Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce Parker
A little background to prove the point. The Canadian government was approached to fund a museum on Juno Beach, the only major country not to have done so.
No interest.
So Walmart of all corporations fundraised and organized the museum you see there today (I won't speak to its quality, maybe it's gotten better since I was there). Then, at the last minute an embarrassed government threw in a little cash and shamelessly took centre stage at the opening ceremony ribbon cutting.
Pardon my cynicism but if our current government could save a few bucks by forgetting about the museum, the beach and the whole historical event called D-Day they'd support oceanfront condos in a heartbeat.
|
Bruce, I am glad you provided the background as few people understand the events that transpired with respect to the funding and initial government interest in the museum. I and most Europeans I know who are familiar with SWW history also agree with the you concerning the quality of the museum. In fact, some 10 years ago, the museum was close to being permanently shuttered due to low visitation and required additional federal funding just to stay open.
Looking at their 11th hour plea for support, I would have thought that this move to build condos close to the museum would have been brought to the public's attention long before now. As well, the wording of the pleas is not very specific as to exactly where the proposed condos are going, I think I know the location but am not 100% sure, so it might be hard to garner support without more precise details.
While we all hate to see development encroach on famous battlefields, this is essentially a French matter about French soil and what they want to do with their land. Back in 1993, just ahead of the 50th Anniversary celebrations, the original Pegasus Bridge was removed and replaced with a newer bridge to accommodate road improvements. Few people were happy at the time given the importance of the bridge to the D-Day story, but that is now in the past as the original bridge is only 60m away forming part of the Pegasus Memorial.