History is just around the corner, or in a basement or an attic.
It could be a photo, a long-lost trophy or an old hand-painted sign.
Barrie is rife with memories of the past and many residents have understood the importance of keeping those memories alive.
Enter history buff Don Miller, who has had a “career of many hats” while digging his love of history.
He’s collected a memory or two over the years and might encourage others to do the same.
“Having been born and raised here, it gets in your blood,” he says. “You don’t want to see the history disappear as time goes on. You want to try and capture it and tell the stories about what that history represents.
“Think twice before you throw something out. It might mean something to somebody some day.”
Preserving that history and what came before us is important to Miller.
“I don’t know for sure if there is a lesson to be learned there or not,” he says. “Just for me, I’ve always really enjoyed history. Once those memories are gone, they are gone for ever.
“I think it stems from me being a kid. It just sounded so amazing to see movies like Chariots of the Gods and read books about archeology,” Miller adds. “As a kid, I first thought I wanted to be an archeologist. It was so fascinating to look at the past and see how the people before us did things then.”
Barrie’s place on the map contributed to its prosperity, he says.
“I think the big part of Barrie is that we are so fortunate to be geographically located where we are on the water: at the beginning of cottage country, beautiful hiking trails, fishing, hunting, you name it. The outdoors is our back door,” says Miller, looking like someone who has taken advantage of all of those qualities.
“Because of its geographical location, a lot of people settled here,” he says.
They made a home for themselves and also left their mark.
“We were always contenders when it came to hockey, baseball, speed skating, lacrosse, track. Broom ball was very popular. We had great rugby teams come out of the high schools,” Miller says proudly. “We always had lots of backing and great coaching and there have been a lot of professional athletes who have come out of Simcoe County.”
What’s the recipe?
“I think that a lot of it goes back to people's childhoods and that their families were around when they were kids,” Miller says.
“For a town of its size, Barrie has always punched above its weight when it comes to producing athletes from different sports.”
