The Memorial

To finish the story, Art had a cross made and shortly after, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. went out and erected a cross where Reggie was found.  Art and I had cut a road in with the power saw and Bob, Jean and family cut the weeds and did a fine trim. It is a very nice and serene spot now even though it is in the middle of a swamp.  Helen and I go out there quite often; it gives us piece of mind.

I started thinking his area is ripe to be clear-cut like the rest of the island so I decided to see who owned it and if I could buy a small piece of it especially where Reggie was found.  It would be a shock if to land out there someday and everything would be cut out clean.  A few days later I arrived out to the site and on the road into the field where the car was found, they were clear-cutting a wedge piece of property that the government did not own.

I contacted the Government land office and was directed to Don McAskill, he was great ad the land was not for sale, but they should be able to do something and political help would be helpful.  I contacted Andy Mooney and he contacted the Minister, Hon. Jim Ballem.  He said, “ Do whatever s necessary to secure the sight”. 

It is now called the “Reggie MacDonald Memorial Site” on the forestry maps, it will never be cut and will be maintained by the Department of Forestry and they will plant trees out there. 

Our Island emblem, the rare “Lady Slipper” grows there. 

We are very thankful to the government