The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The Royal Canadian Legion will formally unveil a refurbished Cenotaph next month, ensuring the passage of time does not dull the memory of Flin Flon's war dead. With roughly $45,000 in upgrades underway, the Hill Street monument will be rededicated on Aug. 9, 54 years to the day it was originally unveiled. 'If we don't have something to remind people of the consequences of war, war is just going to repeat itself,' said Bob Penner, president of the local Legion. In recent weeks workers have replaced the front and base of the Cenotaph with a smooth and attractive layer of fresh cement. Penner noted that the new cement pad is sloped in such a way that rainwater will flow onto the street rather than accumulate. On Monday morning, workers began installing new black wrought-iron fencing to encompass the site. Still do come is a large metal plate with the laser-cut words of 'Lest We Forget.' It will overlook Third Avenue, replacing the same words that are currently painted on the concrete base of the site. In the front, metal plating will feature laser-cut poppies, reminding passersby that remembrance is important not only on Nov. 11, but also on every other day of the year. The metal plate on the front of the Cenotaph, which lists residents who perished in the Second World War, will be professionally cleaned. The total project comes with a price tag of about $45,000, just over half of which had been generated through fundraising and donations as of Monday. Penner is still waiting on a grant application for $25,000 from Veterans Affairs Canada. The Legion has also applied for $5,000 from both the Northern Neighbours Foundation and Flin Flon Neighbourhood Revitalization. Any surplus funds brought in will go into a special bank account that would be spent only on the Cenotaph, Penner said. Since its unveiling in 1959, the Cenotaph has not undergone any upgrades that can be considered major. There have been smaller upgrades, such as some cement work and a fresh coat of paint for the old fencing, but nothing like this year's overhaul. 'Hopefully it will last another 54 to 100 years,' Penner said. Looking ahead, Penner the condition of the lawn behind the monument will be reviewed and a decision made on whether to replace the sod next spring. The Aug. 9 rededication ceremony will get underway at 1 p.m. The general public is invited to attend.
