The current members wished to erect a memorial to honour our members who have passed away while in Rotary service with our Club. It was decided to place it on the Rotary Millennium Trail kiosk site at the foot of West Street where it meets the Millennium Trail.
Barry Davidson led the Committee of Bill Mitchell, Phyo Kyi and Ken Robertson. Bill had the idea for the memorial and he arranged for a local landscape designer, Carson Arthur, to volunteer a design that included a wooden arbour, trembling aspen trees, native grasses, a circular pathway around the existing maple tree and a relocation of the armour stones on the site. A Friend of Rotary, Al Obal, drew the detailed design for the arbour and pre-cut some of the lumber. The balance of the lumber was pre-cut by Geoff Telling and members of the Wellington-on-the-Lake Woodworking Club. Friend of Rotary, Bill Hurst, provided the interlocking bricks for the pathway.
Rotary members constructed the garden with the assistance of MPI Drilling who discounted their service to dig the post holes and Paul Greer & Sons Construction who donated limestone screening and gravel. Special mention for Alastair Mathers who used his digger and front-end loader to do the heavy lifting, Tim Cox with his trailer to haul away the soil and Ted Nash who led the carpentry crew to build the arbour. The garden design is low maintenance, but the trees have to be watered regularly for two years to ensure they survive and thrive. John Heeringa is ensuring a crew looks after them.
Reg Gemmell provided the information on the eight members who were honoured by having their name engraved on plaques that were mounted on the arbour uprights: Jim Van Kregten, Gord Lloyd, Brian McGowan, Chuck McWilliams, John Mulder, Art Sinclair, Gil Van Soelen & Don Wight. The dedication ceremony will be held in the spring 2021 after COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed.
The Memorial Garden enhances the Trail kiosk site which is popular with residents as a place to sit and enjoy the atmosphere in this part of the village.