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THE NEEPAWA BANNER July 11, 1998-7 I am writing this letter in response to the recent article appearing in your newspaper regarding the grave care requested by me for Lewis Hickman's grave (the only victim of the Titanic buried in West ern Canada). To clarify any misunderstanding some may have, the Hickman family, in England, was never approached by me to purchase perpetual care for Lewis’ grave. As for the map of the cemetery, I am preparing it in conjunc tion with the chamber of commerce to provide peo ple, free of charge, with information about the lo cation of the Stone Angel (Davidson Memorial), Margaret Laurence Me morial and of the Hickman Memorial that many peo ple have requested. If Councillors Durston and Hermiston would look around they would see numerous other cities and communities are provid ing the same service and I would hardly say they could be accused of capi talizing on the dead. In a letter to the Mayor and Council of the Town of Neepawa, May 24, 1998, I requested that with the Hickman family’s per mission, the Town show the same generosity as was shown by the residents of the Town and District in 1912 when they purchased the Hickman Memorial and that the Town con sider purchasing perpetual care for the Hickman grave. 1 did not seek permis sion to set up a concession booth in the cemetery to sell pictures of the de ceased or any other Ti tanic memorabilia that may be available nor did I request the construction of paved sidewalks, installa tion of floodlights, signs, etc, to make it a commer cial venture. Councillors Hermiston and Durston, your state ments of “riding on the shirttails of some poor soul,” “it’s cheap and de grading,” are negative, narrow-minded and noth ing short of ridiculous. “It may set a precedent,” a term regularly used by you two Councillors in your Council. vocabulary, is a statement that has long outlived its usefulness and only creates 4 negative image for Council. It is also a gutless way to avoid dealing with requests that may be a little controver sial. Don't you think it’s time you started to deal with these requests based on their merit and try to be positive when doing so? It may shock you two Councillors to know that Riverside Cemetery is and has been long before you two moved to Neepawa, one of our main tourist at tractions, this mainly due to the perpetual grave care that is maintained on some 2,600 graves located there. I have been in touch with the Hickman family in England by phone and mentioned the request I had made to the Mayor and Council of the Town of Neepawa. He said and I quote, “It’s a beautiful idea.” In a letter I just re ceived, they said, “it would be a very nice tribute.” I am very proud of the Riverside Cemetery, one of the most beautiful lo cated anywhere and I will continue to brag about it and will gladly tell anyone of the many interesting and historical monuments lo cated there. In closing, I wish to thank Councillor Ron Forsman for supporting my request and for stand ing up to Councillor Hermiston's obnoxious at tack. I would also like to thank Mayor McGillivray and Councillors Birch, Dietrich and Stilwell for seeing the sincerity in which my request was made and for voting for the grave care for two years. Councillor Durston, I understand that you may be seeking the Mayor's Chair in our next election. Please don’t, several of us Neepawa residents want to be led into the new mil lennium with positive leadership. Cecil Pittman Neepawa : ii A : : ih : : ved bot : th iee it 3 it a He i
Newspaper Details
Neepawa Banner
Neepawa, Manitoba, CA
Sat, Jul 11, 1998
Page 16
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
CA 24 Jun 2026
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