HMCS Halifax visits Bonaventure Memorial for spring cleanup

Sailors from HMCS Halifax spruced up the Bonaventure Anchor Memorial at Point Pleasant Park in Halifax on May 28, sweeping, scrubbing and painting the memorial.

Ryan Melanson, Trident Newspaper ~

Members of HMCS Halifax haven’t spent much time on board their ship in recent months, but that doesn’t mean they’ve been taking it easy.

The team has kept in touch and worked virtually as they prepare for their upcoming summer program. Recently they helped clean the area around the HMCS Bonaventure Anchor Memorial in Point Pleasant Park.

A group of sailors, including Commanding Officer Cdr Chris Rochon, headed to the park on May 28 to freshen up the memorial, which honours Royal Canadian Navy members who died during peacetime while carrying out their duties at sea.

As part of an agreement with the city, Halifax typically conducts spring and fall cleanups at the site, and sends personnel to tidy the area at various times through the year as required.

“We brought our rakes and brooms and scrub brushes and we got to work,” said LS Doug Williams.

Sailors raked and swept around the memorial, scrubbed the plaques that list the names of the fallen, and touched up the anchor itself with fresh paint.

“This is a monument to some of our predecessors in the navy; people who went out and did the deed way before we did, and people who sacrificed their lives doing that. I think of them as heroes, people who stepped up and answered the call to serve, so it’s important to remember them and this is one way we can do that,” he said.

Cdr Rochon was impressed to see his sailors take the task to heart and demonstrate an understanding of the significance of the memorial to the families, friends, and former colleagues of the fallen, as well as the wider community. He added that Halifax is excited to get back to business – the full crew returned to the ship and sailed for workups on June 14, ahead of taking over the ready-duty ship role for a period later this summer.

“There’s been a lot of challenges and interesting learning opportunities, using technology to bring our team together, and now we’re looking forward to getting back,” he said.

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