ATHABASCA – For Canadians, early November carries a sombre tone — before everyone shifts gears and starts preparing for the holiday season, the country takes a day to reflect on and honour the sacrifices made by the men and women who came before us.
For many, that takes the form of a poppy. The bright red flower carries a special significance for a country that learned John McCrae’s In Flanders Field at an early age.
For others, it means attending a ceremony at a Royal Canadian Legion branch or a town hall. In Athabasca, the local legion branch will start its Nov. 11 ceremony at 9:30 a.m., at the Athabasca Regional Multiplex, while Boyle’s service starts at 10:45 a.m. at the legion itself.
“They did what they did back then, so we can do what we do today,” said Brian Scott, a member of the Athabasca Royal Canadian Legion branch. “It’s extremely important, especially for the kids. Those wars, they weren’t glorious, but it brought out the best in many men and women who did unbelievable things.”
After the ceremony at the multiplex, Scott encourages attendees to come back to the legion, where they will be laying wreaths at the cenotaph — a monument dedicated to the local men and women who are buried overseas
“It’s a very important day, the kids should know more about it, and the parents should know more about it as well,” said Scott. “It’s a chance to come out, listen to the program, and do a bit of reflecting on what happened in World War One, World War Two. It was supposed to be the ‘war to end all wars’ but that didn’t quite turn out.”
School assemblies
Students in the Aspen View school division held their ceremonies a little earlier — now that students get the second week in November off, Remembrance Day ceremonies are held Nov. 2-3.
Constantine Kastrinos, Aspen View’s superintendent, said that the day was a chance for students to learn about their country's history, and where their freedoms come from.
“Participating in Remembrance Day ceremonies is an important learning opportunity for students, staff and the community,” said Kastrinos in a Nov. 2 statement. “It’s important for us all to be reminded — especially now, in a time when we see conflicts taking place throughout the world — that the freedoms we enjoy today, like being able to learn and teach in schools that are welcoming, caring, respectful and safe, were earned by brave men and women who fought and died to secure them.
Remembrance Day assemblies are many people’s first experience with what the day symbolizes. With each passing year, students — and Canadian society as a whole — are further removed from the horror of conflict. Edwin Parr Composite (EPC) School principal Stacey Mabey touched on the idea in her opening remarks to her students during the Nov. 2 assembly.
“You weren’t born during 9/11 — for many of you, conflict within your lifetime has come at the other end of a screen, like it is in Gaza right now,” said Mabey. “The question becomes, how do we remember something when we've never seen, heard, or experienced it?"
Ben Kingston, a Grade 12 student at EPC, and member of the Athabasca Air Cadets, said it is a way to respect those that came before.
“Taking part in this ceremony was a great way to remember the soldiers that lost their lives,” said Kingston, who was part of the colour guard. “If there’s one thing I hope we all took away from it, it’s that there were a lot of people who gave their lives for the freedoms we now enjoy.”
EPC’s assembly shared many characteristics with the Nov. 11 events that will happen in the county — a social studies class recited In Flanders Field, local dignitaries and an RCMP officer laid wreaths, and The Last Post was followed by a moment of silence. One aspect that was tailored at the high school event was Scott’s speech as the MC.
“There are around 50 boys in this room that are 15 and 16 years old. I want you to raise your hand, and think about this for a moment,” said Scott. “My father has two birthdays — his regular birthday, and his army birthday, which he lied about in order to join. I want you to think about it and ask yourself if that is something you would have done.”
