Two more pedestals sharing Canada‘s wartime history at the cenotaph in downtown Regina have been revealed.
A small group of people gathered on Tuesday afternoon in Victoria Park for the unveiling of the plaques.
It’s part of a campaign started in 2020 by the Royal United Services Institute of Regina (RUSI) – a local organization of civilians and retired military personnel – to install a series of commemorative plaques around the cenotaph.
Retired army major Brad Hrycyna, who serves as president of RUSI of Regina, said these pedestals are significant in telling Canada’s story for generations to come.
“When visitors see the cenotaph, they understand it’s about remembrance, but they may not necessarily understand exactly what they should be remembering,” Hrycyna explained.
The two plaques installed on Tuesday are about Canada’s involvement in the Korean War and D-Day.
Two pedestals were introduced last year and eight more will be revealed between this summer and the end of November.
The first two plaques were bought by RUSI using institute funds. Each pedestal costs about $3,600.
According to Hrycyna, the initial plan was to fundraise enough money over the next five years to purchase two pedestals a year. However, thanks to donations within the first four months of their plan, they had the money raised to pay for the remaining 10.
Hrycyna hopes this will translate to a better remembrance for the veterans.
“We hope once all 12 pedestals are in place, people will stop to read them and understand what our veterans have gone through over the years with different wars,” said Hrycyna.
The next unveiling is set for Aug. 9.