Remembrance Day Ceremonies
Remembrance Day ceremonies will be held across Canada tomorrow, an important time to remember those who have given their lives, many loosing their lives in battle, to protect the freedoms and rights that we can sometimes take for granted.
This Rememberance Day in Manitouwadge it is my hope that more thought will be put in by those having purchased wreaths on behalf of businesses to do justice to the hard work of the Royal Canadian Legion F. Evan Hill Branch 242 to prepare and deliver this annual celebration.
Members like Ron Sheppard and others in the Legion, volunteer their time every year organizing this beautiful ceremony of remembrance, allowing all of us an opportunity to pay our respects. Each year however, I look at images in the Marathon Mercury, of their Remembrance Celebrations, seeing how Marathon residents continue to put great effort into how they present themselves to attend such an important event and am always a bit saddened to see Manitouwadge in comparison.
In Marathon, it is not elementary students, clopping in winter boots having been asked at the last minute to lay wreaths when too few adults are in attendance representing their businesses, but rather appropriately dressed individuals, many of the business owners themselves, in full business attire, lay wreaths at the Marathon Ceremony of Remembrance. People in Manitouwadge are certainly able to respectfully pay hommage to those who have served our country to defend our rights also. Of course each year the Marathon Mercury also prints a beautiful compilation of photos, it seems, having admired them, a photograph of every wreath laid is included in the Mercury issue which follows Remembrance Day. Inspired by this, Thursday, OntarioNewsNorth.com will be making every effort to do the same (and will be recording as well). Perhaps this year something will be different, maybe it will not be only our Legionnaires, police and firefighters who will attend in uniform or professional attire; maybe this will be the year that Manitouwadge business owners attend on their own behalf to lay the wreaths they have been considerate and respectful enough to purchase. Perhaps those who are unable to attend will make an effort to find a student who understands the honour of being chosen to lay a wreath, is willing to dress appropriately and will bring indoor shoes, to do so on their behalf that it not be left to the Legion members who already have so much to do on this day, to find individuals to lay the wreaths of businesses and organizations not in attendance.
As mentioned, OntarioNewsNorth.com will be both recording and photographing the laying of the wreaths. It is my hope that Remembrance Day 2010 in Manitouwadge will see not only members of the Legion, Municipal Council, or the Ontario Provincial Police detachment dressed in a way befitting such an important occasion but that we will also see in attendance, prepared to lay the wreaths they have purchased to honour the men and women who have served our country, many business owners or heads of family – anything less reflects poorly on our community as a whole.
