On Remembrance Day, some painted rocks mysteriously appeared at the war cenotaph in Virden’s Victoria Park.
The stones were painted with red poppies, hearts and white crosses along with the words “FB Westman Rocks” but no indication of who had left them there.
Rocks now a “thing”
A search of Facebook revealed a page set up by those who anonymously place hand-painted rocks in public places to lift the spirits of those who find them, part of a trend on social media these days.
The finder is encouraged to take a picture of the rock, post it to the Facebook page, and then hide it (or one of their own) to bring a smile to the next finder.
The Verran family of Virden were responsible for painting and depositing the remembrance rocks at the cenotaph.
“A little thank you”
Mom Corinne Gervais said, “My girls and I decided to do the rocks as a little thank you to our fallen soldiers.
“Some of the people from Brandon were taking their Remembrance Day rocks to Shilo. We decided to paint some and leave them at the monument.”
The administrator of the Westman Rocks page wrote, “It's about creativity, community and brightening someone's day…. For most people, the joy comes in leaving (the rock) where an unsuspecting person will stumble upon a bit of beauty.”
In late October, a visitor from Virginia found a painted rock near Shari Lyn Fashions in Virden and took it back to the US with her.
Painted rock projects can be found in communities across Canada.
