The latest monument to pay tribute to Canada’s veterans has arrived in Estevan, and will soon have a new home.
Forever in the Clouds pays tribute to the 20 members of the Royal Canadian Air Force and one grounds member killed in a plane crash on Sept. 15, 1946, at a former location of the Estevan Airport south of the city.
Darren Jones has carved the faces of 17 of the 21 people killed in the plane crash using a chainsaw. Jones’ friend Kevin Booth assisted with the project. The committee looking after the monument is seeking photos of the other four victims, and then those will also be carved into the monument.
The monument arrived in Estevan on Thursday afternoon and was located at the Kensington Avenue yard of Bert Baxter Transport. An official unveilling ceremony was held on Sunday afternoon at the Estevan Regional Airport, as part of the Living Skies Airshow.
Members of the No. 30 Wylie-Mitchell Air Cadets from Estevan and the No. 675 Bow Valley Air Cadets from Oxbow led the colour party for the ceremony. Several dignitaries spoke, including Jones, Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig and Col. Denis O’Reilly from the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 15 Wing Moose Jaw base.
Once the speeches were finished, three CT 156 Harvard 2 planes from 15 Wing Moose Jaw participated in a missing man formation flyover of the airport.
Jones, who also carved the Soldier’s Tree monument that now stands near the Estevan Courthouse, said he had a tight deadline for this particular sculpture , as he had to get it finished in about five weeks. But he was thrilled with how it turned out.
“This is very, very emotional, because of the background of it, and the loss for the families,” said Jones. “I really have empathy for loss for families, and I want them to remember their forefathers for the heroes they were.”
A little finishing work is needed for the monument, Jones said, and he wants to add a brief poem.
Jones selected the name because he believes it’s appropriate for the sculpture.
“At this point, I’m not focused on how they passed away, but their remembrance,” said Jones. “And because they’re airmen, they would be in the clouds.”
He believes the airshow marked the perfect time to unveil the sculpture to the public.
“Everything worked out perfectly, and everything fit in when it was supposed to, and it’s being unveilled when it’s supposed to,” said Jones.
The people of Estevan have been very supportive of his vision and the air force helped him find photos of the 17 airmen whose faces are carved into the tree.
O’Reilly said that when he looks at the monument, he thinks of soldiers returning from war, and the excitement they would have had of seeing their families again.
“First of all, as a serving member, having been away for six or seven months on deployment, I’ve been back and I’ve realized just how much you miss your family,” said O’Reilly.
“Just imagine (being gone) from 1940 to 1946, coming back and being reunited with family, with your children, and all of the hope and the future that you have ahead of you to establish yourself and your family, to build a house, to start a new career, to get to know your kids better and get to know your wife, and to have it all removed suddenly on September 15, 1946,” said O’Reilly.
Even though the airmen didn’t die overseas during the war, they paid the ultimate sacrifice, and their families had their hopes for the future dashed in one day.
He hopes the family members of the 21 people killed in the plane crash can come to Estevan one day to view the monument.
Ludwig noted that not many people get to have two dreams come true, but Lester Hinzman has done that. Hinzman, who was part of the committee for both Forever in the Clouds and the Soldiers’ Tree monument, wanted to see both monuments constructed.
“Here we are today, thanks to the … unbelievable talent of Darren Jones … the sculptor, and Lester Hinzman’s vision. We now have two fantastic sculptures in the city,” said Ludwig.
Hinzman, who was part of the committee for this project, marvelled at the monument.
"It's a really good tribute to the men who survived the (Second World) War and came home in 1946, and died in that horrible plane crash," said Hinzman.
Many of the men who died in the crash were decorated by King George VI, Hinzman said. One pilot flew more than 150 missions.
"These are our heroes. These are the ones that we owe our quality of life to. Our freedom we have today is because of veterans,” Hinzman said.
Hinzman praised Jones for the work he did in carving the sculpture, and for putting his heart and soul into the project.
The monument began its journey from Jones hometown of Rimbey, Alta., to Estevan on Sept. 13. It arrived the following afternoon, and according to Hinzman, there weren’t any issues in getting the towering tribute to Estevan.
Hinzman said he hopes the monument can go on the east side of the Estevan courthouse.
The latest monument to pay tribute to Canada’s veterans has arrived in Estevan, and will soon have a new home.
Forever in the Clouds pays tribute to the 20 members of the Royal Canadian Air Force and one grounds member killed in a plane crash on Sept. 15, 1946, at a former location of the Estevan Airport south of the city.
Darren Jones has carved the faces of 17 of the 21 people killed in the plane crash using a chainsaw. Jones’ friend Kevin Booth assisted with the project. The committee looking after the monument is seeking photos of the other four victims, and then those will also be carved into the monument.
The monument arrived in Estevan on Thursday afternoon and was located at the Kensington Avenue yard of Bert Baxter Transport. An official unveilling ceremony was held on Sunday afternoon at the Estevan Regional Airport, as part of the Living Skies Airshow.
Members of the No. 30 Wylie-Mitchell Air Cadets from Estevan and the No. 675 Bow Valley Air Cadets from Oxbow led the colour party for the ceremony. Several dignitaries spoke, including Jones, Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig and Col. Denis O’Reilly from the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 15 Wing Moose Jaw base.
Once the speeches were finished, three CT 156 Harvard 2 planes from 15 Wing Moose Jaw participated in a missing man formation flyover of the airport.
Jones, who also carved the Soldier’s Tree monument that now stands near the Estevan Courthouse, said he had a tight deadline for this particular sculpture , as he had to get it finished in about five weeks. But he was thrilled with how it turned out.
“This is very, very emotional, because of the background of it, and the loss for the families,” said Jones. “I really have empathy for loss for families, and I want them to remember their forefathers for the heroes they were.”
A little finishing work is needed for the monument, Jones said, and he wants to add a brief poem.
Jones selected the name because he believes it’s appropriate for the sculpture.
“At this point, I’m not focused on how they passed away, but their remembrance,” said Jones. “And because they’re airmen, they would be in the clouds.”
He believes the airshow marked the perfect time to unveil the sculpture to the public.
“Everything worked out perfectly, and everything fit in when it was supposed to, and it’s being unveilled when it’s supposed to,” said Jones.
The people of Estevan have been very supportive of his vision and the air force helped him find photos of the 17 airmen whose faces are carved into the tree.
O’Reilly said that when he looks at the monument, he thinks of soldiers returning from war, and the excitement they would have had of seeing their families again.
“First of all, as a serving member, having been away for six or seven months on deployment, I’ve been back and I’ve realized just how much you miss your family,” said O’Reilly.
“Just imagine (being gone) from 1940 to 1946, coming back and being reunited with family, with your children, and all of the hope and the future that you have ahead of you to establish yourself and your family, to build a house, to start a new career, to get to know your kids better and get to know your wife, and to have it all removed suddenly on September 15, 1946,” said O’Reilly.
Even though the airmen didn’t die overseas during the war, they paid the ultimate sacrifice, and their families had their hopes for the future dashed in one day.
He hopes the family members of the 21 people killed in the plane crash can come to Estevan one day to view the monument.
Ludwig noted that not many people get to have two dreams come true, but Lester Hinzman has done that. Hinzman, who was part of the committee for both Forever in the Clouds and the Soldiers’ Tree monument, wanted to see both monuments constructed.
“Here we are today, thanks to the … unbelievable talent of Darren Jones … the sculptor, and Lester Hinzman’s vision. We now have two fantastic sculptures in the city,” said Ludwig.
Hinzman, who was part of the committee for this project, marvelled at the monument.
"It's a really good tribute to the men who survived the (Second World) War and came home in 1946, and died in that horrible plane crash," said Hinzman.
Many of the men who died in the crash were decorated by King George VI, Hinzman said. One pilot flew more than 150 missions.
"These are our heroes. These are the ones that we owe our quality of life to. Our freedom we have today is because of veterans,” Hinzman said.
Hinzman praised Jones for the work he did in carving the sculpture, and for putting his heart and soul into the project.
The monument began its journey from Jones hometown of Rimbey, Alta., to Estevan on Sept. 13. It arrived the following afternoon, and according to Hinzman, there weren’t any issues in getting the towering tribute to Estevan.
Hinzman said he hopes the monument can go on the east side of the Estevan courthouse.
