Memorial created in St. Thomas, Ont. for those who carry our 'most precious' cargo
A memorial garden has been created in the region to remember school bus drivers, who have passed on.
Located outside the offices of First Student Canada in St. Thomas, the temporary memorial, soon to be replaced with a permanent one, already draws emotion.
Adorned by a tribute stone etched with a school bus, the memorial features granite tiles with nine names of drivers who’ve passed away.
All of them loved their job as much as the memorial’s creator Will Alden.
A school bus driver for four years, he defines his boss’s definition of the “right” person for the job. A job upended by COVID-19.
“I miss the kids with all the COVID going on. I really enjoy it,” Alden tells CTV News.
But while school buses sat idle, Alden and a colleague took to creating what was to be a simple garden.
As he worked to place plants, the long-time Royal Canadian Legion member says the idea to create a memorial garden popped into his head.
He went to his boss, Kevin Murray, a veteran of the Canadian Forces, and the two men quickly went ahead with Alden’s plan. It's funded directly by First Student Canada.
School bus driver memorial in St. Thomas, Ont. on July 6, 2021. (Sean Irvine/CTV London)
School bus driver memorial in St. Thomas, Ont. on July 6, 2021. (Sean Irvine/CTV London)
The project began by asking 101 school bus drivers and their support staff to think of the names of every driver who has passed away while they’ve been working.
Branch manager Kevin Murray says the list currently stretches back a decade, with a new name, unfortunately, being added just days after the unveiling.
“We just lost one last week she was 43. She drove for us for us for five years.”
Each painful Loss demonstrates how each stone in the garden has a face attached to it.
A face, young students, their parents, and most especially colleagues remember. For Murray, two names that stick out are Wilson Faulkner, who died in 2018, and Mike Nutkins, who died in 2020.
“I remember them fondly. Wilson, was a great advisor, a wonderful person to talk to. Mike, when he passed away, he was a guy who would anything for you. He was always in a great mood and happy.”
Alden echoes those reflections.
“They meant a lot to everybody here. There is not a bad thing I’ve heard about either two of those guys.”
But both men believe there are other bus drivers in Ontario, Canada and globally deserving of recognition. After all, as Murray puts it, “it takes a certain, kind person to drive a school bus.”
That’s why he's hopeful the memorial gardens will catch on. “I think other bus companies will do the same thing. I am hoping they will.”
Alden hopes so too.
“This is really touching home for everyone here.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.