THUNDER BAY – Some people living in retirement homes can’t make it to Remembrance Day ceremonies on Monday, so the Slovak Legion decided brought the ceremony to them.
Over the past week, members of the Slovak Legion have been attending retirement homes and presenting a Remembrance Day ceremony. On Sunday afternoon, those members visited Chartwell Thunder Bay on Arundel St.
Kim Treichler, member of the Slovak Legion, said after finishing the day on Sunday, they will have visited 10 different places.
“A lot of people can't make it out. We want to bring a little bit of Remembrance Day to them.
“It's important for not only our elderly but our young too, to remember why Remembrance Day has happened and why it is still happening. It's not a day off, it's a day to remember.
“We have to remember also, they fought for our lives, for our freedom. If we can't give up an hour of our times for them, what did they fight for?”
Treichler said this has been something the Slovak Legion has done since about 2015, and it is always well-received.
“It's been a huge positive reaction. As I said, not everybody can get out. So, the biggest thing is for us to bring this mini Remembrance Day ceremony to them.
“It is part of their lives and it always will be. They can't always get out to these things, but we can have it here right in their homes. They don't have to go in the cold, (we) can have everything right here at hand for them,” Treichler said.
Catherine Middleton, lifestyle and programs manager at Chartwell Thunder Bay, said having the Slovak Legion come is very memorable for staff and residents.
“We're just so incredibly grateful to the Slovak Legion for coming on site to do the service. If it wasn't for them offering this to us, a lot of our residents wouldn't be able to get out to various services in the community."
Middleton said the residents are always appreciative as well.
“They're grateful and they're so moved. It brings a lot of memories back for them, memories of their family, their loved ones and it's just a fantastic thing,” she said.
Some residents had stories to share after the Remembrance Day ceremony.
Barbara Barnwell said she was eight years old when the Second World War ended.
She remembers a story from that exact day. Barnwell said her mother was using a pressure cooker, when someone ran down the stairs exclaiming that Germany had surrendered.
“The two of them, those two women, danced around the kitchen and I'm eight years old and I'm looking at them and all of a sudden, the pressure cooker blew up all over the ceiling,” Barbara said.
Jane Somerton said she lived through the war in the Netherlands.
“I actually lived there and saw too many horrors. We moved to Canada and I have been forever grateful for the Canadian soldiers in particular, because they rescued us,” she said.
