News
Springhill Veterans Honoured with Memorial Bench and Commemorative Plaque
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When Canada went to war during the two world wars of the last century, Springhill answered the call with one of the highest rates of military service on a per-capita basis.
Many of the young men who enlisted to serve King and Country never returned. Today, their names are etched on the cenotaph at the corner of Main Street and Junction Road, standing as a lasting reminder of their sacrifice.
For several years, the Springhill Veterans Banner Committee has worked to ensure local veterans are remembered through banners displayed on utility poles along Main Street. Now, that tribute has been expanded with the unveiling of a memorial bench beside the cenotaph and a permanent display featuring photographs of every veteran honoured through the banner program.
"The committee started in 2020 through the vision and determination of Allison Rolfe, who believed our veterans should be recognized in a visible and lasting way," committee member Beth Adams said during the unveiling ceremony.
"We started with a committee of eight people and today we have seven following Allison's passing. Her dedication and friendship remain deeply missed. Like so many volunteers in our communities, everyone's contributions have helped build something that will continue for generations."
New Pumper/Tanker arrives for Pugwash Fire Department
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For several years the Municipality of Cumberland has invested millions of dollars in its rural fire departments to better protect local communities.
The latest addition to the fleet of fire vehicles was finalized on Monday, July 20, 2026, with the arrival of a 2026 Freightliner/Fort Garry four-man crown pumper tanker for the Pugwash Fire Department.
The truck, built in Winnipeg, Man. by Fort Garry Fire Trucks, replaces a 26-year-old pumper truck.
Chief Alex Mundle accepted the keys from Municipality of Cumberland Mayor Rod Gilroy and District 3 Coun. Jennifer Houghtaling and members of the fire department ‘ceremoniously’ pushed the old pumper out of the fire hall and the new one in.
Municipal council approved the purchase of the pumper truck in February 2025 at a cost of just over $788,000.
“This new vehicle is another important investment in the safety of the residents of Pugwash and the surrounding communities,” Mayor Gilroy said. “It also ensures our volunteer firefighters have the reliable, modern apparatus they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.”
Parrsboro Celebrates 100th Birthday of the MV Kipawo
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For 15 years the MV Kipawo connected communities on both sides of the Minas Basin.
While that connection was severed more than 80 years ago, the ship’s 100th birthday is being celebrated in Parrsboro and in a pair of Annapolis Valley communities where the Kipawo made stops between 1926 and 1941, when it was requisitioned for the war effort.
“She’s a legendary vessel,” said Laura Vingoe-Cram, artistic director of Ship’s Company Theatre said. “She’s lived so many lives with many career changes over the years. She was a ferry boat, she served in World War Two and then she went to Newfoundland and was almost forgotten. And just when it looked as though she had reached the end of the line, she started a new life as part of a theatre company.
“In every career she’s had she’s done the job of connecting people across place and across time through her history. It’s a physical and spiritual connection. That’s why she deserves to be celebrated.”
The Kipawo, which was the 33rd and final ferry to provide service across the Minas Passage, was launched from Saint John in December 1924 and commissioned into the Dominion Atlantic Railway in April 1926.
Eelgrass sculpture at Pugwash Library celebrates hidden ecosystems
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Pugwash has long been known as a community that embraces art.
Over the years, nearly 20 art pieces have been affixed to the walls of the village core as part of the Pugwash Open Air Gallery. On Saturday, June 27, 2026, the latest addition to the gallery was unveiled at the Pugwash Library.
The Community Eelgrass Restoration Initiative, part of the Future of Marine Ecosystems Lab at Dalhousie University, has been working with Halifax’s Zuppa Theatre and the open air gallery to create sculptures that celebrates the eelgrass replanting that occurred in 2024 with the Friends of the Pugwash Estuary.
The sculptures are meant to serve as a reminder to never forget unseen ecosystems and to always remember the power of a rallied and committed community.
Bill Mundle Marina officially opened in Pugwash
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More than 40 years ago, the late Bill Mundle had a vision of the potential a marina in Pugwash harbour would bring to the community.
It took a lot of time – and more than a few regulatory and funding hurdles to jump through – but the community has a new and improved marina named in his honour.
Mundle, who passed away in 2023, was the very first commodore of the new Pugwash Yacht Club in 1983.
His daughter, Debbie Cameron, is the present commodore – the eighth in the club’s history. She feels he’d very pleased at how his vision has been realized.
“It’s surreal. When you spend six years thinking about the project every day, it sort of hits you that all we have to do now is celebrate, the work is done,” Cameron said after cutting the ribbon to officially open the Bill Mundle Marina in Pugwash on Saturday, June 27. “It’s been a long six-year journey from the time we pressed go. There were a lot of pieces that had to fall into place, but we finally did it.”