Honouring our Veterans: Remembrance Day Ceremony held at Shelburne Town Hall

Wreath laying ceremony moves forward despite Legion closure

Written By PAULA BROWN

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

In the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day, the possibility of the community being able to honour local Veterans together was aloof as the Shelburne Legion, which organizes the local day of commemoration, closed its doors. 

But, as the 11th hour of the 11th minute of Nov. 11 approached, nearly 200 Shelburne residents joined Veterans and legion members at Town Hall to honour them and the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for Canada's freedom.

“You're gathered here today at our community cenotaph, a special place for remembrance. As human beings, memories are most commonly express through word, but mere words alone seem wholly inadequate,” said Shelburne Mayor Wade Mills. “Nothing we could ever say here today could possibly be good enough to honour these brave men and women, because what they gave is beyond our powers to ever repay.”

During the ceremony, the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae was read by local Veteran Walter Kolodziechuk, along with the names of local veterans from the First and Second World Wars who have passed away since 2000.

While the Remembrance Day ceremony typically allows for a wide range of local businesses and organizations to lay wreaths alongside those dedicated to the soldiers and facets of the Canadian military, this year the wreaths were limited to a few as many of them remained locked behind the closed doors of the legion.

Wreaths that were laid included Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Canadian Dragoons, and the Town of Shelburne.

“The Veterans are going to be the most focal point of the cenotaph here,” said Gord Horsley, Padre of the Shelburne Legion and Dufferin Veterans Association.

As part of his speech, Mayor Mills asked residents to remember the importance of respect, common decency and our shared humanity. 

“We the living have a responsibility to remember the conditions that led to the wars in which our heroes died. We should start by remembering that all of those who died for us and our country were in a way, victims of a failed peace process,” said Mills. “The good news is that each new day carries with it the potential for progress. Each new day greets us with a new set of possibilities. So let us commit fully to the potential that we have to be better, to do better and to create a better world. In memory of those who gave the last full measure of devotion, may our efforts to achieve a lasting and enduring peace, gain strength, and let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they thought and what they died for.”

The Shelburne Legion is expected to hold a vote on Nov. 26 to elect a new president, which will allow for the reopening of the local branch.