The Southwest Arm Historical Society (SWAHS) has been working for some time to procure a piece of land where a cenotaph/war memorial can be erected. Since there were no offers, it was decided to explore the area where the Loyal Orange Lodge had previously been in Hodge’s Cove. This land was owned by Sidney Smith, who very generously gifted it the SWAHS. The land is now registered to the SWAHS with Lands and Deeds, NL.
Lester Green and Elaine Spurrell
In September, major work began on removing the cliff and leveling the land – a cost of $5000. Lester Green very generously provided the SWAHS with a cheque for $5000 (money that was paid to him for his articles that were published in The Packet) to cover the cost of this work. His donation was in memory of his father, William Green, who served with the Merchant Marine operating the family schooner, The Earl John Miller. In addition to this donation, the SWAHS raised $4400 for this fund and a bank account specifically for the Cenotaph/War Memorial funds was set up.
The monument will cost approximately $100,000. So, we have a lot of fund raising to do! We hope to receive a grant from Veterans Affairs Canada and a donation from the Royal Canadian Legion to help with the cost but these amounts will not come close to the funds required. The SWAHS has a lot of work to do to raise these funds, but we know that through the kindness and generosity of others our goal will be realized.
Site for the War Memorial
We are now registered with Revenue Canada and can provide receipts to those who donate, so that they can claim their donations on their Income Tax Returns.
Please help us with this important project by donating to this tremendous undertaking. Please let us know if your donation is in memory of a loved one and include your mailing address if you require a receipt. Donations can be mailed to:
Southwest Arm Historical Society
Box 2233
Hillview, NL, A0E 2A0
or by e-transfer to: swahsociety@gmail.com
If you live in the Hodge’s Cove area, you can also drop off your donations to Elaine Spurrell at 30 Samuel’s Rd and she can issue you a receipt.
We owe a big thank you to Sidney Smith for donating the land and to Lester Green for covering the cost of the excavation work.
Let us all do our part to honour and preserve the memory of those who have served our country in the military.
Lest we Forget
