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The Ross Memorial Park Story

East Saint John Park is 50 Years in the Making!

Leon Sautiere, former president of Jervis Bay Memorial Branch 53 Royal Canadian Legion, says he's happy he's lived long enough to see a park created on the East Side.

The project was 50 years in the making. In 1942, the late Rev. James D. Ross deeded the land to the municipality of Saint John for 99 years to be eventually developed into a park. In 1953 Sautiere, then president of the branch, negotiated with the minister's son to gain title of the land.

Lack of funding and changes over the years saw plans for the park lost and buried on the back burner. It wasn't until some old branch files were sorted through that the deed reappeared.

That got the ball rolling again. On Sept. 25, 1994, the Park was officially opened by Joan M. Marshall, the daughter of George W.W. Ross, the man Sautiere dealt with in 1953 to obtain the land.

Sautiere stresses the importance of the very dedicated committee who worked on the project, including vice chairman Ron Harding and secretary J.C. (Sonny) Thomas.

"It all boils down to one basic thing", Sautiere says, "If you get a good committee, anything's possible."

Along with being a year-round public access park, the site serves as a location for various Legion ceremonies, such as the annual Nov. 5 Ceremony marking the anniversary of the sinking of the HMS Jervis Bay, and the Remembrance Day Ceremony Nov. 11.

Compiled from various sources including articles written by Trudy Kelly Forsythe for the «Telegraph Journal» and Erin Dwyer for the «Evening Times-Globe».

Each year, vandalism takes its toll on the park and impacts the budget assigned for normal maintenance. Would you like to assist us in keeping this park, and the memories it represents, in top condition? Any donation would be appreciated. Contact Matt Flecknell, 20 Jimegal Lane, Saint John, NB Canada E2J 4R6 .

Did You Know? Owen Sound (Ontario) has a small riverside parkette named for Jervis Bay honouring several local residents amongst her crew on that last fatal day, including "Jimmie" Johnston, Owen Sound's first in-service war casuality. Contributed by Cliff McMullen

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