(Updated 5:30 p.m., Dec. 5)
Community association launches effort to restore, relocate Navan Cenotaph
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online

The Navan Community Association has formed a committee to oversee the relocation and restoration of the Navan Cenotaph which currently sits in front of the Navan Memorial Arena. Fred Sherwin/Photo

The Navan Community Association has formed a committee to raise money to restore and relocate the village's Cenotaph from its current location outside the Navan Memorial Arena to a grass area on the east side of the arena parking lot.

The committee is being headed up by Ross Bradley and Margaret MacNeill and will include other prominent members of the community, including Sq. Ldr. Eric Smith DFC (Ret'd), who has agreed to be the committee's honorary chair.

The need to relocate the Cenotaph is a result of the recent expansion of the arena. The monument is no longer as visually prominent as it was prior to the addition being built. It's also in a high traffic area which makes it is difficult for people to pay their respects in a quiet and respectful manner.

The current location also makes adding more names to the monument all but impossible. There are two names currently missing from the WWI Honour Roll and one of the names is misspelled. There is also a need to add the name of Capt. Gary Vaillancourt who died in 2000 from a condition that was a result of his military service.

The current Cenotaph was designed and erected in 1987 by a group of WWII veterans from the community. The current effort was taken up to give the monument the prominence and attention it deserves.

The Cumberland Township Agricultural Society has made the land available to relocate the Cenotaph and the committee is looking into applying for a grant from Veteran Affairs Canada. Even if the committee is successful in getting a grant, the project will need additional money to add two new sections to the munment and to help pay for landscaping.

In a statement released earlier in the week, the commitee recognized the work done by the original creators of the Cenotaph and the responsibility they have taken on to ensure its future legacy.

"This entire community owes a debt of gratitude to those members of this village, who in 1987 assumed the responsibility of creating the existing memorial," the statement reads. "The present committee is honoured to continue their work and is committed to ensuring that we will continue to have a Cenotaph of which we can all be proud."

For the full text of the statement visit www.orleansonline.ca/Navan_Cenotaph.

(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)

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