Queen’s Book of Condolences to Tour Cumberland
The Municipality of Cumberland is offering a Book of Condolences for Cumberland County residents to share their thoughts and memories of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away September 8 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
Mayor Murray Scott said, “All of us have many fond memories of the Queen and we mourn her her passing like so many across Canada and the Commonwealth.” Scott added, “For seven decades she reigned with grace and dignity and we want to offer an opportunity to residents to share their thoughts and memories of the Queen in a Book of Condolences that we’re going to send to Buckingham Palace.”
The Book of Condolences will be at the Dr. Carson & Marion Murray Community Centre in Springhill from September 20 to 23, then at the Parrsboro Service Centre September 26 to 30, before going to the Pugwash Village Hall October 3 to 7, and finally to the E.D. Fullerton Municipal Building in Upper Nappan October 11 to 14.
The Mayor says, “We wanted to do something to pay tribute to the Queen, to honour her contribution to life in this country, Nova Scotia, and Cumberland County.”
The municipality has lowered its flags to half-staff at all municipal-owned properties and council held a moment of silence in her honour prior to its September committee of the whole meeting on Wednesday.
The Queen was Canada’s longest-serving monarch. She ascended the throne upon the death of her father, King George VI, in February 1952 and her coronation as Queen Elizabeth II was on June 2, 1953.
Her Majesty made 22 official visits to Canada, including five trips to Nova Scotia, the first in November 1951, when she —as Princess Elizabeth— and her father, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, arrived in Amherst by train where they were greeted by 3,000 children during a ten minute stop before the train continued to Truro.
On its way through Cumberland, farmers were requested to keep their cattle off the tracks for two hours prior to the train’s arrival in Springhill Junction and Folly Lake. More than 20,000 people greeted the train in Truro before it made its way to Halifax.
The photo, by Darrell Cole, shows Mayor Murray Scott adding his name to the Book of Condolences.
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