BONNYVILLE – Members of the community gathered around the Bonnyville Legion for the annual outdoor Remembrance Day ceremony on Nov. 11.
Construction engineers from 4 Wing Cold Lake came to the event to represent the Royal Canadian Airforce, and other military members showed up in uniform to support the proceedings and pay their respects to those who gave their lives to serve.
WWII veteran William McGregor attended the ceremony to lay down a wreath. At 101 years old, McGregor strode up to the laying of the wreaths with vitality. McGregor served as a medic for the Canadian army.
Bob McRae, Sergeant at Arms for the Legion Branch 183, acted as emcee for the evening, and led the crowd through the singing of O Canada.
McRae commented on how exceptionally sharp McGregor is, and how well he can recall and tell stories of the past.
“He went out to Iron River School with one of our Legion members and told stories like you wouldn’t believe, like it happened the day before yesterday. Just incredible,” said McRae.
McRae was heartened to see not only a large crowd, but also the amount of community members who chose to bring their children with them.
“I was impressed that a lot of people brought their kids . . . That’s important.”
The Legion building was opened up for refreshments after the ceremony and was packed with people sharing conversation over food and drinks.
“It was a very good time,” said McRae.
He said the entire event went very well, and that it was so well attended that it was probably one of the biggest crowds the Legion has ever seen.
Because of the large turnout, McRae reports that organizers will be deliberating on whether to return the event to the C2 Centre in the future to utilize the larger venue or continue to host it outdoors at the Legion. McRae adds that the factor of unpredictable weather will also be taken into consideration during their upcoming meeting in December.