Roblin Boulevard features 20 new banners honouring soldiers who died in the First and Second World Wars who were from the Charleswood and Headingley areas. “These banners are a powerful, visible tribute to 20 local heroes whose sacrifices are etched into the history of our community and our country,” said area Coun. Evan Duncan. The project was taken on by Lance Shaw, who is with the Royal Canadian Legion in Charleswood. He said it is building on the work of the late Len van Roon – who recently passed away at the age of 104 years old. Shaw said van Roon made it his goal to find and document every local soldier who fought in the wars. “These are the 20 men that are on our monument that Len van Roon and his family spent decades finding, researching and making very thoroughly sure that these indeed are our local men,” said Shaw. “Some of them lived on this very road. They went to our local schools. So this is our local voice.” The banners are on 10 poles along Roblin, all near Charleswood Memorial Park. Shaw said it is important for the public to recognize the people who made the ultimate sacrifice outside of one day a year on Remembrance Day. “We’re hoping that this brings people so they can see and understand the legacy of our peace that we have today.” The entire project was funded through Veterans Affairs Canada’s Commemorative Partnership Program.
