Lest we forget
Katherine Gottli
Issue date: 11/10/09 Section: News
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As the Canadian flag was lowered to half-mast at the Main Street cenotaph on Nov. 8, the crowd and surrounding street - often riddled with a stream of cars and motorcycles - fell eerily silent.
Bells announcing the beginning of mass in the surrounding Churches tolled on cue, and the crowd, consisting of War Veterans, Municipal and Provincial politicians, families of veterans and young and old Port Dalhousie residents alike, stood in remembrance of the fallen soldiers who fought during the Great Wars, as well as those who have passed on since.
The ceremony began at Royal Canadian Legion 350 where the attending veterans met and then proceeded to march up Main St. to the cenotaph, followed by the 23rd Squadron of Royal Canadian Air Cadets and the St. Catharines Pipe Band. Upon arrival, Bill Bentley, President of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 350, welcomed those in attendance, commenting on how grateful he was for the beautiful weather. Bentley was also very appreciative for the number of those in attendance, particularly the young people who stood in memorial.
The ceremony saw more than 20 wreaths laid at the foot of the cenotaph by representatives from the municipal and provincial government, community groups, and, finally, by local families who lost family members in the wars.
Tori Lancaster, a Grade Five student at Grapeview Public School in St. Catharines, placed a wreath on behalf of her elementary school, but had her own reason for participating in the ceremony.
Lancaster's grandfather fought in World War Two, and this past Sunday was not the first time that she has been in attendance at the Port Dalhousie Remembrance Day ceremony.
"I've been [coming] here [for] many years. I think it's nice and it means a lot to me that we celebrate each year for the different people who fought in the war. We have ceremonies at school, and everyone in my class understands [how important Remembrance Day is]," she said.
The importance for families, especially children, to understand the significant meaning of Remembrance Day seemed to be consistent in the speeches that followed the wreath ceremony.
Minister of Transportation Jim Bradley, along with St. Catharines' MP Rick Dykstra and Regional Municipality of Niagara representative Bruce Timms all spoke to honour the sacrifice of those who fought for our right to practice freedom, democracy and rule of law, a responsibility which Dykstra holds over the head of politicians and regular citizens alike. Yet, it was Bradley who illustrated the hardship that Canadian soldiers faced, and just how thankful Canadian citizens should be for their unwavering duty to our country.
"Those who appear on monuments in our nation and across the world were often people who were in their teens and early 20's and died in combat, and did not have the opportunity to enjoy the lives that we enjoy today. We are extremely grateful to them, and to veterans who served and came back, often physically and psychologically scarred from the ravages of war," Bradley said. "All of us who are here today, particularly the young people who are here, capture some of our thoughts of war from movies. Those who severed in war, those who are veterans, recognize that the movies do not always depict what happens in war - that the glory that you see is often misrepresenting what actually happened during the war.
"We owe the soldiers this, if nothing else, to pause for two minutes on Nov. 11 to honour those who have died on our behalf."
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