I remember when the statue, if that is what it is, was erected. A pointer boat on top of a spike didn’t make much sense to me. I knew the history, the importance of the boats to the logging industry in the Pembroke area, but you really couldn’t get a sense of what they were like if it was so high. Checking Wikipedia I see that it is a monument. I knew that, it is just that the word escaped me.

I was pleased therefore to discover on my recent visit to Pembroke that someone had the vision to erect a display at eye level, so you can actually see what the things looked like and read a little of their story. If you walk the Kiwanis Way you can see what a pointer boat looked like.

It’s an aspect of Canadian history that you would probably never hear about if you didn’t visit Pembroke. Before I lived there (1987-99) I had never heard of pointer boats. That ha me wondering. What else have I missed?

Canada is a big country, with a lot of stories that are important but regional. In the Ottawa Valley alone there are so many tales that deserve a wider audience but they just don’t get told. There’s probably nothing I can do about that – but at least today you have heard about pointer boats, probably for the first time.

I hope your life is richer for it.