Forever remembered: Interpretative panel unveiled at Kentville playground recognizing Walter Wood

The Walter Wood Playground now has an interpretative panel to tell the namesake’s story. He was a longtime scouter in Kentville who was invested into the Order of Canada in 1978. From left are Kentville Historical Society president Lynn Pulsifer, secretary Susan Twohig and First Aylesford Scouts troop scouter Garnet Aalders. Photo by Jason Malloy /Annapolis Valley RegisterArticle contentThe legacy of a prominent Kentville resident is once again on public display.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentThe Kentville Historical Society unveiled an interpretative panel outlining Walter Wood’s story at the playground the Kinsman Club of Kentville named in his honour in 1977.Article contentArticle contentWood, who started the 2nd Kentville Scout Troop at St. James Anglican Church in 1928, died in 1981 at the age of 104 after influencing generations of youth in and around town.Article contentArticle content“Today, we are here to honour and to remember Walter Richard Wood, known as Nova Scotia’s Grand Old Man of Scouting,” historical society president Lynn Pulsifer told the roughly 40 people gathered at the Kentville Memorial Park site on July 3.Article content This portrait of Walter Wood is on display at the Kentville Heritage Centre. Photo by ContributedArticle contentShe said he had many achievements during his life. They included receiving the two highest honours in Scouting, the Silver Acorn and the Silver Fox awards, and becoming the oldest person to be invested into the Order of Canada in 1978 when he was 101.Article contentArticle contentFamilyArticle contentLinda Wood-Carey was one of the three generations of the Wood family in attendance for the ceremony. Her voice full of emotion, she said being part of the ceremony would likely be the last thing she gets to do to honour her grandfather.Article contentArticle content“I am so glad this is here,” she said. “It means an awful lot to me and I think it means a lot to the rest of the family.”Article content Walter Wood’s grandchildren took part in the unveiling of a storyboard in his honour at the playground in Kentville Memorial Park on July 3. From left are Coldbrook resident Mildred Small, Avonport’s Linda Wood-Carey, Stephen Wood, a Belnan, Hants County resident; Mount Denson’s Christine Rafuse and David Wood, of Moncton, N.B. Photo by Jason Malloy /Annapolis Valley RegisterArticle contentArticle contentWood-Carey said her grandfather was born in London, England, on Oct. 24, 1876. He came to Saint John, N.B., in 1896, and joined the Dominion Atlantic Railway in Kentville in 1916.Article content“Walter had many talents, including instructing young people in sports, outdoor life, first aid and playing the piano,” she said.Article contentIn 1928, he organized a local church hockey league for boys aged 10-16 and kept statistics of every game in notebooks the family still has.Article contentFollowing the Second World War, Wood-Carey said, he was instrumental in the formation of the district Scout camps at Lower Lake Sixty. He organized the first Apple Day in Kentville as a fundraiser for the four troops in town and apples were available for people attending the July 3 ceremony.Article contentWood attended his last winter camp when he was 100. That camp also marked his first trip on a snowmobile.Article content“He was bound and determine he was going,” Wood-Carey said.Article contentWhen he turned 100, he received letters from scouts around the world.Article content“At barely five-feet tall, Walter Wood was difficult to distinguish from the rest of his troop, but he spoke with authority. Despite advanced years, he retained his keen sense of humour and his agility belied his age as he remained active in scouting past the age of 100,” an article published in a newspaper after his death said.Article content“His greatest satisfaction came from ‘being able to compare the record of some member of my troop with that of his father, or grandfather, both of whom had, in their own generation, been members of the same troop.’”