OBITUARY FOR MATT BROMAN--1989. By Ernest R. Seager, long-time secretary of Hamilton Board of Park's Management and later chairman of the Crystal Palace committee recalls Mr. Broman in an obituary in the Hamilton Spectator, dated c.1989, (paraphrased and excerpted below):

Matt Broman was a teacher, advisor, and confidant, but above all, he was a landscape architect extraordinaire.

Mr. Seager goes on to mention the various projects on which Broman had worked: Gage Park and fountain, bowling greens, tennis courts; Dundurn Castle, Churchill Fields, Mountain Brow Boulevard, Sam Lawrence Park, plans for Mohawk Sports Park, Chedoke Civic Golf Course, Beddoe Course, and for one of the first publicly owned ski slopes; the complete designing, engineering, construction of the "King's Forest Golf Course, within the 800 acre park in the east end of Hamilton, a park purchased years earlier by his friend and colleague, T.B. McQuesten, "The Forgotten Builder" with whom he joined to lay out plans for the North-Western Entrance to Hamilton.

He also worked with T.B. in forming the Royal Botanical Gardens, a world-renowned institution; he worked on the Spring Gardens, Hendrie Gardens, plans for the arboretum, the Lilac Gardens, the broad open spaces and the green swards.

Whatever McQuesten's mind conceived, Matt's skilled hand devised. Their combined efforts produced a nucleus which has been developed by other dedicated torch-bearers, into North America's only "Royal Botanical Gardens."

Matt also became one of the founders of the shool for gardeners at Niagara Parks Commission and the Niagara Falls School of Horticulture provides practically every Canadian city, and horticulture industry with its graduates.

Matt also had his own home garden: an "Old English Style" garden on the high banks of the Niagara River at Queenston.

One of God's final creations on the sixth day so long ago, was a park, "The Garden of Eden." Regretfully mortals are no longer permitted entry.

However, when finally in the "twinkling of an eye" the gates are thrown open, and we stand before a"Far Greater Architect," I am sure we will find Matt, peacefully working at what he loved best--a garden.

There is a plaque commemorating Matt Broman's work at the RBG near the Thomas B. McQuesten High Level Bridge. There is also a small lookout park named after Broman on the brow overlooking King's Forest Park in Hamilton.

The series of Whitehern letters beginning with "986" are all Broman"s; see www.whitehern.ca and search on Broman ¹.

¹ Broman was a close associate of Thomas Baker McQuesten's and worked closely with him on many of his projects. A large body of Broman's letters are digitized here beginning with "986"