The Government of Saskatchewan is commemorating the lives of eight more fallen heroes through its Geo -Memorial Commemorative Naming Program.
Administered by the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport, the GeoMemorial Program honours individuals born or raised in Saskatchewan who have given their lives in service of their province and country by naming geographic features in their memory.
The program also recognizes Saskatchewan persons of prominence who have made significant contributions to the history and development of the province.
Anderson Lake – Named after Corporal Jordan Anderson (Iqaluit, Nunavut), who served with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.
Corporal Anderson was killed on July 4, 2007, by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
Blair Lake – Named after Private Alfred Edward Wesley Blair (Chaplin, Saskatchewan), who was part of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion when he parachuted into France during World War II, and was subsequently killed in action on June 9, 1944.
Goddard Lake – Named after Captain Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard (Madang, Papua New Guinea), who was serving with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry as a forward observation officer when she was killed in a firefight in Panjwai District, Afghanistan on May 17, 2006.
Greff Lake – Named after Master Corporal Byron Greff (Swift Current, Saskatchewan), who served with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.
Master Corporal Greff was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan on October 29, 2011 when the armoured bus he was in was rammed by a car packed with explosives.
Master Corporal Greff was part of the mission to train the Afghan National Army.
Lake MacKenzie – Named after Captain Juli-Ann Dawn MacKenzie (Weyburn, Saskatchewan), who, while serving with the Canadian Air Force, was killed with her co-pilot on July 18, 2002, when her helicopter crashed during severe weather while on a search and rescue mission in Labrador.
Lang Bay – Named after journalist Michelle Lang (Vancouver, British Columbia), who worked in Moose Jaw and later for the Regina Leader-Post. While embedded as a journalist with the Canadian military in Afghanistan, Lang was killed when the armoured vehicle she was riding in hit a roadside bomb on December 30, 2009.
Pineo Point – Named after Constable Derek William Henry Pineo (Halifax, Nova Scotia), who served with the Nipawin and Wilke Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachments. Constable Pineo was killed on duty when his vehicle hit a moose on July 20, 2012.
Willows Lake – Named after Corporal Willmit Alfred Willows (Maple Creek, Saskatchewan), who served with the Calgary Highlanders during World War II. Corporal Willows was wounded by bombing that occurred during the push to take Falaise in France. He died three days later on July 26, 1944.
“We are delighted that the lake named after Nichola is in northeastern Saskatchewan, within the traditional territory of the Chipewyan Dene people,” parents of Captain Nichola Goddard, Tim and Sally Goddard said. “Our family lived for three years in Black Lake, where Nichola not only attended school but also became fluent in the Dene language. We hope that the Dene people who live and work in that area will remember Nichola fondly as they fish and hunt in and around Goddard Lake.”
“Nipawin Legion Branch 120 wanted to honour Constable Derek Pineo for his five year, very visible involvement as an RCMP officer and member of the community by having a point of land named after him on Tobin Lake,” retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer and Legion member Norm Thomson said. “In the RCMP, Constable Pineo was a school liaison officer, committee member for the P.A.R.T.Y. program, developer and promoter of SNOWCHECK for checking snowmobiles on groomed trails.
For more information about the Geo-Memorial Commemorative Naming Program, including how to nominate a new geographic place name, please visit www.pcs.gov.sk.ca/geomemorial.
