In the lower part of the Kin Canada building at Riverside Park lies a shop where model planes hang from the ceiling, mannequins adorn military jackets and the hand painted portraits of dozens of fallen soldiers hang with pride.
Cambridge is home to what many consider one of Canada’s national treasures, a massive oil painting called the Portraits of Honour. It’s made up of 158 faces of fallen troops from the Afghanistan war.
But the painting by late Cambridge artist Dave Sopha, and the museum it is held in is in danger of packing up and not having anywhere to go.
When Sopha first saw the cover of the Record in 2008, he saw something that would change the course of his and his family's life.
“When he read the paper and saw the 100th soldier fall in Afghanistan and all of their faces. He knew he had to do something to honour them,” said Terri Sopha, Dave’s daughter.
Starting in 2009, Dave spent over 10,000 hours, over six years, and created a 43-foot-long painting with all 100 faces on it. This incredible painting also included over 114,000 poppies to represent all of the Canadian lives lost since the First World War.
After bringing this painting all over Canada, being seen by millions of Canadians and being deemed a national treasure by former prime minister Stephen Harper, the painting has been used as an educational tool for the community, kept at the Kin Canada building at Riverside Park.
Last year, Dave passed away from pancreatic cancer and left his entire collection of military memorabilia to his daughter Terri who was a big part in running their charity and organization.
“It is just so hard to go through all of his stuff. I worked with him, travelled with him, lived with him and this year has been one of the hardest of my life,” Terri said.
Since COVID and the death of her father, the charity has taken a large hit, both emotionally and financially.
“We haven’t been able to fundraise; we're just kind of barely keeping our head above water,” said Terri. “We have this space for free, because my father was a Kin Canada lifetime member, but this can’t go on forever.”
Terri has been reaching out to local officials and city councillors to help secure a spot for the painting and the museum.
She recently held an event attracting Cambridge candidates in the municipal election and heard a lot of support for finding a new home for the paining.
Now Terri wants to see those promises of help put into action.
“My fathers dream would be to build our own museum and have everything there,” said Terri. “We want to create an educational space for the children and also a space for vets to come and get support and heal.”
The artifacts and memorabilia the Sophas hold seem like they should be kept in a secure military museum. The history within the walls of their small shop in the heart of Preston is astounding, said Terri.
It contains everything from handwritten letters from Second World War soldiers to Canadian Air Force jackets and battle worn boots. The list appears to be endless.
“When my father took the painting out west, someone gave him a Sherman Tank and half a fighter-jet, so all of that is waiting for a space,” she added.
The Portraits of Honour is a registered charity and is in the process of setting up a GoFundMe page to help them secure a location and keep providing a quiet space for vets.
“If we can’t find a new space I’m going to have to pack everything up, including the painting,” Terri said. “I can’t put these soldiers in a box for the second time.”
