Cottagers pay tribute to veteran's memory Posted on 2008-07-10 17:38:05 Memorial unveiled at Rondeau. Posted by Ellwood Shreve, The Chatham Daily News A man passionate about his country and his community, especially Rondeau Provincial Park, has left a lasting impression on family and friends. The Rondeau Cottagers Association unveiled a memorial bench as a tribute to the late Lt. Col. Arthur Pill (Ret.), located at the Rondeau Yacht Club, overlooking Rondeau Bay. Pill, who passed away in 2006 at age 87, enlisted in the Royal Army Corps in 1938 and in 1942 was captured by Rommel's Afrika Corps on the northern coast of Africa and sent to a prisoner of war (P. O. W.) camp during the Second World War. He would later escape from three P. O. W. camps in three different countries. Event organizer, Alysson Storey, who has researched the military history of several local veterans including Pill's, recalled he used to say, "I guess they really liked me," when talking about escaping from the P. O. W. camps. Dr. David Colby, president of the Rondeau Cottagers Association, described Pill as a "modest man, but he was very proud -- and justifiably so -- of his record of service." He added, "Art was a tireless worker for the cause of Rondeau." Colby said Pill, who purchased a cottage at the park in the 1970s, knew everything about the history of the cottages and the efforts of different governments over the years to remove them from the park. Long time friend, Stew McLaren, whose father served as superintendent of Rondeau for 29 years, said he called Pill "the voice of reason." He added his friend, who served more than 25 years as a director for the cottagers association, was a "stabilizing force" who never lost his cool. McLaren said in the ongoing battle to keep the government from trying to get rid of cottages in the park, Pill came up with the slogan: "Parks are for people too." He recalled Pill saying, "birds and bees and trees are important, but people should be here too." Pill moved to the Blenheim area in the mid-1950s where he taught at Blenheim District High School for 28 years. He s military service as a Lieutenant with the Essex & Kent Scottish Regiment and was responsible for the operation of several national cadet camps and training schools. He went on to become Lieutenant Colonel of the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve. Chatham-Kent Essex MP Dave Van Kesteren, who brought greetings on behalf of Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson, said he became close friends with Pill after meeting him in 2000. "Art was a man of impeccable manners and character," Van Kesteren said. "He was always a gentleman." Three of his 10 children attended the ceremony, including his sons Jonathan, of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Adam of Rondeau, and daughter Annabell Randall, from British Columbia. When asked how much his father spoke about his military service, Jonathan joked, "there wasn't a day that didn't go by that he didn't talk about it. "He was a survivor, that's why we're all survivors," he added. Jonathan said the tribute to his father is "wonderful . . . It's very nice." He said his father loved it at Rondeau, noting he spent half his time at the park and the other half in Florida. When asked what his father instilled in him, Jonathan said, "I would say honesty and the ability to deal with things. "He was not only my father, he was my best friend," he added. Adam said, "it's a very, very important day," adding he appreciates what the community has done to honour his father's memory. The location is also fitting for the tribute, because "Rondeau was heaven for dad," he said. Adam recalled his father being active in both the Rondeau community and Chatham-Kent community at large, noting, "he was a champion of many causes." Annabell said her father "would have been proud" to receive this honour. "He's very deserving of it," she added. "He did a lot for the park and a lot of people." -Reprinted with permission of The Chatham Daily News back to main