Laura Reeds

Migration and displacement, life, loss, and growth have inspired this piece, focusing on the British children's displacement to Canada and Australia. My great-grandmother, Elizabeth Piggott, was one of these children- being forced to leave her life behind because of the serious poverty issue in England during that time period. At the young age of 12-years-old, Elizabeth Piggott was placed into Barnardo’s orphanage and shipped off to Toronto, where she lived until she eventually got married.
Though she was born into a rough life, Elizabeth and her mother struggled through poverty while her father fought and died in the war. She persevered through the troubling times and lived a decent life. Married, having children, and having a fulfilling job as a nurse's aide. Eventually, she settled in Bobcaygeon, where she lived the rest of her life peacefully before being buried there.
I never had the chance to meet my great-grandmother, and have only heard bits and pieces of her from my grandmother. Thanks to this show that the Robert McLaughlin Gallery is hosting, I have been able to learn more about my roots, identity, and the past of my family. My great-grandmother was lucky enough to have a good life through Barnardo’s orphanage in Toronto. Others in the same, or worse predicament, were not so lucky. Through storytelling, this piece honors the lasting impact of migrations on families.