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Campbell River woman shocked her tribute to residential school children removed

Shoe rocks were painted and placed on beach beside the Old Island Highway
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Campbell River resident Armande Black painted these shoe rocks to commemorate the First Nations children found buried at the Kamloops Residential School and placed them on a boulder on the beach at 492 South Island Highway. Somebody removed them and Black would like them put back. Photo by Armande Black

A Campbell River woman paints shoe rocks to commemorate the First Nations children found buried at the Kamloops Residential School.

On Canada Day, Armande Black was shocked to discover that some of the shoe rocks she placed on the beach beside the Island Highway had been removed.

“My missing shoe rocks were a heartbreak and a shocker. It felt like someone had robbed a grave marker,” Black said. “On July 1st, 2021, I went on my daily walk along the Rotary Sea Walk and noticed that several of the shoe rocks I had painted were missing. I stood at the 492 South Island Highway location and thought about who might want to take the little shoes. I tried to think about a thief’s mindset and worked on convincing myself that whoever took them might want them either for themself or perhaps to place them at another location.

“I only ask that if you have them, please set them back on the large boulder where you found them.”

RELATED: Block-long ‘every child matters’ mural in Vancouver to stay 2 years past Canada Day

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