Words really can hurt you

Have you ever wanted something engraved, like maybe a piece of jewelry, or a gift, and felt that pang of anxiety after you’ve left it with the engraver, wondering if you made a mistake in the wording?

That’s why engravers insist on getting your signature on a piece of paper with the wording on it, so you can’t come back at them later if it turns out to be wrong.

Imagine if you submitted the wording for a very expensive bronze plaque about a foot and a half wide and close to two feet deep. And it took about a month to get done. And then it was mounted on a statue and there was a big public ceremony where everybody was looking at the plaque.

And there were three big typos in it.

That’s what happened to me, and the Friends of Phil Society that commissioned and fundraised for the statue of Phil Gaglardi now erected at Kamloops on the Square. Somehow, the final proof of the plaque did not come back to the committee as it was supposed to. Instead, the plaque came from the supplier at the Coast to the City and straight onto the statue plinthe, complete with errors committed at the foundry.

I was horrified. So was everyone else.

Now, I’m pleased to say, the new plaque has arrived and will be swapped with the one with the mistaken words. Believe me when I tell you the new plaque has been proof-read up, down and sideways.

I remember a few years ago when the new Cenotaph was erected in Riverside Park, and the plaque arrived with a grammatical error. The public came through with enough spontaneous donations to replace it.

Anyway, it will be a good day when the new plaque goes on the statue of Flying Phil and the project is finally, formally, concluded.

Please don’t forget that tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 23 is Raise A Reader Day in Kamloops. Volunteers will be at Starbucks, A&W and the downtown 7-11 selling copies of The Daily News in return for donations to local literacy projects.