By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
A long-awaited tribute to Lennoxville’s former volunteer firefighters will be officially unveiled on Sat., May 3 at 10 a.m. during a public ceremony outside the Lennoxville Borough Office on Queen Street. The monument commemorates more than a century of service by residents who dedicated their time and lives to the community’s safety.
“The volunteer firemen in Lennoxville played such an important role,” said Councillor Jennifer Garfat in a recent interview. “It wasn’t just fighting fires. They gave up time to train, fundraised to buy specialized equipment, and often did all this while holding down other jobs and raising families”.
The project, a collaboration between the City of Sherbrooke and the Lennoxville Volunteer Firefighters Association, has been years in the making. Conversations began in 2018, anticipating the closure of the old Lennoxville fire hall in 2019. Progress was slowed by the pandemic and budgetary constraints, but work continued behind the scenes to bring the vision to life. According to Garfat, former borough director André Blais played a key role in managing the budget, and Paul Chapdelaine, the borough’s former coordinator, also contributed extensively.
Scott Passmore, who began his career as a volunteer firefighter in Lennoxville nearly 30 years ago, was closely involved with the project. “This has been going on since 2018,” he said. “It got through budgeting, through the design phase, and was fabricated by Rock of Ages in Stanstead.” The granite monument, featuring detailed sandblasting and etching, was designed by Lennoxville resident Brian Wilson, who worked closely with the association to ensure the artwork and inscriptions met the wishes of the firefighter community.
The history of Lennoxville’s volunteer fire department dates back to 1883. At the time, townspeople responded to fires with improvised equipment. “There was a big fire in Lennoxville in 1874,” Garfat noted. “Back then, people did the best they could. There was even a fire bell, and Amédée Beaudoin, who lived there, would tell the firefighters where the fire was when they arrived”.
