History is an important part of New Westminster’s identity, and on May 17, the city received a piece of Canadian history – branches from the tree that inspired the song The Maple Leaf Forever.
On a bright and warm Saturday afternoon, members of the Society of the Officers of the Honourable Guard, along with city officials and the 3rd Canadian Army Veterans motorcycle unit, welcomed the official delivery of two branches from the Maple Leaf Forever tree.
The famous Canadian tree, which is said to have inspired Alexander Muir’s poem and song The Maple Leaf Forever, stood for more than a century on Laing Street in Toronto before it was knocked down during a storm last summer.
Shortly after the tree came down, it was decided that its branches would be used in some 150 projects across the country.
When society president Rob Rathbun heard about the project, he contacted Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and asked if his organization could get a piece of the iconic tree.
“It’s a link to our past because when this song was written, British Columbia was not part of Canada yet. British Columbia didn’t join Canada until 1871, so we were still a separate colony, and this tree represents something bigger than all of us,” he said following the delivery ceremony on Saturday.
One of the branches, which Rathbun noted had already reached maturity in the early 1900s, will be used to create a ceremonial drum major’s mace for the Society of the Officers of the Honourable Guard.
The society has commissioned Ed Pretty of the Greater Vancouver Wood Turners Guild to carve the shaft for the mace. When completed, it will be fused with a mace made entirely of B.C. silver, donated by Teck Resources.
The society is also donating pieces of the second branch to schools in New Westminster.
“All the schools in New Westminster are going to get a piece of this wood, so children can actually physically touch something of their national symbol,” Rathbun said.
Acquiring the branches is a source of pride for the society, Rathbun added, and something all members were excited to share with the community.
“It’s a wonderful project, and as we (the city) grow it’s something that will always be in our community,” he said.
