Remembering

Peter and I both have relatives who were involved in WWII. Peter’s father fought for Italy and my uncle was killed on a mission to Germany. On Saturday, November 11 we were tied up with household chores, so we postponed our remembrances. But on Sunday we decided to take a stroll down University Ave, one of Toronto’s most stately streets, and visit some war memorials there.

We began, and ended, at Queen’s Park. At the first corner Peter spied a soldier on a horse. He wondered if it could possibly be Garibaldi, his favourite war hero, displayed in all big cities across Italy. But sadly Garibaldi had not immigrated to Canada. Instead it was King Edward VII, the monarch who officially opened the park back in 1860, even before the legislative building was there.

Next we came upon 3 small gardens dedicated to the late Queen Elizabeth II: her Golden Jubilee, the diamond one, and the most recent Platinum Jubilee just before her death. According to a tourist strolling near us, there was supposed to be a brand-new statue dedicated to the long-reigning Queen. We wandered farther until the woman shouted: “There She IS!” Well yes she was, but I think the sculptor could have done a better job on her face.

As we rambled along, we discovered that the Queen’s Park grounds host 32 plaques and monuments, dedicated to various Monarchs, Ministers, and causes. Sir John A. Macdonald has a statue. William Lyon Mackenzie, Toronto’s first mayor, is represented by a bust. Sir Oliver Mowat, Ontario’s third prime minister (as they were called back in the day), stands tall near the front doors of the building. I stopped in my tracks. Did this mean that All the provincial premiers would be here, even the bad ones, no names mentioned? I wasn’t sure I wanted to see any more.

But we needed to find the war memorial so we carried on. We were looking for something tall and we almost missed it. But there it was, built in 2006, tucked into the side of a hill: a 30-meter granite wall with lazar-etched photographic images depicting scenes of Canada’s role in war and peace-keeping since 1867. The most recent inscription reads: “campaign against terror.” In front of the wall more than 75 wreathes had been placed on Remembrance Day.

This wall and the other memorials in Queen’s Park are not just about WW I and WW II. Nearby is another sculpture, this one dedicated to Canadians who died during the war in Afghanistan.

And at the south entrance, the most poignant memorial of all. Donors have laid down children’s shoes; reminders of those who suffered in Residential schools in our past, and children who are suffering today in Ukraine, Israel, Palestine and around the world.

At this point, about 3:30, the sun was beginning to set. We would have to save our southward journey along University Avenue for another day. But we were glad to have spent some time remembering the sacrifices that others made, so that we could enjoy a lovely fall afternoon in a beautiful park.

Sue