A crowd of nearly 1,000 people gathered quietly at the Revelstoke Cenotaph today for the Remembrance Day ceremony.
With an RCMP escort and bagpipes echoing along First St., the Remembrance Day parade made its way to the Revelstoke Cenotaph shortly before 11 a.m. As the parade approached the cenotaph, only the sound of a train passing through and few babies crying was heard. It was quieter still as a member of the band played The Last Post, leading the crowd into a moment of silence.
Leading the parade was the bagpipers, followed by several members of the RCMP, and the Revelstoke Grizzlies donning their jerseys and poppies brought up the rear. It was the first year back for the parade since the pandemic.
The Revelstoke Legion led the ceremony with a speech from the Legion’s president, Cathy Moore.
“Remembrance Day is a day where people get together to remember people who sacrificed their lives to let us have peace,” said Moore, adding that on Remembrance Day we also recognize those who went to war and survived.
Mayor Gary Sulz also spoke at the ceremony, highlighting the intergenerational responsibility of remembrance.
“With each new generation, the torch of remembrance is passed. So that as a country and as a society, the values that our veterans fought and died for will live on in all of us,” said Sulz.
Sulz’s words mirrored what was already present in the crowd, with folks young and old gathered solemnly to pay their respects. Veteran Nicky Harding laid the first wreath at the foot of the cenotaph in the absence of a Government of Canada representative.
The ceremony was just over 40-minutes in all, giving residents time to reflect on the day.
Closing out the ceremony, God Save the King was sung for the first time in a generation, which prompted some murmurs from the crowd before dismissing.
By the end of the ceremony, the cenotaph was wrapped in wreaths and poppies left by members of the community.
READ MORE: Remembrance Day: ‘It doesn’t come free’
READ MORE: Remembrance Day: ‘Grateful, strong, and free’
@ZacharyDelaney
zach.delaney@revelstokereview.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our daily and subscribe to our daily newsletter.