OLDS — Thousands of parents, children, grandparents and veterans came to the Ralph Klein Centre gym for the annual Remembrance Day service on Nov. 11.
Dignitaries participating in the service were Olds mayor Judy Dahl; Mountain View County Coun. Jennifer Lutz; Jean Holtenby, representing Red Deer-Mountain View Member of Parliament Earl Dreeshen; Olds College president Ben Cecil and Chinook’s Edge School Division trustee Kathy Kemmere.
MC Denis Kennedy gave the prayer, which he said is often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi.
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
“O divine master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
“For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”
Sgt. Mason Gillings of the Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron 185 read the famous poem In Flanders Fields.
The Last Post was followed by two minutes of silence, then Lament and Reveille were performed.
In her address, Town of Olds Mayor Judy Dahl paid tribute to all those who gave their lives so that we would have the freedom we enjoy today.
“Today it is our duty and responsibility to educate our children, and all people, to never forget the spirit and sacrifice of more than 1.5 million Canadian soldiers, sailors, air crew, merchant seamen and peacekeepers,” Dahl said.
“Let us remember the loss of life of doctors, the nurses and the men who tended the wounded and the dying.
“Today we dash in peace, safety and freedom to pay our respects to all the fallen, all of the wounded and all that served in the service in our past and continue to serve bravely today.” Royal Canadian Legion Branch #105 president Sheila Peters read out the Act of Remembrance, an excerpt from the poem For the Fallen, by Laurence Binyon.
“They shall grow not old,
“as we that are left grow old.
“Age shall not weary them,
“nor the years condemn.
“At the going down of the sun
“And in the morning
“We shall remember them.”
Peters gave a “huge thank you” to RCMP, firefighters, ambulance personnel and all first responders.
She also thanked all those who came to the service to “honour our past and future veterans.”
Wreaths were laid at the cenotaph on behalf of more than 43 groups, organizations and individuals, including the governments of Canada,Alberta, Town of Olds, schools and school boards and many local clubs.
Attendees also heard music during the service.
The local band Nuff Said played Christmas In The Trenches and Highway of Heroes.
The Alberta Justice & Solicitor General Regimental Pipes & Drums piped in the colours to start and end the service. During the event they also performed Amazing Grace and Highland Cathedral.
After the service in the Ralph Klein Centre, a brief outdoor ceremony was held at the cenotaph in Centennial Park.
“Thank you again for taking the time to remember,” Kennedy said. “It’s very important that we keep this culture of honouring alive. I see young and old here, and that’s wonderful.”
He led attendees in a prayer.
“Dear Lord, thank you for the sacrifice of the citizens of Canada who served in the engagements that our country has been involved in.
“We know that you have comforted them and their families as they served in difficult situations.
“We gather here today to honour them and keep their memory alive.
“I would also ask Lord, that you protect people who are serving in the Canadian armed forces at the present time and also in our police services, our fire services, our EMS and our emergency rooms.
“They willingly put themselves in harm’s way and I ask you to keep them safe.”
The day was relatively warm and sunny and free of snow, as it had been all week.
With that in mind, the Albertan asked Peters if the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #105 had considered holding the entire Olds Remembrance Day service event outdoors.
“No we haven’t; we haven’t discussed it. I know several branches are doing that,” she said. “But it is something to keep in mind for the future.
“But a lot of our veterans are up there in years and I think it would be hard for them to stand outside all that time.”
