Plans announced for Charlie’s Tree replacement

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SURREY (NEWS 1130) – An iconic memorial in Surrey, dedicated after World War 1 — is being replaced.

Known locally as ‘Charlie’s Tree,’ it is the reason behind a curve on Highway One between 176th Street and 200th.

But after standing for years, the tree fell in late July.

Now the tree and the English Ivy planted around it as a memorial, will be replaced.

“The replacement at this point will actually be a stone marker,” says Fleetwood-Port Kells MP Ken Hardie.

Hardie says the family of former premier Bill Vander Zalm have worked to design it and build the new tribute.

“They wanted to create a stone marker that will be put up at the site. This could be within the next few weeks that everything is put in place. I’m sitting here looking at a draft design that will be carved into a stone.”

“It (tree) was such a close, heartfelt family remembrance,” says Hardie.

He adds, the icon’s loss is sad but the replacement memorial, will ensure Perkins’ memory lives on.

“Obviously having a permanent monument leads to an opportunity for people to understand what happened at that site, which was the tree, but more importantly what the site actually represents. And it represents the memory of somebody that made a significant contribution, not only to the war effort in the First World War, but just as importantly, to remember that and to leave that legacy to the community so that we won’t forget.”

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