A mother and daughter from rural Saskatchewan will be unveiling a new art exhibit, “Still...,” on September 29 at the Aerospace Museum of Calgary. The inspiration for the exhibit comes from the letters of a war time couple who lived in East Coulee.
Heather van der Breggen, 55, and her daughter Ricki-Lee Webseter, 31, began work on their exhibit in March of this year after reading the correspondence of van der Breggen’s parents, Gordon Campbell and Florence Campbell (Lawrence), during World War II.
Gordon grew up near Pine Lake, an only child on a farm, and Florence was born and raised in East Coulee. Florence became a teacher and met Gordon while teaching in Pine Lake.
In 1942, Gordon, then 19, enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. During training and his time overseas, he and Florence wrote letters back and forth.
“At the beginning of the letters they weren’t married. They got married while dad was in training. Then, she set up house back in East Coulee and was teaching,” said van der Breggen.
They were love letters between two young people separated in a world full of conflict. The letters talked about the war, life after the war, and tender assurances to one another. Each letter ended with the phrase “I still do...”
After the war, the two were together again and started a family. The two remained together for the rest of their lives.
van der Breggen recalled how after her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, how strong their love truly was.
“My dad became an amazing caretaker for mom. I had never seen him like that before in my life. Mom was struggling with Alzheimer’s, but it was like she was falling in love with dad all over again. She would sit and look at him like they had just fallen in love,” said van der Breggen.
Florence passed away in February of this year. Gordon has preceded her by several years. After her mom died, van der Breggen and Webster looked through the letters.
The letters inspired the two to paint. van der Breggen connected with the letters legacy through her memories of flight and with raising a child alone. Webster connected with the timeless romance between her grandparents.
There was one letter in particular which inspired a huge 11 canvas work 12 feet by 8 feet in size.
“When he went into the air force, he knew how to fly a bit. He describes doing a stall. How the tail drops down and there’s this moment of suspension where you’re not flying, but you’re not falling yet. Then the nose drops and goes into a spin and how, in a spin, it feels like the Earth is spinning around you. That struck me as being profound, because it speaks to our times now,” said van der Breggen. “We feel everything is spinning and we are standing still, but it is we who spin.”
There are still a few vestiges of Florence’s family legacy in East Coulee today.
“At the School Museum, my auntie’s wedding dress was there and for a family reunion on my mom’s side, we put together a quilt, which was on display for years,” said van der Breggen. She also recalled her grandfather was caretaker of the East Coulee School Museum for many years.
The exhibit is being held at the Aerospace Museum in Calgary, which was where her father trained before heading off to war. The opening is at 7 p.m. on September 29.
