Far from being a quiet dirt road, Arbuckle Lane in Port Caledonia, N.S. has now become a monument to a military family that’s lived there for generations.
The lane is now lined with seven banners, each of which honour a different Arbuckle brother who served in Canada’s Armed Forces.
The new decorations are all thanks to the last surviving Arbuckle brother, 94-year-old veteran Fred.
"I thought it was time for Arbuckle Lane to get a little recognition for seven boys that served roughly 95 years in service,” he told CTV Atlantic. Arbuckle’s own military career spans over 25 years.
Four of his brothers served in — and survived — the Second World War. While the other Arbuckle boys, including Fred, enlisted after the conflict was over.
He said that most of his time was spent serving on NATO missions in countries all around the world.
"I stayed in and served in Korea, Egypt, Cyprus, Belgium, the Congo,” he said, adding that he had three tours in Europe.
More recently, Arbuckle had become aware of the Veterans' Banner project in Sackville, N.B, which places banners in public spaces to honour local military veterans.
That project was started by Garth Zwicker who decided to commemorate local veterans including his father who served in the Korean War. Their goal is to have a total of 100 banners up by 2020. Zwicker himself had been inspired by a similar project started in Saint John, N.B.
It was through that project that Arbuckle realized how he could honour and remember his six brothers.
With the help of his wife, Frances, the couple ordered seven banners and had them delivered.
Then, after petitioning Nova Scotia Power, the private utility company gave Arbuckle special permission to hang them on the lane's power poles.
Arbuckle said she could not be prouder of her husband for “wanting to do it and carrying it through” because it “wasn't an easy process.”
“We had lots of digging up. This information and that. But they look wonderful,” she said.
They say that people have been curiously stopping by the area to check out the new banners. Each of them describe a different brother’s military history.
Seeing the banners brings up fond family memories for both the nonagenarian and the other relatives of the brothers who have died.
"It's their daughters and sons that make me very proud. The comments I get from them. They're very proud of it,” Arbuckle said.
When asked what his brothers would think of the gesture, he said, "I think they'd be as proud as I am.”
With a report from CTV Atlantic’s Ryan MacDonald
