‘They did a lot for our country’
NEEPAWA — Placed on veteran headstones in more than 10 cemeteries in the Westman region are nearly 2,000 small wooden crosses. They are painted white with a vivid red poppy […]
In Neepawa, nearly 2,000 wooden crosses with a vivid red poppy on them have been placed on veteran headstones in more than 10 cemeteries across the Westman region. Robert Ferguson, a longtime member of the Royal Canadian Legion, began the project six years ago as a passion project to pay tribute to the veterans he knew. Ferguson's initiative has grown, and now there are crosses in cemeteries in McCreary, Reston, Riding Mountain, Killarney, Pipestone, Minnedosa, and other communities, memorializing rural Manitoba veterans from World War I and II.
Ferguson's project has also led to the recognition of over 500 biographies of war veterans from rural Manitoba, who may have otherwise gone unrecognized. He hopes to engage young people with acts of remembrance by involving Girl Guides in Neepawa in making felt poppies for some of the crosses. Ferguson, who has been awarded three medals for his community service, is still researching community history books to find more names and hopes that more communities will adopt the project to honor the service of the veterans who have contributed to their country.
Written by urgent.news from Winnipeg Free Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
