Canadian Veterans Advocacy

Saturday, June 8, 2013

New announcement: Calgary's Poppy Plaza honours Canada's servicemen and women

Calgary's Poppy Plaza honours Canada's servicemen and women

Bridget Brown, CTV Calgary
Published Saturday, June 8, 2013 4:26PM MDT
Last Updated Saturday, June 8, 2013 6:28PM MDT

Check the Video: http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/calgary-s-poppy-plaza-honours-canada-s-servicemen-and-women-1.1317348#ixzz2VgWDVIUB

ou'll find Calgary's newest gathering place at an address that calls to mind our national day of remembrance: 1111 Memorial Drive N.W. It's now called Poppy Plaza, and it's is designed to commemorate those who have served Canada in our armed forces.

Attending Saturday's official opening were the mothers of two soldiers killed in Afghanistan, Diane Dallaire and Anita Bowes. Both are happy to see the creation of a significant monument in Calgary to the sacrifices of families like theirs.

"They need to be remembered," says Bowes, whose son Chad Horn died in 2008 in Afghanistan's Zhari district of Kandahar.

Diane Dallaire lost her son Kevin in 2006. She says, "they fought for us to have the freedom that we enjoy today, it should not be taken for granted."

That appreciation is visible in the Poppy Place monuments. The 86-square-foot wood plaza is flanked by steel walls that protect it from river ice floes. The steel is untreated, and will eventually oxidize from bright rust to a dark brown.

Councillor Druh Farrell says the design of the area was in part contributed by military members. "We consulted very closely with veterans on the entire project" says Farrell.

The walls of the plaza feature verses and phrases including the Canadian poem In Flanders Fields. The metal words have been cut using high pressure water jets and sand.

Calgary's Mayor Naheed Nenshi and former mayor Dave Bronconnier were among those commemorating the plaza, as well as councilors, veterans, current soldiers and their families.

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You can view the full announcement by following this link:
http://canadianveteransadvocacy.com/Board2/index.php?topic=9867.0

Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

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