Eabametoong rangers honour First World War veteran

Community members from Eabametoong and the military travelled to the abandoned Hudson Bay settlement at Old Fort Hope to honour First World War veteran Private Isaac Goodwin.
The Last Post Fund provided a headstone and base for Private Goodwin which weighted close to 600 pounds. The headstone was shipped by land to Pickle Lake and flown to Fort Hope in late September.
Thirty people including Canadian Rangers, Junior Canadian Rangers, the 3rd Canadian Ranger Patrol Group and members from Eabametoong attended the ceremony. This was no easy trek as the group braved high winds and choppy water to travel the six kilometres across Eabamet Lake. Once on shore, it was a 500 metre walk through swampy terrain, then up a steep embankment to get to the cemetery.
“It is an honour that our community recognizes the contribution that Isaac Goodwin did for his country,” said Elizabeth Atlookan, chief of Eabametoong First Nation. “I am very glad that our rangers, members of the army and community members were able to travel to the old settlement to honour Isaac’s memory.”
Private Goodwin grew up in the community of Fort Albany on the James Bay coast. He enrolled in the army in July 1917 when he was 21 years old and was sent overseas where he served in France. After the war he settled in Fort Hope, where he passed away at the age of 84 in 1979.
Sergeant Harry Papah, patrol commander of the Eabametoong Canadian Ranger Patrol, organized a work party to ensure that the headstone was transported and placed in the cemetery before winter arrived. The Rangers noticed the cemetery was in need of a cleanup, so they removed all the garbage and debris.
“I am very proud that our Rangers were able to place the headstone at the old settlement,” said Sgt. Papah. “This ceremony has special meaning to me as I am honoured to find out that I am related to him.”
“It was a very significant event,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Matthew Richardson. “It is important to remember our past while we continue to serve into the future. Having a ceremony such as this will ensure that our veterans’ contributions to our country will never be forgotten.”
For more than 100 years, The Last Post Fund has been providing free of charge a military headstone for any honourably discharged service member who has been buried in an unmarked grave for five or more years. An unmarked grave is considered a grave site which doesn’t have a headstone or place marker made of stone or granite.