By Tina Brajic
CALEDONIA—There’s a new lane in town! On Thursday, September 12, 2024, many friends, family, and local dignitaries gathered at Edinburgh Square Heritage & Cultural Centre to officially commemorate the laneway leading up to the historic building being renamed the “Barbara Martindale Memorial Laneway.”
—Haldimand Press photos by Tina Brajic.
The memorial laneway, alongside a multi-media storyboard and exhibit inside the centre, were installed by Haldimand County to honour and memorialize one of Haldimand’s most dynamic civic leaders and historians, Barbara Martindale. In his opening remarks about Martindale, Councillor Dan Lawrence remembers that “Barbara was not a person you could say no to…. Thanks to her, this building has been restored … and we acknowledge, celebrate, and dedicate this to Barbara.”
The list of Martindale’s accomplishments and her positive impact on the community is long and will be felt for generations to come. Her passion and civic pride for her community shone through the many roles she held and the projects she was involved in up until her passing in March 2022, in her 81st year.
Some of Martindale’s noteworthy achievements include being the Executive Director of the Caledonia Regional Chamber of Commerce for 26 years from its inception in 1986; to authoring two books – “Bridging the Past” (1987) and “Caledonia: Along the Grand River” (1995); and as publisher of the Grand River Sachem with her popular weekly column “For What It’s Worth” detailing the history of Haldimand for decades. Her dedication to community service also garnered her the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013.
The Martindale children – Patti, Tony, and Perry – reminisced that their family lived close to the current Edinburgh Square when they were young, and they spent a lot of time playing on and near the grounds where their mother is now being honoured.
Daughter, Patti McMaster, fondly remembers with a chuckle that “we used to walk along the ledge that went around the building – our parents didn’t like that very much.”
Regarding how her mother would feel about the memorial lane and exhibit in her honour, McMaster states, “She would say it’s too much fuss, but would be appreciative.”
Son Perry noted he was happy to see the large number of people in the community who cared for Martindale come out for the tribute, as several dozen people attended.
Martindale certainly helped to shape the Caledonia we have today. The next time you go to the twin pad arena or library at the Haldimand County Caledonia Centre, you can thank Martindale for spearheading its construction and for the many other projects she was involved in to promote and beautify Caledonia.
For what it’s worth: it’s only apt that the laneway be renamed after Martindale. After all, she was on the volunteer committee in the early 1980s to restore the Caledonia Town Hall and Lock-Up, built in 1857, now named the Edinburgh Square Heritage & Cultural Centre. A laneway named after a true trailblazer is definitely a fitting tribute.
For more information find Edinburgh Square online at haldimandcounty.ca or in-person at 80 Caithness St. E., Caledonia.
