P.E.I. park to be named in honour of Mi’kmaw runner

Michael Thomas was top-of-the-line lengthy distance runners of his period.

In 1911, he was the primary Prince Edward Islander to ever run the Boston Marathon. He completed twenty sixth that yr.

His nice granddaughter Rebecca Thomas follows in his footsteps with a serious first of her personal. She served as the primary Mi’kmaw poet laureate for Nova Scotia.

An avid runner herself, she’s attended Stratford, P.E.I.’s annual Michael Thomas race.

“To have the ability to run by his statue that was a reasonably cool expertise for me,” mentioned Thomas. “I feel that with the ability to do something generationally and figuring out that you simply come from a lineage like that does really feel good — instills a way of delight.”

Thomas by no means met her great-grandfather, who died in 1954, however her father advised her tales about him.

“From the tales that my dad advised, and tells about him, as sparse as they might be, they had been all the time very variety tales,” mentioned Thomas. “I hope that I can embody that very same sort of kindness and generosity.”

Thomas says it’s necessary to honour Mi’kmaq folks from our historical past, however says she feels this needs to be only one step.

“You simply can’t cease at that time and say, ‘OK, properly that’s part of reconciliation,’” mentioned Thomas. “There’s extra work to be performed than merely naming one thing after somebody.”

The park will go in on the Stratford waterfront, only a brief distance from the place a statue of Micheal Thomas stands now.

“He grew up not removed from right here. His home stood someplace between the place we at the moment are and the freeway over there,” mentioned Steve Ogden, mayor of Stratford, standing close to the statue. “We’re undecided precisely the place, however we all know that that is the world that he was born and he lived in for plenty of years.”

Ogden says Michael Thomas’ contribution is a vital a part of island historical past.

“We wish to honour him, and we wish to honour his household, and the Mi’kmaq folks by placing the waterfront park and naming it after him,” mentioned Ogden. “As a result of it’s a very huge a part of our historical past, and one thing that we will all be very pleased with.”

As soon as full, the park can be a reminder of the accomplishment of a trailblazing Mi’kmaw athlete and his legacy in island sport.