Lt. Harry Colebourn and Winnie the Bear statue inside Assiniboine Park Zoo (CITY OF WINNIPEG ARCHIVES)
An exhibit surrounding the popular children’s character Winnie the Bear will open at the Assiniboine Park Zoo next summer.
“Remembering the Real Winnie: The World’s Most Famous Bear Turns 100″ is centered on the Colebourn family archive and features photographs, Captain Colebourn’s wartime diaries and veterinary tools.
“It has been over a century since Harry Colebourn, a Winnipeg veterinarian and soldier, made a small but historic decision to buy a black bear cub and unknowingly changed the course of children’s literature forever,” said Trevor Clearwater, director of visitor services at Assiniboine Park Conservancy.
“We are honoured to share untold parts of this story with Winnipeggers and visitors alike through this historical exhibition.”
The exhibit will also explore the themes of veterinary practice during World War I, military life at camp, as well as the popular legacy of Winnie-the-Pooh.
Ryerson University’s Research Image Centre and Modern Literature and Culture Research Centre is curating the exhibit, which will also feature a digital archive and interactive exhibition experience.
Monday also marked the day “Finding Winnie” launched — a children’s picture book authored by Lindsay Mattick, great-granddaughter of Harry Colebourn.
