At the Annual General Meeting of Freemasons Hall Limited in Halifax last April, many ideas were advanced as to how the Freemasons of Nova Scotia could celebrate the millennium and over 200 years of Masonry in Nova Scotia in a meaningful fashion. It was decided to encourage all Lodges to celebrate these events in any way they chose, but to also take on a major project that could have a lasting effect on the Masons of the province. The selected project was the new Memorial Gardens Project being built at Camp Hill Veterans Hospital in Halifax, under the aegis of the Queen Elizabeth Two (QE2) Hospital Foundation. As there are many Masons who call the Camp Hill their final home, this was thought to be an excellent way to help not only them, but for Nova Scotian Freemason's to honor our country's War Veterans.

Freemason's Hall Limited donated the initial $2500 to this project. Supported by the Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia, they then set about to see if there was any interest in and around the Province in what was being done. We have been overwhelmed at the generous response of our brethren from Nova Scotia who embraced the concept of this project. It was also determined at the time of the original donation that once we saw what we were able to raise in the way of contributions from around the Province, that we would approach the Masonic Foundation to ask if they would also consider making a donation. This step has just taken place, and we are currently waiting for the Board of the Foundation to meet to consider our request.

To date we have collected approximately $9000 from the various Masonic Bodies under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia, and money still continues to arrive. Should the Masonic Foundation determine that they too would consider participating, we could find that our final count would be somewhere between $15,00 to $20,000, a sizeable amount in anyone's books. So much so, that on the 26th of April, the QE2 Foundation will be honoring all contributors to this project. In particular, there are four major contributors who will be honored on that day for the amount of support they have given to our Veterans. They are The Government of Canada, The Royal Bank of Canada, The Royal Canadian Legion, and the Freemasons of Nova Scotia. Our Grand Master will be in attendance at that ceremony.

While there are many details yet to be ironed out about what sort of recognition will be given and to whom in the Gardens when they are finished, the Gardens themselves will be wonderful for the guests who call the Camp Hill home. There has already been a Cenotaph erected where the Veterans will be able to hold their own memorial services on Remembrance Day, Battle of Britain Sunday and Battle of Atlantic Sunday. They will not have to be bussed offsite any more for these events that mean so much to them. There will be shaded gardens for them to either stroll through or be pushed through in wheelchairs. There will be an enclosure built around the Gardens to keep the guests from wandering away from the facility, and a general atmosphere of peace and quiet will prevail. There will be benches for them to sit on, small pools, shade trees and all manner of comforts for the Vets to enjoy, right where they live.

This project has become a labour of love to those who have been involved most closely with it. To the Brethren who have contributed so generously to it, our heartfelt thanks are sent. There will always be work to be done at the Veterans Memorial Gardens Project, but for now we Freemasons can take real pride in this special millennium project, and our particular part in it.