Parks

Veterans Park was designated by the Municipal Council of the Town of Hawkesbury on September 28, 1998.

This park was dedicated on 16 September 2018 in memory of Afghanistan Veterans. The Lancaster LAV lll Monument and Sergeant Marc Leger Memorial are located in the park.

On 11 September 2001, terrorists hijacked four planes in the United States. They crashed two planes into the World Trade Center towers, one into the Pentagon, and another in rural Pennsylvania. Almost 3,000 people died. Evidence suggested the terrorist group al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, was responsible. An extremist regime, the Taliban, had provided sanctuary for al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. The Afghan government refused to extradite bin Laden and his militants. The United States formed an international coalition to use force against the Taliban. Its goal was to end this safe haven for terrorists, stabilize the country and help the Afghan people after years of conflict. More than 40,000 Canadians would serve in the region. This was the largest deployment of our troops since the Second World War. The conflict lasted more than 12 years— the longest in Canada's history.

Colonel Samuel Smith Park is named in honour of Colonel Samuel Smith, Commanding Officer of the Queen’s Rangers and one of the first settlers of Etobicoke.

Samuel Smith (December 1756 – October 1826) was born in Hempstead, New York. A Loyalist, he joined the Queen’s Rangers in 1777 and by 1780 had risen to the rank of Captain. He took part in many battle of the American Revolutionary War, but was captured during the Battle of Yorktown and surrendered to the Americans in 1781. After the war he settled briefly in New Brunswick, and in 1784 went to England where he joined Simcoe’s new Queen’s Rangers as a captain in 1791. The Battalion was sent to Niagara, Upper Canada, where it was to assist in the erection of public buildings, the construction of bridges and roads, and in any other civil or military duties. Smith commanded the Battalion from 1799 until its disbandment in 1802 and retired to the lands previously granted to him in Etobiocoke Township. He entered politics in 1813 and remained involved in this endeavor until a year before his death in 1826. Part of Colonel Samuel Smith’s land grant now forms the Colonel Samuel Smith Park.

Following the First World War, the Union Jack Chapter of the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire planned a Memorial Park in Mimico to honour those who had served and those who had lost their lives in the war. In 1921, the voters of Mimico approved expenditures to add to the funds raised by the Union Jack Chapter to purchase land for the park and around the same time, plaques listing the names of those who had served and those that had died were placed in the park.

The war memorial construction began in 1930 at a park on Lake Shore Road and on October 12, 1930, the Mimico Cenotaph was unveiled. Discussions to move the plaques to the memorial site created controversy and the plaques remained in Mimico Memorial Park. After 1967, when the Town of Mimico amalgamated with the Borough of Etobicoke, the plaques were moved to the cenotaph in the present day Vimy Ridge Parkette.

Valerie McGrady was inspired to create Canada’s first Bravery Park after the passing of her son Corporal Matthew McCully  Matthew was a member of Canada’s elite Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT), responsible for training the Afghan National forces. On May 25, 2007, while conducting a joint Afghan-Canadian foot patrol near a village west of Kandahar city, Matthew stepped on an improvised explosive device. Valerie’s son died not only trying to protect his country, but training Afghan soldiers to protect their own. 

Valerie and her daughter turned their grief into a vision of creating a living testament to the bravery of Canadian soldiers. Together, alongside a small committee, they drove an extensive fundraising campaign and fostered steadfast community support to build Bravery Park. A living and interactive space, Bravery Park promotes both awareness and understanding of the sacrifices and struggles our Canadian Forces undergo to promote peace here at home and worldwide. 

On September 3, 2021, Bravery Park was officially opened by the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and included a flyover by the Canadian Snowbirds and an 80-member military parade. View a short video of the opening at Orangeville’s Bravery Park pays tribute to Canadian soldiers. 

Schools and community groups regularly visit Bravery Park as it provides a tangible connection to some of our most recent international aid and peace keeping missions.  Valerie and Shannon provide guided tours and continue to give presentations about the multifaceted roles of our Canadian Armed Forces.

Military memorials in the park include: A Canadian Soldier in Afghanistan, Memorial Stone, Playground, “Remember Always” Art Installation, Canadian Armed Forces Bench and Lest We Forget Bench.

The Bravery Park™ initiative was created by Peter Prakke, and the Orangeville location would not have been possible without the extreme generosity, kindness and compassion of the Prakke family.

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On August 11, 2014, this park was dedicated to Corporal Robert Thomas James Mitchell who while serving with the Royal Canadian Dragoons in Afghanistan. Corporal Mitchell was fatally wounded when his troop was attacked by insurgents on October 3, 2006. The park features a commemorative stone, flagpole and a statute of a solider kneeling.

This memorial is dedicated to Her Majesty's Ship (HMS) Jervis Bay and Alexander Milton "Jimmie" Johnson. It was erected by The City of Owen Sound, Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 6 and the Owen Sound Historical Society in September 1991.

This park was erected in 1982 by the Walkerton Town Council and dedicated to those from the area who fought and those who lost their lives in war. The official dedication of the newly-named War Memorial Park was held on September 19, 1982 at 2:00 p.m. The Walkerton Soldiers' Memorial is also located here and the park was the scene of a joint dedication service, with Walkerton Legion Branch 102 members, area Legion Branches, municipal officials and the general public participating.

A Legion parade to the cenotaph was led by the Branch 102 Pipe Band, with Comrade Jack Kerr in charge as the parade marshal. Master of Ceremonies for the Order of Service in front of the cenotaph was Comrade Joe Jagelewski. Mayor James W. Bolden reflected on the pride that this community should have in this park, with its unique location being adjacent to the Old Armouries, now the Day Care Centre, on which site many Veterans mustered for their initial military training.

Comrade President of Legion Branch 102 Ronald Fleet presented his words of welcome to all assembled. A Psalm was read by Reverend Father Gerald Mulhall, while Padre Comrade for Branch 102, Reverend Ralph J. Knock of Mildmay gave the Homily and Prayer of Dedication. Comrade President Ron Fleet and Comrade 1st Vice President Walter Marshall placed the Memorial Wreath. This was followed by the Lament "Amazing Grace", rendered by Branch 102 Pipe and Drums.

The idea for the dedication of this parkland was Ken Hartman, a town councilor, who proposed his idea the Parks and Recreation department, and in November 1981 attained Council support. Hartman is the author of the inscription on the dedication plaque for War Memorial Park. 

The Horticultural Society plants flowers at the site each year.

This property was purchased in 1920 through the generous efforts of the St. George and the Blue Lake Auburn Women's Institutes and the community. It was dedicated on August 1, 1926, to those who served in the First World War. The park was rededicated on July 1, 2013, to all who serve.