More than 20 years ago, Susan Warner found a passion: Collingwood’s history.
Today is Warner’s final day as Museum Supervisor at the Collingwood Museum. She’s retiring.
“I will soon become an artifact myself,” she said. “I’ve already told [the staff] I’ll be back to volunteer.”
Warner has lived in Collingwood since 1967, when her family moved to town. She was 12.
She started her career as a bookkeeper and administrator until she took a work placement at Collingwood Museum in 1998. She continued in a casual/part-time position and was later hired as a museum assistant.
She worked her way up to museum supervisor, earning her certificate in museum studies along the way.
“When I started, we didn’t have a database for the collection. It was just on cards. You had to search through all the cards to find anything,” she told CollingwoodToday. “Just having that change over the years has been amazing. The software is great now, and we can have researchers come in and use it.”
Early in her career, Warner was tasked with cataloguing a large archival collection that had belonged to David Williams, who was the founder of the Huron Institute in 1904, which was the area’s first local (and beyond) museum.
“I was just amazed at the number of things he and others were involved in to bring Collingwood’s history out and let everyone know about it,” said Warner.
Once Warner started working with the museum’s collection, she said she was hooked.
“I loved every day of it,” said Warner.
Even the days where she had to take one for the team.
She recalled a health event held at the museum grounds when it was her job to wear the Collingwood Fire Department’s Sparky the Fire Dog costume.
“You’re always learning when you’re here,” she said. “Over time, you say, ‘oh, that’s my favourite photo.’ Then, a couple years later, you’ll see another one and say, ‘oh, no, that’s my favourite picture.’ I constantly love learning about Collingwood’s history. It’s a great history and it’s even going to have more.”
In her work at the museum, Warner gets to relive some of her childhood. Today as she spoke to the museum staff about former businesses along Hurontario Street, she recalled the People’s and Woolworth store where she used to walk along the wood floors and listen to them creak.
“I enjoy it because it sparks my memory,” she said.
Warner said she’s pleased to see more events at the museum like community collector nights, and the annual Shipyard Social, which brings together surviving members of the former Collingwood Shipyards staff.
“Having them together and listening to them talking together about what they used to do at the yard, and what their job was, and what life was like, what they made an hour, what they had to live one, and even sometimes the size of the family they had … just listening to their stories is awesome,” said Warner. “We learn a lot from the older generation.”
For her, the museum’s job is to preserve those stories, and the artifacts that are part of them. Through the exhibits, she said the museum can help teach young and old about what’s gone on in the past, and show how the town has grown.
Most importantly, she wants it to be a reminder to residents and visitors of one thing.
“How strong a community it was, and I think it continues to be that,” said Warner. “I want them to come in and learn about the shipyard that’s not here anymore, the railway that isn’t here anymore, and the people that, unfortunately, are no longer with us. There have been some amazing people that have been in town.”
In her retirement, warner said she’ll be putting her circular sock machine making more socks as Christmas gifts and perhaps selling them. She’ll also be spending more time with her one-year-old granddaughter.
“I’m just going to see what else is out there,” she said. “And at least take a week or two off.”
