New Hamburg Veterans’ Crosswalk Creates a Lasting Place of Remembrance
By Scott Dunstall
A new Veterans’ Memorial Crosswalk in downtown New Hamburg now offers residents a year-round reminder of the service and sacrifice of Wilmot veterans.
The crosswalk was officially unveiled September 3 on Huron Street in downtown New Hamburg, with veterans, Legion members, municipal officials, business owners, donors and residents in attendance. Its completion marked the end of more than a year of planning, fundraising and cooperation involving the Royal Canadian Legion, New Hamburg Branch 532, the New Hamburg Board of Trade and Wilmot Township.
The idea originated with the Legion, which wanted to create a visible public tribute to those who have served—and continue to serve—in Canada’s Armed Forces. When the Legion needed help navigating the approval and fundraising process, the New Hamburg Board of Trade agreed to become its community partner.
“When the Legion needed a community partner to help guide them through the process, we immediately stepped up,” said Lillianne Dunstall, president of the New Hamburg Board of Trade and Wilmot Township councillor for Ward 4. “The Board of Trade is not only business-minded; it is also community-minded.”
“We said to the Legion, ‘You pick the design, and the Board of Trade will do the heavy lifting,’” Dunstall recalled.
That work included design discussions, meetings with municipal staff, obtaining approvals and raising the required funds. Dunstall thanked Wilmot Township staff, including Director of Public Works and Engineering Ken VanderWal, Amy Kroetsch and Jason Zehr, for helping overcome the many challenges encountered along the way.
“I cannot describe the number of challenges and obstacles we faced over the last year and a half,” she said. “With their help, we walked around them, under them and over them—and we got through them.”
The New Hamburg Board of Trade also took on the challenge of raising the $18,000 required for the project, which included installation and future maintenance costs. Board member Scott Dunstall led the fundraising campaign, developing the promotional materials, tracking donations and collecting contributions from local residents. The campaign was carried out in partnership with the Township of Wilmot, which collected donations online, while some contributions were made in person.
During the unveiling, Wilmot Mayor Natasha Salonen thanked everyone who contributed and spoke about the responsibility shared by the entire community.
“It is wonderful to see this Veterans’ Crosswalk come to fruition,” Salonen said. “Thank you to everyone who helped bring this vision to reality. It stands as a lasting reminder of the service and sacrifice of our veterans, and of our shared responsibility to remember and honour them.”
The crosswalk joins several other local tributes that help preserve the stories of those who served. These include Wilmot’s veterans’ banner program, annual Remembrance Day ceremonies and the new tribute mural on the exterior of the New Hamburg Legion.
Bob Neubauer, the Legion’s former and long-serving Sergeant-at-Arms, led the Colour Party in from the adjacent parking lot and performed a “right wheel” onto the Cross Walk. When the cross walk disbanded after the ceremony, Morningside resident Mike Disney was selected to be the first veteran that was not a member of the Colour Party to make the walk across. The attendees remained silent until he reached the opposite curb. As an observer, both moments were very moving.
Neubauer noted “this tribute ensures that we remember and honour their service not only for one day and one hour in November, but every day,” he said. “Each time people come downtown, they can stop and think for a moment about the hardships and sacrifices made for the people of New Hamburg today.”
Bill Pearson, president of the New Hamburg Legion, Branch 532, welcomed those attending the ceremony and described the crosswalk in this way. “This is a tribute to the men and women who are still serving in our Armed Forces, as well as to the many veterans who did not return home to their loved ones,” Pearson said. He also thanked Wilmot Township and the New Hamburg Board of Trade for helping transform the Legion’s idea into a permanent community memorial.
The location of the crosswalk makes remembrance part of everyday life in New Hamburg. Residents will see it while shopping, travelling to work or attending community events. Children may ask what it represents, and visitors will encounter it as they pass through the downtown. Veterans and their families will know that their service and sacrifices have not been forgotten.
The project also demonstrates what can be accomplished when community organizations, municipal staff, businesses and residents work together toward a shared purpose. What began as an idea from the Legion has become a visible promise that New Hamburg will continue to remember.
Pearson closed the ceremony with the familiar words, “At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.”
Those gathered responded, “We will remember them.”
The Veterans’ Memorial Crosswalk will remain in the heart of New Hamburg, ensuring remembrance is not limited to one ceremony or one day in November, but remains part of the community’s daily life.
Lest we forget.
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