and Wide – Honouring Great Canadians showcases the stories of some national honours recipients, accompanied by the actual medals themselves. Photos of such recognizable names as Peter Mansbridge and Ivan Reitman plaster the exhibit panels, but many Canadians who are not household names also fill the first floor of the 90 Wellington St. exhibit.
These are names such as Capt. Simon Mailloux who lost his leg to an explosive device in Afghanistan but still returned to the combat mission. Bryden Hutt is an elementary school student with Omenn syndrome, a rare immune deficiency. Hutt raised about $30,000 for the Children’s Wish Foundation, an accomplishment that, like Mailloux, saw him awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal.
A video unit offers an interactive approach to learning about the Great Canadians. The touch-screen display allows visitors to watch interviews featuring recipients Levy, journalist Bob McDonald, hockey star Hayley Wickenheiser, and businesswoman Wanda Bedard.
What makes a great Canadian? What ties together all these recipients of Canada’s most distinguished honours?
“I think what makes a great Canadian is a sense of service, a sense of community, a sense of working together to make your community, your street, your country, a better place,” said Christine MacIntyre, of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General, in an interview.
The exhibit is part of an effort to educate Canadians about national honours, Gabrielle Lappa, director of honours, said in an interview. “Many Canadians don’t know what that snowflake on many lapels represents,” she said. “They don’t know it’s the Order of Canada.”
Governor General David Johnston will officially open From Far and Wide at 10 a.m Thursday. The exhibit will run until November.