The Corporation of Delta unveiled a new Boundary Bay Airport cenotaph and officially opened the Air Cadet Commemorative Pathway last Sunday to celebrate the 75th anniversaries of the airport and the Air Cadet League of Canada (air cadets).
The project also pays homage to the 29 airmen who lost their lives while serving at Royal Canadian Air Force Station Boundary Bay during the Second World War.
The public is invited to reflect on the untold stories and photos posted along the pathway, detailing the sacrifices of our veterans. In the centre of the pathway sits the newly constructed, eight-foot tall granite cenotaph that recognizes those who served at Boundary Bay between 1941 and 1945.
"Canada's veterans were instrumental in protecting our freedom," said Mayor Lois Jackson. "The cenotaph and pathway allows us to walk back through history to properly honour their memory."
The project was initiated by the air cadets after having approached the Corporation of Delta with a proposal to develop a garden at Boundary Bay Airport to commemorate the anniversary of the organization's establishment. The project quickly developed into a larger memorial that both chronicles Delta's rich aviation history and properly commemorates the coinciding 75th anniversaries of the air cadets and the airport.
Delta staff decided on the entrance to the terminal as an ideal location to give the monument and pathway the prominence and recognition they deserve.
"This project was only possible through all of the generous support we've received," said Air Cadet League of Canada director Ron Rique.
"We are able to forever honour the past, celebrate the present and be optimistic of our future through the youth we are developing today."
