One hundred years after the armistice that ended the First World War, a “living legacy” is on the grow in Orillia.
A Vimy Oak tree was dedicated during a ceremony Wednesday at Veterans’ Memorial Park.
“One hundred years from now, the world will change around that tree, but it will remain a living legacy,” said local historian Bruce McRae, who was on hand to share stories of Orillia’s contribution to the war effort.
The oaks were wiped out by artillery fire during the war, but one Canadian soldier returned home with a pocket full of acorns and planted them on his family’s farm in Scarborough.
That farm is, today, the site of the Scarborough Chinese Baptist Church, where some of the oaks still stand.
The Army, Navy and Air Force (ANAF) Club in Orillia learned of the opportunity to plant one of the trees in town and decided it would be a fitting addition to Veterans’ Memorial Park.
Club members contacted the Vimy Foundation, which works with a nursery in Dundas to ensure the trees continue to grow and are supplied to communities to mark the armistice.
“Not just anyone is given a Vimy oak,” said Joan Goldsmith, a veteran visitor with the ANAF in Orillia, noting the foundation, before supplying a tree, wants to know information such as who will be looking after it and where it will be planted. “The tree is so special.”
Wednesday’s was the first in a series of commemorative events planned to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the war. One of the ways the sacrifices of local soldiers will be acknowledged is through flags that will be hung around town bearing images of those who died in the First and Second World Wars and those who are still alive.
The Vimy oak is a good start, said Goldsmith, who hopes younger generations see the significance of the tree for years to come.
“When we read the names (on monuments) of the young men and look at their ages – 17 and 18 – it brings tears to your eyes. They were just babies,” she said. “I hope (today’s youth) realize this is a living thing that came out of so much destruction.”
The Vimy Foundation is marking the anniversary with the creation of the Vimy Foundation Centennial Park, near the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France. Part of that project will see the foundation “repatriating” Vimy oaks to the area.
Eventually, a plaque will be placed at the base of the tree in Veterans’ Memorial Park to explain the significance.
