THUNDER BAY — For the first time since 2019, a Remembrance Day ceremony returned to the Fort William Gardens, and while the icy weather may have kept the crowds smaller than in past years, the return indoors was welcomed by everyone.
“It was sure good to see people out,” said Roy Lamore, a veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy who also took the salute during the parade march off.
“I’m sorry we missed it the last two or three years but it’s really enjoyable to see a good crowd out for the service here. I’m very proud. Being a veteran and taking the salute for the military. I really enjoyed being in the service.”
The COVID-19 pandemic forced organizers to cancel the large indoor gathering at the Gardens for the last two years, with a smaller ceremony taking place outside city hall, or in the case of last year due to heavy rain, inside the Slovak Legion.
Ken Milenko, Royal Canadian Legion member and chair of the Remembrance Day Ceremonies, said it’s been a godsend to be back in the Fort William Gardens this year.
“Two years outside is very hard,” he said. “There’s a reason for indoors at the Gardens — it’s not weather dependent and it’s a lot easier on our aging veterans. The last two years, we held a ceremony in front of city hall and there were very few veterans who came out.”
The stands in the Gardens were less full that previous years before the pandemic, but Milenko said it’s always difficult to judge the size of the crowd and the weather likely played a role.
“Even our veterans, there’s a lot less of them with us, mind you, we had a great turn out in the parade, the colour parties looked fantastic,” Milenko said. “We are a little disappointed with the crowd turnout, but look at the weather. And this is the first time back in two years. I think we did pretty darn good overall.”
Milenko was particularly pleased to see three schools in attendance on Friday and he said it is really wonderful to see young people remembering the sacrifices made by men and women so long ago in the name of freedom.
“It’s all about remembrance and if you don’t get that across to today’s youth, it’s important for us Legion people and our veterans that we can continue this remembrance,” Milenko said. “Right now Ukraine is torn in turmoil, tell me you don’t want to remember what’s going on in years to come.”
And while this year marked a return to the ceremonies held in the past, it also broke new ground with two keynote speakers.
Laurie Abthorpe, a veteran with the Canadian Armed Forces was the first female veteran to serve as a keynote speaker, and Insp. Larry Ross, a Cold War veteran who served with the United States military and now with the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, was the first Indigenous keynote speaker.
Ross said Remembrance Day has always been an important day for him and the sacrifices of those past and present serves as a reminder that freedom comes with a price.
“Freedom is not free and the younger people need to realize that. Yes, the world is a more dangerous place, but it’s veterans who keep us safe and keep us free,” he said. “I can’t emphasize enough that freedom has a price and I’m glad people still remember.”
“People sacrificed in the past and unfortunately people will have to sacrifice in the future. This shows them that if you do have to sacrifice you are never going to be forgotten.”
Remembrance Day ceremonies are about honouring those who gave their lives for their country and Ross said it’s important to never lose sight of that fact, no matter how difficult and painful it may be.
“What you need to remember, when you read Flanders Field, it’s very touching, but you have to remember how many people lost their lives,” he said. “The core understanding of this day is people have died for our country. You have to remember that.”
