Cenotaph rededication ceremony planned Saturday
The “Tommy” soldier statue for Sarnia's cenotaph was on its way home Tuesday.
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The “Tommy” soldier statue for Sarnia’s cenotaph was on its way home Tuesday.
Sent to Georgetown, Ont., earlier this year for repairs after the rifle from its back was discovered missing, the 99-year-old statue of a Canadian First World War soldier in full uniform was recently rearmed with a new 3D-printed cast.
“They’re picking (the statue) up as we’re speaking,” said the Sarnia Historical Society’s Ron Realesmith Tuesday morning.
The plan is to reinstall the statue some time before Saturday, when a cenotaph rededication ceremony, including a plaque unveiling, is set to take place at Veterans Park.
“That will be the first big reveal for everybody” of the refurbished statue, as well as new lighting upgrades in the park designed to help prevent similar vandalism from happening again, historical society president Cory Burke said.
Lighting and security camera upgrades in the park, along with the $11,000 statue repairs, were completed through roughly $100,000 in donations from various individuals and community organizations, including the Sarnia Lambton Building and Construction Construction Trades Council, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 530, and Bluewater Power, Realesmith said.
Those organizations and others, including Mammoet, which lent a crane, also donated time and expertise to bring the project together, Burke added, “so we were basically able to check off everything we wanted to do with the park in one big go.”
This year is the 100th anniversary of the cenotaph in Sarnia.
The monument was first dedicated Nov. 7, 1921, and rededicated on Nov. 11, 1922, after the statue sculpted by J.G. Tickle of Toronto was added, historical society records say.
Veterans Park was previously known as Wellington Square and then Victoria Park before it was renamed again in 1998.
A recognition event for those who helped with the project is being held at the Royal Canadian Legion branch in Sarnia following the 4:45 p.m. rededication ceremony, Burke said.
“As a veteran, it’s just very, very heartwarming to see the community come together for a project like this,” said the legion’s Les Jones, adding the branch is extremely happy with the results and grateful to everyone who pitched in.
“It just resonated with so many people and it was overwhelming the support that we got from the community to take care of Veterans Park.”
Those planning to attend Saturday are asked to email cory@sarniahistoricalsociety.com.
Anyone with information about the missing replica rifle has been asked to contact Sarnia police Det. Jeff Rovers at 519-344-8861 ext. 6159, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
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