BARRHEAD - Jasmine Babbage says it’s important to recognize the sacrifices Canadian Armed Forces service people have made.
That is the Grade 12 Barrhead Outreach School student's main reason for entering her poster into the Royal Canadian Legion Literary and Poster Contest. The other reason, of course, is that she is a skilled artist that loves creating art.
Babbage won the 2021 local poster competition and went on to place second in the province for the Senior (Grade 10-12) Colour Poster category.
This was the first time she submitted a poster contest entry. However, when she was in Grade 6, she did submit an essay for the literary contest which also received recognition at the local level.
"I've had this idea for a couple of years, but I never got around to it," she said. "This year, in my last year of high school, I knew I had to do it."
Her poster (a large acrylic painting) depicts a trio of infantry soldiers, depicted as silhouettes, who visit a Canadian war cemetery.
Circling the cemetery scene is a black poppy outline with white writing saying, "We Will Remember".
For the most part, Babbage said the painting turned out as she hoped.
However, she said that while she was painting the silhouettes, she realized that a portion of the soldier's rifle and helmet would not show up well in the black poppy outline, so she had to change the colour to white.
In one way, she said the change worked out for the better, as some people interpreted the white helmet as a turban, thus depicting the multiculturalism of the men and women who serve in the Canadian Armed Forces.
"I don't know anyone who has been in a war, but that doesn't mean I can't or shouldn't commemorate those who have served. Just because you did not know them and what they did, doesn't mean they are not important."
Herman Barkemeyer presented Babbage with her prize on behalf of the Royal Canadian Legion. In addition to her commemorative certificates for winning at the local, regional and provincial levels, she also received a monetary award.
Barkemeyer is a Barrhead Royal Candian Legion service officer and is a 10-year Canadian Armed Forces veteran, including five years as part of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) and the Canadian Air Force. His stint with the PPCLI included an 18-month rotation to Korea during the Korean War.
“The contest is so important. It helps teach children what happened during the wars so that they will be able to pass it on to their children,” Barkemeyer said, adding that soon there would not be any veterans left to tell their stories.
Other Barrhead Outreach students recognized
In addition to Babbage, Grade 12 student Maiya Irqquarsarqu and Grade 11 student Hunter MacInnis also received recognition at the local level for their Senior Colour Poster submissions, placing second and third respectively.
Irqquarsarqu submitted a watercolour painting depicting a young Canadian soldier walking down a pathway of war ceremony with graves on one side and a poppy field on the other.
"She did such a good job," Barkemeyer said. "She covered everything, perfectly, from the uniform to how he holds his rifle to the curve of the tombstones."
MacInnis' submission, a cloverleaf depicting three different scenes, was created using alcohol markers. The first scene starts with a picture of a young Canadian soldier saluting a superior before his first deployment. The next leaf shows a fallen soldier on the battlefield while the third leaf depicts of a soldier with tears in his eyes, while the final leaf shows a military cemetery with rows and rows of crosses.
"I wanted to show the whole spectrum," MacInnis said, whose great-grandfather served in the Canadian Armed Forces during war time. "That is why in the first picture, the (young soldier) has a bit of a smile, because he is proud, and in the next frame he has tears in his eyes when he realizes what war is really like."
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
