Around 100 people gathered at Vimy Ridge Park on Saturday morning ahead of Remembrance Day for a community ceremony. The purpose was to encourage youth involvement, keep tradition alive and reflect on the freedom we have today. The event brought together students, cadets, families, veterans and local residents for a solemn morning observance.
Students from fifteen local schools decorated wreaths and took part in the ceremony. Teachers, along with students, gathered around the memorial circle, where a decorative piece stood with boots and a helmet, as a reminder of our fallen soldiers. Each school presented its own wreath around the display, forming a ring of solidarity and remembrance.
Local cadets marched in formation as the ceremony commenced, adding to an element of respect and tradition to the ceremony. Students and families then gathered closely around the memorial circle, observing moments of silence and reflecting on the stories of the heroes.
During the ceremony, retired RCAF Captain Sam Newman addressed the community with a message of gratitude.
“Folks, you have absolutely no idea how proud you make me feel to know that you have come out here this morning to participate in our community Remembrance Day service,” Newman said. “It means the world to me to be out here with you.”
Following the ceremony, Newman shared further reflections on what he hopes people take away from the experience.
“What I want people to go away with is the fact that here they are happy, free, free to speak their mind, free to go wherever they want to go, and free to travel and see the rest of this world,” he said. He emphasized that understanding the source of those freedoms is central to the meaning of Remembrance Day.
Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis also attended the ceremony and spoke after the event. Lewis highlighted the value of youth participation.
“The special thing about this ceremony is the involvement of our young people, our students from our elementary, both the public and the Catholic school system, as well as our local private Christian elementary school,” Lewis said.
“It gives the children of our community a chance for a hands-on participation in the act of remembrance.”
With the wreaths circling around, the crowd slowed down and took a moment to remember the Canadians who served. The ceremony wrapped up with veterans, students and families talking softly and offering thanks.
