Orillia veteran’s forged poppy passion gets Royal Canadian Legion approval

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An Orillia man has turned his passion project for forging steel poppies into a method of helping those they’re meant to honour.

Eric Watkin has been a hobbyist blacksmith since 2016, getting his start by learning how to craft flowers made of steel.

He found the poppy was the easiest to learn, becoming so proficient that his colleagues and friends wanted to wear his poppies on Remembrance Day.

“Eventually, I decided to apply to the national legion to actually create and sell these poppies, with proceeds going toward its campaign,” Watkin said. “They approved it, so I’ve been selling these since 2019.”

Watkin has a small forge in his backyard, where he pounds and bends the steel to create each unique poppy.

He’ll sometimes paint the flowers himself but also gets family and friends to help.

“We started pretty small, but this year, we’ve made it to about 200 sales,” he added. “Most of that has been done through word of mouth.”

This year was the first time Orillia’s legion branch heard of Watkin’s designs.

Its president told CTV News he was very impressed with how they turned out.

“To get permission from national too, it’s ok to make them but actually to sell them, the legion is very protective of the rights of the poppy,” said Rick Purcell. “It’s amazing to see he’s been able to do this. The Legion doesn’t allow just anyone to sell handcrafted poppies on their behalf.”

Purcell said the poppy fund is crucial to delivering the services required for veterans across Canada.

“It’s kind of neat that a veteran has done something like this,” he added. “The poppy fund is for veterans, so indirectly, he’s helping himself and his friends.”

Watkin served as a reservist for the Canadian Armed Forces before heading to what was formerly known as Yugoslavia in 1993 on a peacekeeping mission.

“The idea of combat was so abstract to me, to anyone really who hasn’t experienced it,” said Watkin. “But doing this now holds a special meaning, especially on(Remembrance Day) this, it’s all a bit heavy for me, but it’s all about reflection, all about honouring the folks I know, family.”

After seeing his creation, Rick Purcell said he hoped to partner with Watkin to sell his poppies in the future.