Nanaimo memorial honours sacrifices of island miners
NANAIMO — A formal tribute to the estimated 1,000 men who died working in Vancouver Island’s dangerous coal mining industry has been officially unveilled south of Nanaimo.
A miners’ memorial plaque now stands at Morden Colliery Historic Provincial Park off Morden Rd., after a fundraising effort by the Friends of Morden Mine Society (FOMMS) generated $10,000.
Vancouver Island coal historian and author T.W. Paterson wrote the memorial message etched into the stone plaque near the 104-year-old concrete structure.
“I wanted something that represented not just Morden, but all of the coal miners on Vancouver Island, and by that I mean their families as well, so we’re talking thousands.”