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Waterloo, Ont. -- A breathtaking, first-of-its-kind memorial honouring
Canadian veterans from every war in which Canada has fought, was
unveiled today at Veterans' Green Park in Waterloo, Ontario. This
spectacular work-of-art, named The Canadian Veterans' Memorial, is
carved in a timeline formation. The sculpture is 15 feet high and 23 feet
long and depicts the likeness of more than 200 men and women who
served in battles, from the War of 1812 to the war in Afghanistan.
The Canadian Veterans' Memorial was crafted by sculptor Timothy P.
Schmalz and unveiled by The Honourable James K. Bartleman,
Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, who acted as Reviewing Officer and Guest
of Honour, and by the Honourary Chairman of the Canadian Veterans
Memorial Committee, Mr. Mac Voisin. The ceremonies commenced with a
parade, processing from downtown Waterloo to Veterans' Green Park, the
site of the memorial.
To craft this larger-than-life tribute, Schmalz used enlistment photos of
local veterans that were donated by their families to breathe remarkable
life into the individuals portrayed in the carving. The resulting edifice
uniquely and equally represents every military group in Canadian history;
from Army and Navy soldiers, to peacekeepers and nursing sisters.
"By using hundreds of black and white photos of men and women that
served in the wars, I created a collage of not only uniforms, but human
emotion on this bronze statue," says Schmalz. "In the sculpture, more than
two hundred figures descend from a heavenly perspective to present an
aged veteran who, in turn, presents a poppy, the symbol of remembrance.
In the statue, as in real life, the veteran acts as a link to our history."
This link is also recognized by Kathryn and John Shawcross-Damman,
Co-Chairpersons for the Canadian Veterans' Memorial. Along with the help
of only community members, and funding from individual and corporate
donors, the Shawcross-Dammans started the project to develop and
construct the tribute after traveling to Europe on a battlefield tour with a
handful of Canadian veterans who had served in the Liberation of Holland
more than 60 years ago.
"We both felt strongly that there should be a memorial erected that pays
respect to the living veteran, as opposed to the majority of memorials,
which pay respect to the deceased," says Mrs. Shawcross-Damman. "It
was important to us to create a memorial which can and will be used as a
teaching tool for future generations, and we feel proud to finally unveil this
'labour of love' as a gift to our city and the entire country."
Preceding the ceremony, honourable tributes included fly-pasts from
historical military warplanes. Following the ceremony, guests were invited
to a reception at the K-W Naval Association, where they had an
opportunity to find out more about the history of the project, as well as
meet the artist.
Canadian veterans from every war in which Canada has fought, was
unveiled today at Veterans' Green Park in Waterloo, Ontario. This
spectacular work-of-art, named The Canadian Veterans' Memorial, is
carved in a timeline formation. The sculpture is 15 feet high and 23 feet
long and depicts the likeness of more than 200 men and women who
served in battles, from the War of 1812 to the war in Afghanistan.
The Canadian Veterans' Memorial was crafted by sculptor Timothy P.
Schmalz and unveiled by The Honourable James K. Bartleman,
Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, who acted as Reviewing Officer and Guest
of Honour, and by the Honourary Chairman of the Canadian Veterans
Memorial Committee, Mr. Mac Voisin. The ceremonies commenced with a
parade, processing from downtown Waterloo to Veterans' Green Park, the
site of the memorial.
To craft this larger-than-life tribute, Schmalz used enlistment photos of
local veterans that were donated by their families to breathe remarkable
life into the individuals portrayed in the carving. The resulting edifice
uniquely and equally represents every military group in Canadian history;
from Army and Navy soldiers, to peacekeepers and nursing sisters.
"By using hundreds of black and white photos of men and women that
served in the wars, I created a collage of not only uniforms, but human
emotion on this bronze statue," says Schmalz. "In the sculpture, more than
two hundred figures descend from a heavenly perspective to present an
aged veteran who, in turn, presents a poppy, the symbol of remembrance.
In the statue, as in real life, the veteran acts as a link to our history."
This link is also recognized by Kathryn and John Shawcross-Damman,
Co-Chairpersons for the Canadian Veterans' Memorial. Along with the help
of only community members, and funding from individual and corporate
donors, the Shawcross-Dammans started the project to develop and
construct the tribute after traveling to Europe on a battlefield tour with a
handful of Canadian veterans who had served in the Liberation of Holland
more than 60 years ago.
"We both felt strongly that there should be a memorial erected that pays
respect to the living veteran, as opposed to the majority of memorials,
which pay respect to the deceased," says Mrs. Shawcross-Damman. "It
was important to us to create a memorial which can and will be used as a
teaching tool for future generations, and we feel proud to finally unveil this
'labour of love' as a gift to our city and the entire country."
Preceding the ceremony, honourable tributes included fly-pasts from
historical military warplanes. Following the ceremony, guests were invited
to a reception at the K-W Naval Association, where they had an
opportunity to find out more about the history of the project, as well as
meet the artist.
New war memorial in
Waterloo, Ont., honours
War of 1812 veterans
Sculpture depicts the likeness of more
than 200 men and women who served
in battles from the War of 1812
to Afghanistan
Waterloo, Ont., honours
War of 1812 veterans
Sculpture depicts the likeness of more
than 200 men and women who served
in battles from the War of 1812
to Afghanistan
Timothy P. Schmalz the artist of the Canadian Veterans' Memorial speaks
to the gathered crowd, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2006 in front of the sculpture in
Waterloo, Ontario moments after it's unveiling. (CCNMATTHEWS
PHOTO/The Canadian Veterans Memorial)
to the gathered crowd, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2006 in front of the sculpture in
Waterloo, Ontario moments after it's unveiling. (CCNMATTHEWS
PHOTO/The Canadian Veterans Memorial)