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Gallery: Revelstoke remembers

Hundreds of people came out for the annual Remembrance Day ceremony in Revelstoke on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
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Revelstoke remembers by placing wreaths around the Cenotaph during the Remembrance day ceremony on Nov. 11

Hundreds of people came out for the annual Remembrance Day ceremony in Revelstoke on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

The ceremony featured all the hallmarks of the annual event. It was started with the parade down First Street, led by the pipe band, and with members of the Legion, the Ladies Auxiliary, cadets, RCMP, school students, and others following.

They marched to the cenotaph at the intersection of Garden Avenue and First Street West, where John Opra served as emcee for the ceremony.

He introduced pastor Dan Meeks, who said a brief prayer in honour of veterans who served Canada.

"May our hearts be filled with a sense of gratitude with the peace we have received with their sacrifice," he said. "Let us be still, let us be silent and let us remember."

Meeks was followed by the playing of the Last Post and two minutes of silence.

Mayor Mark McKee was the next to speak. He said it was important to continue remembering veterans who served in the two world wars, peacekeeping missions and other conflicts.

"The reality of war is only as far away as a veteran, a family member, a friend or a neighbour who has been touched by that war or those wars that have followed," he said. "The people's whose names you see on the cenotaph behind me may have stood in the exact same spot you are standing today.

"They were you."

He spoke of his father-in-law, who fought in the Second World War with the Cape Breton Highlanders. He carried a bible with him. "It says on the first page: 'Be strong and of good courage,'" said McKee.

Legion president Todd Driediger also spoke, emphasizing that many sacrificed their lives so we could enjoy our freedoms today.

"By remembering all who have served, we recognize their willingness to endure hardship and fear and take it upon themselves so we can live in peace," he said. "It is our responsibility to preserve and protect the peace they fought so passionately to achieve. They died for us, for our homes, our families, our friends, and the future they believed in."

The ceremony concluded with the laying of the wreaths around the cenotaph, with many paying tribute to friends and family who served in the past.

View photos from the ceremony in the gallery below: