This Remembrance Day commemorated 75 years since the ending of World War II and it seemed like a fitting day for the dedication of Veterans Square in Martensville.
This past June, a proposal was submitted to the City of Martensville by Martensville Fire Department’s Deputy Fire Chief Dean Brooman regarding the renaming of the area that was formally known as City Square, in front of City Hall, to Veteran’s Square.
Within his submission to Council, Brooman stated that he would like to create a space within the community to acknowledge those who have fought, died and served for the freedom of our country.
On November 11, a small COVID friendly ceremony was held to officially acknowledge the renaming of City Square to Veterans Square. In attendance at the ceremony was Mayor Kent Muench, MLA Terry Jenson, Member of Parliament Kelly Block, Sergeant Curtis Little of the Martensville RCMP, a representative from the Duck Lake Legion, representatives from the 574 Dakota Air Cadets, Deputy Fire Chief Dean Brooman, and others.
Dillon Shewchuk, Community and Economic Development Manager for the City of Martensville, opened up the presentation by welcoming all of those in attendance and noted that this renaming would acknowledge all past, current and future contributions and sacrifices of those that made them for our country.
Mayor Kent Muench spoke about how Martensville was different from many other Saskatchewan communities that started around a grain elevator on train tracks. In comparison to other communities, Martensville is quite new and with this in mind, “all things built need to be thought out and planned for.” Muench added that, “Veterans Square is very important for our community. It is a place where recognition of veterans is visible and has the daily reminder of the great sacrifice that they gave to our community and our country.”
Recently elected MLA for the Martensville-Warman Constituency, Terry Jenson, spoke about how important projects such as this are for a community and how they can bring people together. “It’s a reminder every day of the sacrifices that our men and women made. This is something that will live on in the history of Martensville,” Jenson said.
Member of Parliament for Carlton Trail-Eagle Creek, Kelly Block noted that, “On this day, it is so meaningful, this square in your City will always serve as a reminder for us to take up the torch, keep the faith and always remember those who made such a tremendous sacrifice.”
Dean Brooman, who was the brain child behind this commemorative space spoke about how important this renaming was for him as the grandson of a World War I veteran and the son of a World War II veteran. “Our goal was to create an area in Martensville that will allow people to stop and reflect on those who served so that we can enjoy the freedom that we have today,” Brooman stated.
Initially the ceremony was scheduled to take place in the newly named Veterans Square; however, due to weather, it was instead held within City Hall. At the end of the ceremony, a presentation was made that revealed the plaque design that would be installed within Veterans Square.
