Our community benches are alive with stories. Sit and imagine who they commemorate.
Last weekend I sat on a community bench at Whytecliff Park, overlooking the ocean in one of the most stunning settings I have ever seen. Reading the inscription on the bench plaque, I wondered who the person being commemorated was, if they liked this particular view, and what their story was. It passed the time, and I began to make up a character based on this person for a novel. But that’s just me being weird again.
Apparently, the municipalities call them tribute benches. If you’ve ever sat on a bench at a public beach, at a bus stop, or a beautiful park, you might have read a plaque inscription or two yourself. Some of my recent favourites (names omitted):
Lived. Loved. Mattered. You are missed.
Sit and share her favourite view.
Oh what a lovely man.
In amongst our oceanside walks, urban pathways, and stunning outdoor spaces, the classic park bench allows for three lines of text, with strict rules for what they can say. They are the shortest eulogies we can write about our loved ones.
There’s a waitlist to get one and the cost is around $4,000. It includes the bench, plaque, installations, and maintenance for a 10-year term. It takes three months to a full year for the inscription to be cast on a plaque and the bench installed. It’s not quick. But, at the end of the process, you have an incredible way to honour someone you love, a significant event, or even a special occasion.
Decide where you would like to donate a bench, with a second choice of location in mind. Where is meaningful to you and the person you are dedicating the bench to? We have so many restful and beautiful places here on the North Shore, but the spot you choose is going to be a deeply personal one.
Once you’ve decided on a public space, email the parks department at the CNV, DNV, or West Vancouver city hall to have your name put on the waiting list to donate a bench. Then the real work begins: thinking of an inscription. Dates indicating a lifetime can’t be used. Words must be kept in the present tense to keep the feeling uplifting. They must be non-denominational. You can have a maximum of three lines with a limited amount of characters per line, including spaces.
Well, there’s a challenge. Each word has to be carefully chosen. No logos, no graphics. You are now writing a poem that speaks as much about the person writing it as the person you are writing about. Words are capable of powerful emotions, and the pressure is on. To cap it all, there is no room in your poem for meter, rhythm, or elaboration. It’s simply an ode plucked from the heart, and that’s what makes it special.
Tribute benches can be traced back to ancient Egyptian gardens and Roman public squares, which often had monuments, benches, and seats to commemorate influential leaders. Over time, the idea has evolved from well-known philosophers and the like to everyday folk with personal connections to the environment.
They tend to be placed in natural surroundings, the bench sites designed to harmonize with the beauty of the earth. They become part of a seamless part of the landscape that we accept and normalize. It’s no surprise that there’s a symbolic meaning between an everlasting memory of the person being honoured and the eternal beauty of nature.
Our benches overlook rugged, sunny, or storm-filled panoramic open spaces as well as calming tree-filled parks. The unpredictability of the weather is something we can all learn from in life. It brings us a plethora of joy, hardship, laughter, and grief.
With grief comes reflection, no matter what. And what better place to think about a person, a past, or a future, than an ergonomically designed seat in front of a naturally created vista. They used to love it there. And now, the community can love it to. These benches are accessible to everyone, inviting strangers to pause, sit, and think. We unknowingly sit on someone’s unique story.
North Vancouver’s Jackie Bateman is an award-winning author, screenwriter, copywriter, and extremely nosy if you get too close. [email protected]
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