New cenotaph unveiled in North Frontenac

Jeff Green | Aug 26, 2015

North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins paid tribute to members of the previous North Frontenac Council at the unveiling of a long-awaited cenotaph for the Township of North Frontenac at the Clarendon-Miller Hall Park on Saturday morning (August 22).

The unveiling of the cenotaph was followed immediately by the dedication of a plaque and a red maple tree in honour of former mayor, Bud Clayton. Before Clayton died suddenly almost exactly a year ago, he had presided over the council that funded and planned the construction of the cenotaph.

The project was spearheaded by Councilor Gerry Martin, who brought the idea forward early in the term of the last council. With the help of a committee made up of Eileen Fleiler, Cor Bakelaar, Bob Kenny, Wayne Good and Gerry Martin, and the grant writing efforts of township staffer Cory Klatt, the project was approved last fall and was constructed this spring and summer.

In a telephone interview on Monday (August 24) Gerry Martin reflected on how the project developed.

“Wayne [Councilor Wayne Good] and I talked about how North Frontenac needed a Cenotaph, and when we approached Bud Clayton about it he said he would do whatever he could. So we went to Council and started working on it.”

A committee was formed, and Council committed $30,000 towards the project, over two years, which turned out not to be enough money for the project. The township applied and received notice of approval for a federal grant that would have covered the cost.

“Then we got a letter from them saying that the program had been cancelled, which was pretty disappointing, to say the least. Fortunately, Cory Klatt determined that we could use Federal Gas Tax money for this kind of infrastructure, and Frontenac County was able to help us out,” he said.

The cenotaph, which was constructed with the help of Derek Maschke, was designed by Martin. It includes elements going as far back as the Boer War, with a focus on the two World Wars and the Korean War as well.

“Not many people know this but there was even a training ground in North Frontenac during World War 1. A local regiment trained in Plevna all one winter and went overseas after that,” Martin said.

The dedication ceremony was conducted by the president of the Northbrook Legion, Branch 328, Mike Powley Jr., aided by Padre Harry Adringa.

“Let us pause to think reverently of those of our comrades who by sea, by land and in the air, laid down their lives for their sovereign and country. Their sacrifice will ever inspire us to labour on, to the end that those who survive and need our aid may be assured of assistance, and that the country in which we live, and for which they died may ever be worthy of the sacrifice they made. During the silence, we will remember our fallen comrades and those who have passed on since we last gathered together,” Powley said at the start of the ceremony.

After the dedication of the cenotaph, attention turned to a spot close to the cenotaph where a young red maple has been planted.

Ron Higgins and his wife Wendy introduced Jackie Clayton, Bud Clayton's widow, and dedicated a plaque at the base of the tree, which reads “In Loving Memory of Our Dedicated and Community Oriented Former Mayor Bud Clayton – who touched so many hearts and brought laughter to those who knew him.

North Frontenac Mayor 2010 – 2014 – 'We shall forever cherish his memory'”

Clayton was the sitting warden of Frontenac County in 2014, and was attending a conference of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario in London on August 17, 2014 when he collapsed suddenly. He died two weeks later, on September 1.

In his final year on Frontenac County Council, he made use of the political skills he honed over the years in North Frontenac and his personal relationships with other councilors to bring stability to the county. When he first entered municipal politics in 2004 he was known for speaking his mind and proposing ideas as they came to him. While he never lost that spontaneity, it became tempered by the realities of serving as mayor and warden, and he employed his new-found diplomatic skills to great effect during his tenure as county deputy warden in 2013, and warden in 2014.

For Jackie and his friends and family, Bud is remembered as a man who was as quick with a helping hand as he was with a joke.

Earlier this year, Kingston Frontenac Public Health also honoured him for his service on their board with a bench outside their offices on Portsmouth Avenue.

There was a third ceremony at the Clar-Mill Park on Saturday, a ribbon cutting at the new play structure, which was built using monies raised locally, along with a $10,000 grant from Hydro One, as well as some money from the township. Before cutting the ribbon, Cory Klatt invited all the kids in the audience to use the structure while the ribbon was being cut, and after a bit of prodding a few kids came forward, followed soon by all the rest. Even some adults thought they would step forward, but stopped themselves.

“There's still a swing available” said Cory Klatt. The adults laughed, but stayed put.

Jocelyn Lemke was among the ribbon cutters. She was the parent who brought a petition to Council a couple of years ago complaining about the lack of recreational facilities for children and asking for a play structure.

“She did not just show up with a petition,” said Gerry Martin, “she had already talked to the businesses in Plevna and had them on board to support it financially. She had done her homework.”

Reflecting on all of the projects that came together at the Clar-Mil Hall on Saturday, Martin said he was pleased with the turnout, and also pleased that all of the effort over a number of years has resulted in a park that will be a community asset for years.

There is a 250 metre walking path that defines the new Clar-Mill Park, which encompasses the play structure, the cenotaph and the memorial to Bud Clayton. The land it is located on had been scrub/marshland, but with some drainage and reclamation work it has been reclaimed for recreational and ceremonial use.