WHITBY — The Park of Reflection in Whitby is dedicated to honouring war veterans and first responders, men and women who have seen horrible things.
But nothing could prepare Korean War veteran Carl Burrill for the sight he came upon recently at the Park of Reflection.
Burrill is the volunteer groundskeeper at the park and last month he discovered a memorial tree donated by the Vimy Oaks Foundation was uprooted and thrown over a fence, while another sapling was broken in half. Vimy oak trees are descendants of fallen oaks from the battle of Vimy Ridge during the First World War.
The sight was devastating for Burrill.
“It’s awful to damage something like that, it means so much to us,” he says. “We need to get it to stop but we don’t know how.”
The Park of Reflection was built by Wounded Warriors, a charity that helps Canadian Armed Forces members and first responders recover after being injured in the line of duty.
Burrill got involved with Wounded Warriors because he himself was wounded in the line of duty when a six-wheeled vehicle he was riding went over a landmine in Korea.
“When I boarded the ship, I asked to go on the largest destroyer they had,” Burrill says. “I was a farm boy fresh off the farm — it was hard.”
Matt Wocks is the director of communications for Wounded Warriors. He too was disappointed when he heard about the vandalism at the Park of Reflection. He said when Wounded Warriors was approached by Vimy Oaks about the donation of a tree, “we were so honoured."
“What that tree represents in our park is that we provide programming for veterans and first responders and their families to deal with trauma.”
Burrill volunteers at the park seven days a week, keeping it clean and laying memorial stones. According to Wocks, Burrill is a dedicated volunteer and feels vandals could learn a lot from him.
“I think a good lesson for them would be for them to talk to our groundskeeper Carl and what that park means to him and his service and sacrifice to our country,” says Wocks. “Carl really is the embodiment of that park.”
Earlier in the year, Burrill’s wife died due to complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). He says tending to the park is comforting for him and this recent vandalism has hurt him greatly, bringing him to tears during the interview.
Burrill says vandals have thrown rocks in the field and says he was even put in hospital after one vandal loosened a railing he uses to climb a set of stone steps. He fell and was knocked unconscious, peeling much of the skin from his left arm.
Burrill says he wishes he could speak to the person(s) destroying the park.
“I’d like to explain to them what they’re damaging,” he says. “I’m up there seven days a week putting in stones and keeping it clean. We respect it. It means a lot to us, especially me.”
John Vickery of Vickery Electrics met with Burrill and offered to donate a 30-foot pole with a motion activated light to help deter vandals. The pole would have otherwise cost between $850 to $900.
“That’s a wonderful thing for someone to do,” Burrill says.
Burrill says the pole should go up in the “next couple of days” and adds he is grateful for Vickery and his donation. He says he hopes the vandalism stops so those who want to enjoy the park can do so.
“It’s very special and when people walk in the gates they’re brought to tears,” he says. “We’re just hoping we can get everything cleaned up.”
— With files from Parvaneh Pessian
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