Submitted by Sandra Doody, Warrant Officer (retired)
My journey with David Seven Deers and his voluntary restoration and preservation of the City’s Cenotaph is almost complete after a little over two years.
I dropped by the Cenotaph today to find David hard at work painting the last panel. He filled me on what he has accomplished taking me from the top down to the torch where he chiseled away years of buildup. He said he paused to make a decision on whether to paint in the torch area in the same silver paint he is using on the lettering of the names of the service men that lost their lives in previous wars and conflicts.
He said after he cleaned up the area and stood back to reflect and his opinion is that the torch already stands out on its own and needs no other embellishments. I have to agree.
He then continued on to the lower part of the Cenotaph where his expertise shows in the time and care he took bringing all the names back to life through the tap, tap, tap of his chisel to his steady hand applying the silver paint.
If you haven’t stopped by to see our City’s Cenotaph in person lately, next time you go downtown take a moment to do so; it truly is a work of art and he has brought honour back to these men who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
He mentioned that he has been contacted by other Legions who require their local monuments’ beauty return to them; I think David is the perfect person to take on this mission. A reminder to Legions, the poppy funds that you take in annually can be put towards preserving local monuments to Veterans.
These memorials are important because they act as historical touchstones. They link the past to the present and enable people to remember and respect the sacrifice of those who died, fought, participated or were affected by war and conflicts.
As veterans, my husband and I thank David from the bottom of our hearts for his work on restoring our local Cenotaph.
