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If
life as an artist were simply flitting about as a butterfly pollinating
creativity in all that we touched it would be a simpler life. As we all
know, that is not life as we know it; even for an artist. I think that my largest debt of gratitude goes to the Dutch Canadian Citizens, their friends and all those who believed in this project and donated the near $150,000 to make this Carillon Memorial at living testament of thanks to the Canadian WW2 veterans. It is exactly because of the many $25 - $250 and the few $7,500 or more gifts that we have left this standing legacy of thanks inside London’s Victoria Park. Thank you for believing in the design and the underlying motives that drove this project to completion. Thank you for your faith in this project and your actions in donating so generously. I
would like to thank the Netherlands Consul Richard (Dirk) Ter Vrugt (recently
knighted by the Netherlands) for asking me to look at this project as
an independent consultant. There after I was invited by the Veterans Memorial
Committee to submit my concepts to which they later accepted as the final
design. I would like to thank Piet Teunissen for coming up with the original
idea and then letting me run-with-it to the finishing point. This project owes it largest chorus of thanks to Jan Maarschalkerweerd, President of Abuma Manufacturing. He was there in the early days with Piet Teunissen, when this project was just a concept and nurtured it into what stands in Victoria Park today. Abuma Manufacturing built almost all of the components or had their hands on every aspect of it. Jan is not only an erudite man of business and engineering but also truly one of the most altruistic men I have ever known. With out him and Abuma I dare say this project would still be on a piece of paper in someone’s pocket. Thank you Jan for all you did, and thank you for having faith in me. This City of London is indebted to such persons as you. I know that the Veterans of Canada appreciate your act and involvement. I would like to thank the Corporate Contributors for donating their time and materials in building this Memorial, Carillon, and site. Your return to this community has left an endearing comment to your craftsmanship for centuries to come. I want to thank the City of London, its public servants and elected officials, for not only accepting this gift and once having done so, for standing behind us all the way. The City of London's Planning and Development Department, namely Andrew MacPherson who encouraged and assisted us in presenting this project to the various committees of City Council for that departments generous support along the way. Julie Michaud, Landscape Architect for the City of London, Planning and Development Department with out whose liaison we would have struggled along the way. The City’s Parks and Recreation Department for proving us with some of the essential materials we needed to finish this work as well as its employees in Victoria Park. Glynis Tucker, Department / Corporate Communications for the City of London who helped us plan the dedication ceremony so that it was the success that it became. As I also designed the landscaping and worked within the committee to find support in our Dutch community, I want to thank Baseline Nursery for going that much further and finding other nurseries who also donated stock to the project and their own wonderful work on the gardens through Peeters Landscaping. Robin Campbell of Stantec Consulting, who though hired by the City, went the extra mile and helped us so much with our concerns in Victoria Park, psychical plant, power locates, landscaping, marking the walkways and grounds, etc. I’d also like to thank my father and mother Martin and Lettie Pas of Martins Landscaping, for endearing me to his lifetime profession and giving me the knowledge to undertake such a garden as is seen surrounding the memorial. I want to thank those companies and individuals that were commissioned to provide the granite façade, the bells, and concept renderings, for giving us the best product that you could make, as if fitting for such a memorial to the War Veterans. I also want to emphasize my thanks to Veterans who helped us all along with this project. They verbally proclaimed their support and did such things as attending meetings of City Council when the project was presented. Their presence and support was noticed and appreciated by all, namely Art Stenning, Bob Walsh, and David Diggs. I trust you will be satisfied by all our hard work So many hands have touched this project and I want to thank each and everyone personally here. What follows is a credits list of all of those and their contributions. Lastly, I want to thank God and pray that in the end the glory be God’s. Gerard
Pas |
Fund-raising and publicity Treasurer General Member General Member Electrical instrumentation and wiring Foundations Engineering Committee Chairperson Initial concept design, Model of final design Secretary General Member Project Site Coordinator Monument Coordinator, overall overseer
London, Canada
London, Canada
London, Canada
London, Canada
The official site of The Canadian Veterans Memorial
City of London Canada
The forest CityVictoria Park
The home of the Memorial and Carillon
