Ontario Regiment RCAC Regimental Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1980 |
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| Location | Oshawa, Ontario, Canada |
The Oshawa Military and Industrial Museum is a special museum in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. It's also known as The Ontario Regiment (RCAC) 'Ferret Club'. The museum started in Oshawa in 1980. It has grown to become the Historic Vehicle Section of the Ontario Regiment (RCAC) Museum.
The people who take care of the museum are amazing volunteers. They love military vehicles. Many are current or former members of The Ontario Regiment (RCAC) and other parts of the Canadian Forces. These volunteers include people from the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, and more.
Contents
About the Museum
This museum is different from most others. It's a living museum! This means almost every vehicle in its collection can still run. If a vehicle isn't running, it's being fixed or restored.
Many vehicles, like the old Sherman Mark IV, Chaffee, M60, and Sheridan tanks, are often driven. You can see them in parades and special events. Because these vehicles work, the museum staff sometimes lets people climb inside them. Sometimes, you might even get to ride in one!
Volunteers provide all the money needed to fix, maintain, and fuel these historic vehicles. This includes current and former Canadian Forces members, veterans, and civilians. The museum also earns money by letting its vehicles be used in Canadian and international TV shows or movies. Keeping such a large collection of old vehicles running is a lot of work. It's physically hard and very expensive. Many vehicles that are still being fixed can be seen from Stevenson Road North. This road leads to the Oshawa Executive Airport.
What You Can See
Awesome Vehicles (Ferret Club)
The museum has many armored vehicles. These range from motorcycles and jeeps to huge tanks. You can see a fully restored Bren Gun Carrier and an M24 Chaffee. There are also two M4A2(76)W HVSS tanks. One Centurion tank is also part of the collection, though it's not fully restored.
The museum also has some vehicles from other countries. This includes a Scania HLVW prototype. Several Ferret armoured cars are still working. There's also an FV433 Abbot SPG self-propelled gun.
Two large M60A3 tanks are impressive. The two M551A1 Sheridans are also surprisingly big. Many former US Army M113A2s are kept and driven often. The M113C&R Lynx is also maintained. The museum also has many regular military trucks and jeeps. You can also see M62 wreckers. These are used to move the bigger vehicles and their parts around the museum.
History Displays
Besides the vehicles, the museum has a Static Display Section. Volunteers carefully maintain this area. It includes military items like uniforms, medals, photos, and old books. These items tell the story of the Regiment and the Canadian Army. They cover history from the 1850s to today. The displays show how these items were used long ago. You can see medals from past members of the Ontario Regiment. This includes the original Order of Canada awarded to RS (Sam) McLaughlin.
Visiting the Museum
The museum is located at 1000 Stevenson Road North in Oshawa. You can arrange group tours by calling ahead. For general visits, you can enter by making a donation.
Images for kids
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The Originals: Several ONTR NCOs and soldiers (retired and serving) along with former CO LCol Skea (front middle) formed the Ferret Club's original cadre in 1980. The museum was founded in 1980 as the Ontario Regiment Ferret Club. Housed in a garage in north Oshawa, the collection began with nine fully restored surplus Canadian Ferret armoured cars.
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First parade: (From left) ONT R HLCol Wilton, with CO LCol Morin and USO Capt Wilkinson (8CH), Oshawa, 1981
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