City of Cambridge mounts new Parkhill Dam Memorial plaque to honour lost officer and child
A new, permanent plaque has been mounted at the Parkhill Dam memorial site in Cambridge to, once again, honour a police officer who gave his life trying to save a boy from the Grand River.
The original plaque disappeared over the summer, along with a few other brass plaques around the downtown Galt core.
The memorial pays tribute to the sacrifice of Constable David Nicholson, who gave his life trying to save 12-year-old Mark Gage, both of whom perished in the river on August 12, 1998.
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“That whole event brought the community together,” said Cambridge Mayor, Jan Liggett.
She added, “Our four centres, Blair, Preston, Hespeler, Galt….those [river]banks were lined every single night, and on the weekend. It was a child in the community, as well as the people who serve us.”
Liggett said, “We all felt that, the emotions of that. And everybody brought their children to it, and that’s what we did for a few days. No matter what’s going in on a community, when there’s something that’s so tragic happens, we all pull together. And I don’t think we’re any different today than we were back then.”
The new plaque at the stone sculpture and flower memorial was mounted by the City of Cambridge last week without fanfare.
Liggett said she regrets the new plaque could not be installed in time for this year’s anniversary of the tragedy, but she’s glad to know it will be there next year for the families of the victims.
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A city hall spokesperson confirms to 570 NewsRadio the new plaque is bronze, not brass, and is mounted in such a way that it would be very difficult to remove if someone wanted to steal it for the recycling value of the metal.
A beautiful wooden plaque that served as a temporary marker at the memorial site was given to Waterloo Regional Police to display at one of their stations.
A statement to 570 NewsRadio from the police service said, “We are thankful that the plaque has been permanently replaced to ensure Const Nicholson and Mark Gage continue to be remembered and that individuals continue to have a place to go and pay their respects.”
