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 Hill Street cenotaph is set for repairs _ once it's determined who actually owns the war monument. Robert Penner, president of the local Legion branch, has obtained recommendations on how to improve the appearance of the prominent memorial. But before soliciting donations for the upgrades, he is asking city council whether the cenotaph belongs to the municipality. 'If there is no claim of ownership, then the Legion will spearhead the repairs and solicit donations from the community and other sources of funding, including ex-Flin Flonners who are now residing elsewhere,' Penner wrote in a letter to council last week. Council had no immediate answer to the letter, referring it to the committee level for further review. Penner said it's been recommended that the cement pad beneath the cenotaph be rebuilt with rebar and that the adjacent grass be replaced with limestone. There is a further recommendation to refinish the fence surrounding the monument and to possibly move the mailbox near the site. As for the adjacent 'scraggly maple tree,' Penner said it should be trimmed or removed. All of this work would be followed by a steam-cleaning of the monument itself. In an attempt to determine who owns the cenotaph, Penner reviewed Legion meeting minutes from the 1950s. He discovered that Flin Flon's original war memorial was on the west side of the old town hall at the corner of Third Avenue and Main Street. In 1956, Penner wrote, complaints surfaced over the condition of the memorial, as it was felt it should be fixed, moved or changed. A committee that included one Legion representative was struck to look at replacing the monument. 'Over the next couple of years volunteers canvassed the town and neighbouring communities for donations to erect a new cenotaph,' Penner wrote. See 'Made' on pg. Continued from pg. 'The town council of either 1957 or 1958 recommended that the next council budget for a new cenotaph. At this time the Royal Canadian Legion made a donation of $300 towards the new cenotaph. 'Construction started in the spring of the year, and the cenotaph was unveiled in August of the same year.' While in need of repairs today, the cenotaph has not been ignored over the last dozen years. Around 2001, the Legion set the monument's bronze plaque out for refinishing. That same year, members of the local Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps. painted the cement base of the monument and the surrounding fence. The cadets also touched up the sign overlooking Third Avenue that reads 'Lest We Forget', removed undergrowth and weeds from the area, and conducted a general clean-up. The cenotaph honours the 90 or more Flin Flon and area residents who lost their lives battling for Canada's freedom in the First and Second World Wars.
