Canada Woods
market lavington
The Real
Winnie
Lindsay Mattick’s Grandfather, Harry Colebourn, was a veterinarian soldier with the Canadian Armed Forces during the First World War.
Harry and his battalion came from Winnipeg to Market Lavington in 1914 to train on Salisbury Plain before going to war in France.
At the station in Winnipeg, he saw a trapper with an orphaned bear cub and he gave the man all his money in exchange for the cub.
The bear became the mascot of the Canadian battalion and was called Winnie.
In 1915 when Harry went off to war in France, he decided to leave Winnie in the care of Regents Park Zoo.
A father took his son, Christopher Robin, to the Zoo to visit Winnie often. Watching his son with Winnie, A.A. Milne was inspired to write the Winnie the Pooh stories.
Lindsay Mattick has kindly given us access to the family archive, containing Harry Colbourn’s military records and diaries.
She has also generously given her permission for us to use a picture from her book, Finding Winnie, for our nature trails and information boards throughout Canada Woods.
**Image credit Lindsay Mattick – http://therealwinnie.ryerson.ca/
Project Aims & Goals
Regeneration
To regenerate the woodland and promote healthy growth for future generations to enjoy.
accessibility
To provide an accessible and inclusive woodland space for the community.
community
To provide a Community Space on the amenity land adjoining Canada Woods known as “Community Park”.
functionality
To provide a useable space for schools and community projects.
positivity
To generate a positive outcome from a two-year pandemic.
