Canada & The Scots: Memorial to Highlanders in Manitoba! :)

**Silk** · 29th July 13, 10:01 AM

Came upon this today and wanted to share it. I did a search first but couldn't find a matching thread...

Apparently, the St. Andrew's Society of Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada) ordered a twin statue of the Emigrants statue erected in Scotland to honour those who were forced to leave Scotland due to the Highland Clearances. They commissioned the statue from the same company in Scotland and their idea was to erect it in Canada as a memorial to the highlanders who made there way to Canada to make a new life. (Dennis Macleod was apparently the man behind all of this as described in the 2nd article below.) I thought this was very nice! I found the article on another Scottish government page and will share below...

Clearances statue unveiled in Canada

06/09/2008
A statue commemorating the tens of thousands of Scots forced to leave their homes during the Highland Clearances has been unveiled in Canada by Environment Minister today.
The Settlers Monument - named Exiles - is the first statue outside of Scotland which commemorates those who left during the Clearances.
A twin statue - Emigrants - was unveiled by First Minister Alex Salmond in July 2007 at Helmsdale in Sutherland. Further monuments are planned in other international locations.
At the unveiling in Winnipeg, Mr Russell also encouraged Canadians of Scottish ancestry to return to their roots in 2009 and join the Homecoming Scotland celebrations.

He said:
"The Highland Clearances are a dark and turbulent chapter in Scotland's history but it is important that we remember them and recognise the legacy they have left behind - both in Scotland and around the world.
"The Exiles statue is a beautiful and poignant piece of art that commemorates those families who were dispossesed of their homes and land and who left for distant shores, enduring great hardship in the process.
"But it is also a celebration: A celebration of the contribution the emigrants made in the course of their new lives overseas, recreating a little bit of Scotland in their new homelands; and a celebration of the countries, such as Canada, that not only accepted them but embraced them.
"The Scottish influence on Canadian life, politics and business has been widespread ever since. Canada's first Prime Minister was a Scot and seven subsequent premiers have been of Scottish ancestry.
"The connection between our countries remains as strong as ever. The presence of the St Andrew's Society here in Winnipeg and this statue is evidence of that ongoing link.
"There are an estimated 100 million people around the world who claim Scottish ancestry and the Scottish Government greatly values the members of this worldwide family, who are among the best ambassadors for Scotland.
"That is why we're inviting them to come home next year and join us in celebrating the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns.
"Homecoming Scotland 2009 will be a year-long celebration of Scotland's contributions to the world: Burns himself, whisky, golf, great Scottish minds and innovations, and our rich culture and heritage that lives on at home and abroad. It will be a fantastic year for diaspora Scots and for the people of Scotland."
In July 2007, the First Minister unveiled a statue - Emigrants - in Helmsdale, Sutherland, to commemorate those who left during the Highland Clearances.
The Exiles statue being unveiled by the Minister for the Environment tomorrow (Saturday) twins the Helmsdale monument. Dennis MacLeod, who was born in Strath of Kildonan and now lives in Canada, is the man behind both statues and aims to erect others where those displaced by the Clearances settled.
Exiles is a ten foot high bronze statue which depicts a family of four departing Scotland and looking ahead to a new future. It is situated close to the historic Red River in Winnipeg, where the Earl of Selkirk settled Scottish families.

Website address: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Rele...08/09/05094908

Another article, this one talks about Dennis Macleod's desire to see memorials erected in other countries such as Australia and the U.S.A. to honour the highlanders who emigrated there too. I'm not sure why they are calling him a "Canadian mining millionaire" -- he's apparently Scottish but has done business around the world and has lived in Canada (but presently lives in Scotland it would seem.) His children apparently remain in Canada though.

Silk

Memorial statue marks clearances

The statue commemorates people who were cleared from the area

A memorial statue to those affected by the Highland clearances has been officially unveiled.First Minister Alex Salmond attended a ceremony to remember the clearances in Helmsdale, on the Sutherland coast.
The 10ft-high bronze "Exiles" statue commemorates the people who were cleared from the area by landowners and left to begin new lives overseas.
Canadian mining millionaire Dennis Macleod, who was behind the scheme, also attended the ceremony.
The statue, which depicts a family leaving their home, stands at the mouth of the Strath of Kildonan and was created by Black Isle sculptor Gerald Laing.
Mr Salmond said: "This statue is not only a reminder of the Highland clearances, but a great example of the skill and vision of those who remain.

It's my personal ambition to have the same statue erected in all of the areas where the Highlanders settled

Dennis Macleod

"This statue is a reminder of the men, women and children who left Scotland and took their skills, their strength and their stories across the seas and shared them around the world.
"While we deplore the clearances we can be proud of the contributions that those cleared have made to humanity."
The original plan for a commemoration by a group of campaigners was to obtain permission to knock down a controversial statue of the laird involved in the clearances, the Duke of Sutherland, which towers over the town of Golspie.
Modern city
Although this never happened, they got together with Mr Macleod, who was born in the much-cleared Strath of Kildonan.
He set up a Clearances Centre which commissioned the statue now in place.
An identical one has also been set up on the banks of the Red River near Winnipeg - the modern city founded by those who left Scotland for Canada.
Mr Macleod told BBC Scotland: "It's my personal ambition to have the same statue erected in all of the areas where the Highlanders settled.
"We now have two and I can see five or six eventually, in places like Canada, the States and Australia."

Page address: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/s...ds/6911340.stm

**Silk** · 29th July 13, 10:03 AM

And this is the original statue (erected the year before) in Scotland to commemorate the highlanders who were cleared off their lands and had to emigrate....

Lovely pics of the twin statue (the first one) in Scotland on this page: http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.u...nts/index.html