P.E.I.'s International Children's Memorial Place keeps growing

A 12-acre site at Scales Pond has become a special place for parents and families from P.E.I. and beyond, and it's getting some clean-up help from the new CBC P.E.I. Do Crew this weekend.

The International Children's Memorial Place was set up on the site of an old mill pond and decommissioned hydro-electric dam on the Dunk River.

It was the idea of Bill and Myra MacLean, who were looking for a way to honour the memory of their son Trevor, who had died in 1995.

"I was interested in having something where parents could go who had lost a child, and just didn't know what that was or what it could look like," Bill MacLean told Island Morning's Matt Rainnie. "Being an outdoor person I thought, well maybe some place with nature involved would be a good start."

MacLean had a long connection with the Boy Scouts, and had help launch the Beavers program on the Island, as well as Ducks Unlimited in Prince County. He and his son had gone fishing and hunting together.

"We knew we wanted some water, because water seems to be a healing component," he said. "Scales Pond was a provincial park. It was being looked after by a community group, and they were ready to move on and let something else happen there. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time I guess, and that's were it started."

Rest and reflect

The area is still open to the local community, but it is maintained as a place for parents and siblings who have lost someone to come, rest, and reflect.

"We call it the world's largest outdoor hospital," he said.

MacLean and his board found out quickly there were a lot of people interested. "Everybody knows somebody who has lost someone, and it just seemed to spread."

The International Children's Memorial Place features an ever-living forest, where people plant trees in memory of lost children, a trail of reflection through the area, a path of remembrance where people can place memorial engraved bricks, and the old buildings associated with the mill and dam, one of which is now a museum.

"People just look around at the beauty of the place, the pond, the water, the grass, historic buildings, it's just a natural," said MacLean.

Running out of room

The spot has grown so much of late, MacLean said they are running out of room for memorial trees, and they need to expand.

"It makes you feel good but at the same time you wonder how are we going to keep this going? It's getting so big," he said.

"We just rely on donations to operate. and it's a big challenge. But it's a good-feeling challenge."

One way to help is to join the CBC P.E.I. Do Crew. They'll be there to help clean up the area this weekend, May 20 - 21.

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