Legionnaire hopeful caribou statue will eventually make it to Gallipoli

A man who's been involved in organizing events to mark the centennial of the First World War says he still thinks a caribou monument will be erected in Turkey, regardless of the plan being scrapped.

Gary Browne,a former spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Legion Newfoundland and Labrador Command, said he understands the provincial government is facing tough financial choicesand that's one reason the plan was dropped.

• No caribou statue for Gallipoli to honour Royal Newfoundland Regiment

The statue was meant to honour soldiers from Newfoundland and Labrador who were killed in Turkey in the First World War. Gallipoli was one of the first battles N.L. soldiers fought and 30 died in combat; 10 others died from disease.

Browne saidit's important to commemorate the roles of the Newfoundland Regiment and the Royal Navy Reserve in the Gallipoli campaign.

He's confident the government still wants to seethe caribou monument in Turkey.

"I think this is just a hiccupto be quite honest with you, and because of what went on in Gallipoli, I think that down the road, and with the help of our provincial government, that we will soon see that iconic caribou at the beginning of the trail of the caribou inGallipoliin the not too distant future,"Browne told The St. John's Morning Show.

However, Premier Paul Davis saidTurkish ambassador to Canada,SelcukUnal, told him in December that monuments were not permitted at the Gallipoli site.

"The ambassador explained that it was a long-standing policy of the government and that other countries have been permitted to place plaques for commemoration purposes," Davis said in a news release Tuesday.

Davis said he told Unalthat the Turkish government should rethink itspolicy.

The statue would have been part of the Trail of the Caribou, which features five statues at different sites in France and Belgium, as well as a sixth in Bowring Park in St. John's.