PORT HAWKESBURY: A memorial honouring the late game warden Austin Letcher will be unveiled at the Grant’s Pond Trailhead on Oct. 18, recognizing the wildlife officer more than 50 years after he was killed in the line of duty.
The announcement was shared during the Sept. 16 Port Hawkesbury council meeting, where Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton informed councillors of the upcoming installation, which she said will “honour the life and legacy” of Letcher.
Letcher, remembered as an innovator in his field, was the first warden or forest ranger in Nova Scotia to use parachute flares to aid in wildlife law enforcement. The flares were deployed to illuminate fields at night, making it easier to locate poachers.
Allister T. Fraser, a District Forester for Cape Breton Island, once recalled that among early game wardens, Letcher stood out. As noted by the Department of Resources, Fraser proclaimed: “Letcher was one of the best in the province.”
On Oct. 18, 1967, in the early hours of the morning, Letcher was involved in a motor vehicle accident near River Denys while responding to reports of poaching in the area. He was transported to hospital in Antigonish, where he died shortly thereafter.
According to the Department of Natural Resources, “Although foul play was suspected, the subsequent investigation did not result in any arrests or charges.”
Letcher is already honoured at Shubenacadie Park and on the Canadian Police and Peacekeepers Memorial in Ottawa. The new memorial in Port Hawkesbury follows a presentation to council in June 2023 by one of Letcher’s relatives, Stephen Long, who asked the town to consider a permanent local tribute.
At the Sept. 16 meeting, Recreation Manager Gordie Snook shared details of the monument, describing it as a marble structure with a plaque and inscription.
“It [is] quite large,” Snook said, noting the dimensions as 60 inches wide, 24 inches deep, and approximately 42 inches high.
In a previous interview with The Reporter, Long explained the words chosen for the plaque: “This Port Hawkesbury Community Trail is dedicated in memory of Forest Ranger Austin Letcher Sr., Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forests, June 12, 1905 – Oct. 18, 1967.”
The inscription concludes: “Killed in the line of duty while protecting the forest and wildlife of Inverness County.”
“I’m just really thankful,” Long said at the time. “It’s really going to happen.”