CBC NEWS
In turning tragedy into "goodness," the tiny community of Mayerthorpe, Alta., unveiled four life-sized bronze statues in a new memorial park dedicated to the Mounties gunned down in 2005.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper was on hand for the ceremony that also revealed an obelisk topped with a rush of bronze doves in honour of all Canadian officers who have died on duty.
Constables Brock Myrol, Peter Schiemann, Leo Johnston and Anthony Gordon were shot on March 3, 2005, by James Roszko during a stakeout on his property near Mayerthorpe, 130 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. Roszko later shot himself.
Shawn Hennessey, 28, and brother-in-law Dennis Cheeseman, 24, are accused of helping Roszko commit the killings, and have been charged with first-degree murder.
— Margaret Thibault founder of The Fallen Four Memorial Society, formed soon after the Mounties' deaths, has spent more than three years organizing and fundraising for the $1.8-million project, with some of the money from government donations.
"We cannot grieve forever. It's not the way people are designed. You have to reach a certain point with your grieving where you turn then to the beauty around you, the goodness around you, and that's what this is all about," Margaret Thibault, the society's founding president, told CBC News.
"We knew [the memorial] would be something that all Canadians needed."
The memorial park was also something the rural community in northern Alberta needed.
Jurgen Preugschas, president of the Fallen Four Memorial Society, pointed out how the town struggled in the shadow of the shootings "that broke hearts and made Mayerthorpe a household name on the world stage for all the wrong reasons."
He said the new park shows the town will not be defined or defeated by the events.
The town's resilience was noted by the prime minister in his address to the crowd of hundreds: "Other people in other places might have exploded in rage or sunken into despair. But not Mayerthorpe.
"Everyone associated with this terrible event has conducted themselves with grace, dignity and purpose. Your courage and resiliency have been an inspiration to all Canadians and they are embodied in your magnificent tribute to the memory of these four, brave men," said Harper.
Among the politicians and RCMP officers who helped unveil the statues were five girls who started a group called Kids 4 Cops when they were pre-teens and raised almost $100,000 for the project.
The officers' four statues are arranged in a circle, with each of them in a different pose that reflects their time of service with the RCMP.
Top: Const. Anthony Gordon, right is Const. Leo Johnston. Bottom: Const. Brock Myrol, right is Const. Peter Schiemann. (RCMP)
Myrol, is shown standing at ease, facing his hometown of Red Deer; Johnston faces north toward his hometown of Lac La Biche, Alta.; Gordon faces west toward his first detachment; and Schiemann, the most senior of the four, is shown at attention, saluting while facing east toward his hometown of Stony Plain, Alta.
"All the good memories of Peter, Leo, Anthony, Brock and their brothers and sisters who stand shoulder to shoulder with them will last forever," said Thibault, her voice cracking on the podium.
Sculptors Don and Shirley Begg consulted closely with each constable's family, especially their mothers, to ensure the statues were as lifelike as possible.
"You know how a mother strokes her child's head? Mothers know what the hairline on the back of their son's head looks like. They wanted them lifelike and accurate," said Shirley Begg.
The artists worked in their Cochrane, Alta., studio, building frames for each 400-kilogram statue, fleshing them out in clay and then finally pouring the bronze into the final moulds.
Colleen Myrol, mother of Const. Brock Myrol, previously expressed her admiration for the effort it took to create the parks.
"We have seen the worst of humanity and now we are seeing the best of humanity," she said.
The Fallen Four Memorial Park includes a garden, the bronze statues, a picnic area and a visitor's centre, and is near the town's RCMP detachment.
With files from the Canadian Press
In turning tragedy into "goodness," the tiny community of Mayerthorpe, Alta., unveiled four life-sized bronze statues in a new memorial park dedicated to the Mounties gunned down in 2005.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper was on hand for the ceremony that also revealed an obelisk topped with a rush of bronze doves in honour of all Canadian officers who have died on duty.
Constables Brock Myrol, Peter Schiemann, Leo Johnston and Anthony Gordon were shot on March 3, 2005, by James Roszko during a stakeout on his property near Mayerthorpe, 130 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. Roszko later shot himself.
Shawn Hennessey, 28, and brother-in-law Dennis Cheeseman, 24, are accused of helping Roszko commit the killings, and have been charged with first-degree murder.
— Margaret Thibault founder of The Fallen Four Memorial Society, formed soon after the Mounties' deaths, has spent more than three years organizing and fundraising for the $1.8-million project, with some of the money from government donations.
"We cannot grieve forever. It's not the way people are designed. You have to reach a certain point with your grieving where you turn then to the beauty around you, the goodness around you, and that's what this is all about," Margaret Thibault, the society's founding president, told CBC News.
"We knew [the memorial] would be something that all Canadians needed."
The memorial park was also something the rural community in northern Alberta needed.
Jurgen Preugschas, president of the Fallen Four Memorial Society, pointed out how the town struggled in the shadow of the shootings "that broke hearts and made Mayerthorpe a household name on the world stage for all the wrong reasons."
He said the new park shows the town will not be defined or defeated by the events.
The town's resilience was noted by the prime minister in his address to the crowd of hundreds: "Other people in other places might have exploded in rage or sunken into despair. But not Mayerthorpe.
"Everyone associated with this terrible event has conducted themselves with grace, dignity and purpose. Your courage and resiliency have been an inspiration to all Canadians and they are embodied in your magnificent tribute to the memory of these four, brave men," said Harper.
Among the politicians and RCMP officers who helped unveil the statues were five girls who started a group called Kids 4 Cops when they were pre-teens and raised almost $100,000 for the project.
The officers' four statues are arranged in a circle, with each of them in a different pose that reflects their time of service with the RCMP.
Top: Const. Anthony Gordon, right is Const. Leo Johnston. Bottom: Const. Brock Myrol, right is Const. Peter Schiemann. (RCMP)
Myrol, is shown standing at ease, facing his hometown of Red Deer; Johnston faces north toward his hometown of Lac La Biche, Alta.; Gordon faces west toward his first detachment; and Schiemann, the most senior of the four, is shown at attention, saluting while facing east toward his hometown of Stony Plain, Alta.
"All the good memories of Peter, Leo, Anthony, Brock and their brothers and sisters who stand shoulder to shoulder with them will last forever," said Thibault, her voice cracking on the podium.
Sculptors Don and Shirley Begg consulted closely with each constable's family, especially their mothers, to ensure the statues were as lifelike as possible.
"You know how a mother strokes her child's head? Mothers know what the hairline on the back of their son's head looks like. They wanted them lifelike and accurate," said Shirley Begg.
The artists worked in their Cochrane, Alta., studio, building frames for each 400-kilogram statue, fleshing them out in clay and then finally pouring the bronze into the final moulds.
Colleen Myrol, mother of Const. Brock Myrol, previously expressed her admiration for the effort it took to create the parks.
"We have seen the worst of humanity and now we are seeing the best of humanity," she said.
The Fallen Four Memorial Park includes a garden, the bronze statues, a picnic area and a visitor's centre, and is near the town's RCMP detachment.
With files from the Canadian Press
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