A lasting impression: Veterans' medals, coins featured on new monument in Hanwell, N.B.

This week, the town of Hanwell, N.B., erected a monument dedicated to veterans in the community.

The monument was created by an artist from Sussex, N.B.

“Peter Powning was here, and he actually had clay, the he took impressions of these memorials that people brought in from people around the Hanwell area,” said Dave Morrison, mayor of Hanwell.

“So their mementos of either their grandad or their father or their brother or their sister that served overseas, or even served locally, he took those impressions and he incorporated them into the bronze ribbon that goes around the monument.”

The monument is outside the community’s town hall.

"That's a bronze wrap that's wrapped around burnish stainless steel the wrap that goes around it has imprints of several pieces that people brought in to have imprinted into the monument, it was something they carried out last year at the fire hall,” said Morrison.

Veterans, service members and emergency responders from the community say they are excited to see their memories become a piece of the town's history.

"I brought over my medals and had one of my medals done, I brought one of my grandfather's from World War II and one of my great-grandfather’s from World War I,” said veteran Edward Korpan. “So I have kind of three generations on that which is kind of cool.”

“Although I'm from Toronto and my father's from Elora in Ontario, that we're really part of the community now because the community is growing greatly,” he added.

Veterans are happy to see the community recognize it’s former military members, particularly since living so close to Canada’s third biggest Base, Gagetown.

"I think it's wonderful a lot of the vets don't get the respect and the attention that they deserve, it's great to see,” said veteran Gerry Shea. “I tried to find my medals, my impressions on there but there's too many, I can't pick out which are mine.”

Warrant Officer Michael Regier brought his daughter Andreonna to Hanwell following Remembrance Day ceremonies to show her his medals imprinted onto the statue.

"I figured, because my wife and I we plan to retire here, this would be a perfect opportunity to put something towards a monument that we can come and see at least once a year,” Regier said. 

Warrant Officer Michael Regier and his daughter Andreonna are pictured in front of a a monument for veterans in Hanwell, N.B. (Alyson Samson/CTV)