Bravery Park: explore and experience unique features

Bravery Park, set to open September 3, is a community-building success story. The family of the late Cpl. Matt McCully has made Orangeville proud, as has the Bravery Park Committee that evolved out of their passion to pay tribute to Canadian soldiers.

An impressive fundraising effort over many years saw more than $200,000 raised to create a space with thought-provoking and eye-catching elements. It’s a place of respect, education, and reflection. It’s also beautiful. The public is invited to explore and experience Bravery Park, just north of the Alder Recreation Centre parking lot.

Bravery Park Statue and Victoria Cross
The centrepiece at Orangeville’s new Bravery Park is indeed the bronze statue of a Canadian soldier kneeling before two Afghan children who are presenting him with a butterfly. It’s both simple and complex when it comes to interpretation. Created by local artists Donna Pascoe and Peter Turrell, the piece took many hours to conceptualize, and received input from different parties, including Canadian soldiers themselves.

The statue is intended to show the compassionate side our soldiers are renowned for, through the kneeling posture of the solder and the kindness of his expression. The butterfly offered by the children is a Giant Swallowtail which signifies rebirth and new beginnings brought about by change and transformation, in purity and wisdom.

In creating the model for the statue of a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan, Ms. Pascoe says she tried to imagine the thoughts and feelings soldiers and citizens must have struggled with every day. “There had to be issues of duty, trust and fear. In the end, I chose to show a compassionate human side reflected in the heartfelt exchange between two children and the kind soldier kneeling in front of them.”

The statue will be mounted in the centre of a Canadian Victoria Cross; the highest and most prestigious award of the Canadian honours system; awarded for valour, self-sacrifice, or devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy.

As one enters the path to the statue, you will be greeted with an interpretive plaque featuring the following passage: “Strong yet gentle, a Canadian soldier shares in the kindness of a butterfly offered through the innocence of children.

The statue was made possible by a $45,000 Veterans Affairs Monument Grant and community donations, and was supplied by Atlas Bronze Casting. The statue sits on a pedestal in a Victoria Cross feature that was created by Whispering Pines Landscaping.

Memorial Stone
The beautiful memorial stone in the park represents an expression of respect and thanks to our Canadian soldiers. The front of the stone was designed by the Bravery Park Committee and features the Canadian Heroes Foundation logo. The Foundation strives to create awareness and support for frontline responders, our fallen heroes and their families. The message engraved beneath the logo is a tribute to the courage and selflessness of those who serve our country -- past, present and future.

The back of the memorial stone features the artwork of U.S. Armed Forces veteran Danny Hahlbohm, most famous for his painting Footprints in the Sand. His image, entitled “Not Alone”, which depicts a solitary soldier kneeling is a poignant reminder of the individual courage of every man or woman serving to defend our country.

An interpretive plaque at the entrance to the stone bears the passage, “Recognizing our Canadian soldiers who serve at home and worldwide, giving of themselves to safeguard human freedoms and dignity”.

Major donors to the stone, supplied by Shelburne Memorials Limited, are the Riddell Road McDonald’s (owner Rory MacKinnon), Hear Well Be Well and St. John’s United Church Foundation.

Medicine Garden & Wheel
The Dufferin County Cultural Resource Circle (DCCRC) proposed the addition of a traditional Medicine Wheel Garden to the Bravery Park Committee and were solely responsible for its development from funding to creation. Through interpretive plaques and sacred plantings, the garden brings the traditional teachings of the Medicine Wheel and Indigenous medicines to the community, providing a sacred space for peace and reflection. The garden is a shared community space where people can learn about Indigenous traditions, walk the circle, smudge a sacred plant or simply enjoy the garden. 

The centrepiece of the garden is the grandfather rock, brought in from Huntsville and weighing almost 500 kg. The Mino Kamik Medicine Wheel Garden project is the result of donations of time and resources by volunteers, community groups and local businesses, including the Town of Orangeville, Dufferin County, Dufferin Child and Family Services, the Rotary Club of Orangeville and the Rotary Club of Orangeville Highlands.

Tempered Glass Art
Artist Robert Allen has donated artwork featuring oils on tempered glass. Entitled “Remember Always”, the piece includes a large Canadian Maple Leaf with the large stem representing the blood that many have shed for our freedom and the smaller leaves representing those who fell in the line of duty. The grass foreground symbolizes hope and joy. When the light shines through the glass the tones change and it becomes living art.

Children’s Playground
Inspired by a mother’s loss and sponsored by the Amaranth Lions Club, the playground at Bravery Park captures the essence of freedom – the freedom to play. It features poppies, an interpretive panel and a beautiful image designed by young artist Britten Woolley to poignantly reflect the bravery and resolve of our Canadian soldiers. Britten’s artwork was selected as the winning entry in the “Make your Mark” Contest hosted by the Bravery Park Committee and Amaranth Lions Club with local secondary schools. A former student of Robert F. Hall Secondary School, Britten currently attends The Ontario College of Art and Design. She says each element in her design holds significance and is used to represent the meaning behind Bravery Park. “The silhouette of the soldier's bowed head in front of a maple leaf is used to show he is Canadian. I made the design inclusive by creating the shape by the neck to show a collar or hair to honour all genders of our soldiers. The maple leaf fades into doves showing that our soldiers spread peace across the globe.”

Meaningful Benches
For those who wish to sit and watch their children play, or to simply contemplate the peaceful environment in the park, there will be five special benches located throughout, and a wheelchair-accessible picnic table.

• Afghan Bench – donated by Cpl. Matthew McCully’s family

• Butterfly/Bee Bench – donated in memory of Jane Blears by Bruce Blears and the Amaranth Lions Club

• Veterans Bench – donated by Westside Secondary School: Canada and World Studies Department - Grade 10 Canadian History

• Riverside Bench – donated by Prakke Family

• Riverside Bench – donated by Stavro & Wolf families

Additional features in the park include a Canadian flag, the park sign, interpretive plaques, and a donor dedication sign as well as gardens & plantings.