Who is Andrew Warburton and why is there a park named after him in Hamilton?
Published October 7, 2019 at 9:39 pm
We have a bunch of really great parks in the city, but do you ever wonder where they get their name?
Here’s a little background on the name of one special park in our city.
We have a bunch of really great parks in the city, but do you ever wonder where they get their name?
Here’s a little background on the name of one special park in our city.
Andrew Warburton park is located in East Hamilton at the intersection of Britannia and Tragina Avenues.
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The park is named after a Hamilton boy who in July 1986, while vacationing in Nova Scotia, approximately 20 kilometres outside of Halifax, disappeared in the dense forest bordering a relative’s rural property.
Andy, as he was known, was nine at the time when he decided to take a trail he’d travelled before to a nearby lake.
When he didn’t return for supper, the family, which includes his mother Doreen, father Tom and brother Gary, called in the RCMP to help in the search for Andy but an initial search of the surrounding area turned up nothing
A massive search effort kicked off almost immediately which ultimately involving more than 5,000 community volunteers, firefighters, and military personnel.
Eight days later, Andy’s body was discovered less than four kilometres from where he is believed to have disappeared. It was determined that he died of hypothermia.
The park was named in his honour in the late 80s and has been a popular destination for children ever since.
So popular, in fact, that the city is currently working towards rehabilitating parts of the park in the coming months.
Photo courtesy the Friends of Andrew Warburton Memorial Park facebook page.
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