On Saturday Nelson’s Royal Canadian Legion branch invites the community to join them for their annual Remembrance Day ceremony.
Last year’s event was the first in-person ceremony post pandemic. It’s being offered in person once again this year but also livestreamed for locals to watch from home.
The event starts at 8 a.m. at the Memorial Park Cemetery with a service for all to attend.
Following the service, the annual parade kicks off in front of the Legion at 10:30. The parade will be making its way through the downtown core, ending at the cenotaph where the ceremony will then take place just before 11 a.m.
Remembrance Day is held annually in Canada to recognize and honor the sacrifices made by Canada’s war veterans throughout history. Bill Haire, president of Nelson’s Legion, explained that Nelson is home to many people who have either served or been impacted by war, which is why the day has a local significance.
“We have Second World War veterans in our community still, we have veterans who served in the Korean War, the Gulf War, Vietnam, Afghanistan and families of those soldiers. Remembrance Day is about ensuring their sacrifices are never forgotten.”
Haire says to him, Remembrance Day represents a day of mourning the family he never had the chance to meet.
“My grandfather served in the first and second [world] wars. My father and my uncle served in the second war. I had two great uncles killed in the First World War. I never got to know those people and that’s the sadness.”
He says that like many world war families, he feels the impact nearly a century later.
“I should have had the opportunity to have met those young men. I didn’t and it impacts me, the families of those soldiers killed in war most often never get to have another connection with that serviceman. They live with that for the rest of their lives.”
The Legion’s role in Canada is veteran support. Haire says they offer a variety of different supports to ensure the safety and well-being of veterans and their families.
A large fundraising initiative held annually is the poppy campaign. Nelson’s campaign this year received overwhelming community support, according to Haire. Within five hours, the youth from the Royal Canadian Air and Sea Cadets raised around $3,500 for the Legion, which he says signifies the community’s respect.
“We have great support from our community and the poppy campaign is just a sign of that. Last year we had a tremendous turnout at the ceremony, and we think we will have a tremendous turnout this year because of how respectful our community has proven to be.”