Indian Brook unveils cenotaph 20 years in the making

INDIAN BROOK, N.S. – For the first time ever, veterans in Indian Brook were able to march through the streets of their own community on Remembrance Day instead of travelling to nearby Millbrook for services.

“Every year we go there to honour our grandfathers and our fathers and our warriors, but this year they erected this monument for our own people,” said Doreen Bernard, one of the many residents who came out for the service to see the unveilling of a cenotaph that had the names of 110 veterans from the community who served.

“I think it’s very beautiful. Very honouring for us too as descendants to be able to do that in our own community,” she said.

Alan Knockwood, a veteran of the United States Navy in the Vietnam era, has been trying to get a cenotaph in the community for more than 20 years. He says the idea was turned down by every official they approached with the idea. In September, however, two women from the local health centre donated the money to build the monument.

“I’m so proud of the women that went ahead and got this for us,” he said, fighting back tears. “I’m so humbled by it, and I’m about 10 seconds away from crying just out of pride and being overwhelmed right now.”

“It’s all about closure. It’s all about our veterans’ mental health, their well-being,” said Tina Sacknevin from the community’s health center. “It’s all about our culture, our Mi’kmaq culture.”

The cenotaph cost $12,000 to build, but community members says its impact is worth much more.

“These people served Canada back when they didn’t have to. There was no such thing as conscription for us. They just joined because Canada needed volunteers and they stepped ahead,” said Knockwood. “We didn’t have the vote, we didn’t have any right to be a Canadian and yet we did.”

“At the end of the day, they can say that they are recognized not only in the country of Canada, but in their own community, and that’s what it’s all about,” said Sacknevin.