Our Story
Valerie McGrady was inspired to create Canada’s first Bravery Park after the passing of her son Corporal Mathew McCully. McCully was a member of Canada’s elite Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT), responsible for training the Afghan National forces. On May 25, 2007 while conducting a joint Afghan-Canadian foot patrol near a village west of Kandahar city, McCully stepped on an improvised explosive device. Valerie’s son died not only trying to protect his country but training Afghan soldiers to protect their own. Valerie, her daughter Shannon, and the Bravery Park committee have since made it their mission to ensure Canadian soldiers stay at the forefront of our minds.
Cpl. Matthew McCully
Matt was happiest when outdoors, helping others and fixing things.
At 6’1″ with red hair and blue eyes, Matt had quite the presence. He grew up in Orangeville, Ontario with his mom Valerie McGrady, and two younger siblings Shannon and Daniel. With a 4 and 5 year age gap between him and his siblings and a maturity beyond his years, Matthew often acted like a second father to them, much to their chagrin, of course. He also took on the role of “Man of the House” and took it very seriously. He was always looking for things to fix, and little ways he could make things easier for his mom.
Opening Ceremony
Our tribute to Canadian soldiers
Bravery Park Grand Opening Parade
Our Gracious Donors
Amaranth Lions Club
The playground was made possible by the dedication and generosity of the Amaranth Lions Club and we are so grateful for their ongoing support.
Town of Orangeville
Veterans Affairs Canada
The Prakke Family
The Orangeville location would not have been possible without the extreme generosity, kindness and compassion of the Prakke family. Pictured is Peter Prakke admiring the new park sign on opening day.
Riddell Road McDonald’s
(Owner Rory MacKinnon)
Donna Pascoe
and Peter Turrell
Family and friends of Jane Blears
Family of Cpl. Matthew McCully
Hear Well Be Well
Mike Kopoulos
Royal Canadian Legion, Col. Fitzgerald Branch 233
Royal Canadian Legion, Maj. William Dwight Sharpe
Branch 15
A. M. Korsten Jewellers Inc.
Orangeville District Secondary School’s Young Parent Education Program
Cullen & Associates
2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signal Squadron
Marks (formerly Marks Work Wearhouse)
E. Hofmann Plastics Inc.
Eat Like Sabby
Geon Performance Solutions
David Hata
Dickinson & Hicks Architects Inc.
Orangeville Dinner Series
Ewing Group of Companies
St. John’s United Church Foundation
Dufferin County
Sanjay and Ursula Gandhi of Rolling Hills and Riddell Park Pharmacies
Arbor Memorial Inc.
Charlie Miller and Chuck Rosenberg in memory of Barbara Rosenberg
Stavro and Wolf Families
Alex Ragozzino of Maedae Studios
McCarthy Signs Co. Ltd.
Greenwood Construction
Classic Displays
Dufferin Community Foundation
Erskine’s Service Centre
Chris Horsten of Family Wealth Management
St. Louis Bar & Grill
Sunset Grill
Hogey’s Social Club
The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment)
Canadian Heroes Foundation
Major Ray Wiss, M.D.
Moira Gunn
Openspace Solutions and Jambette
Kennedy’s Flags
Steve Palisak – Owner of St. Louis Bar Grill
Hogey’s Social Club
The Dufferin Community Foundation
Chris Horsten (right) of Family Wealth Management
Sanjay Gandhi and family of Riddell Park Road and
Rolling Hills Family
Mike Hinbest of Erskines Service Centre
We would like to give a heartfelt thank you to our small but mighty committee. This park would not have been possible without your support, dedication and expertise.
Thank you to the Town of Orangeville and Whispering Pines Landscaping for helping us bring our vision to life!
To the many people who made anonymous and in-kind donations over the years, thank you. Thanks to you, Orangeville’s Bravery Park will be a tourist destination, an educational space, and a peaceful park for years to come.
You are very appreciated.
Thank you to Peter Douglas for dedicating his time and talent to creating and maintaining this website.
Special thanks to Crystan Calica and Lillian Carter for their commitment and creativity on the redesign of the website.