Lac La Biche Remembrance Day draws crowds to outdoor ceremony

Crowds of residents line the road at the Lac La Biche Legion for the Remembrance Day ceremony.
Dennis Johnston, left, and Cliff Chamberlain were amongst the military veterans who participated in the 2024 Remembrance Day ceremony in Lac La Biche. Chris McGarry photo.
Donika Lungal and Dallin Lungal look over the wreaths on display outside of the Royal Canadian Legion in Lac La Biche prior to the commencement of the 2024 Remembrance Day ceremony. Chris McGarry photo.
Chris McGarry photo.
Chris McGarry photo.
Captain Debbie Cyre of the Lac La Biche 2995 Army Cadet Corps walks past the outside of the Royal Canadian Legion before the service. Chris McGarry photo.
Dennis Johnston, a 20-year veteran of the Canadian military, lays a wreath at the cenotaph. Chris McGarry photo.
Major Bob Johnston and Master Warrant Officer (MWO) Don Keizer lay wreaths in honour of His Majesty Charles III. Chris McGarry.
People place poppies on wreaths at the end of the ceremony. Chris McGarry photo.
Mike and Heather Dempsey sang 'O Canada' and 'God Save the King' at the Remembrance Day event. Chris McGarry photo.
Lac La Biche County Mayor Paul Reutov lays a wreath at the cenotaph. Chris McGarry photo.
Lac La Biche County mayor Paul Reutov speaks at the ceremony. Chris McGarry photo.
Pete Shamchuk prepares to lower the Canadian flag half-mast. Chris McGarry photo.
Danny Stevens, president of the McGrane Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion in Lac La Biche, talks at the Remembrance Day event which took place on Monday, Nov. 11. Chris McGarry photo.
Wreaths at the base of the Lac La Biche cenotaph and Eternal Flame.

For Louise Gauthier, Remembrance Day is vital for observing the sacrifices made by Canadian men and women in conflicts both past and present.  

Gauthier, who served 31 years in the Royal Canadian Air Force, was among several veterans who participated in this year’s Remembrance Day ceremony in Lac La Biche at the McGrane#28 branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.  

“It’s important that we have this freedom because of those individuals that sacrificed their lives and still continue to do that today,” Gauthier told Lakeland This Week.  

Under cold, grey skies, a large group of community residents lined 101St Street and Churchill Drive to watch the customary procession at the local legion’s cenotaph and Eternal Flame, comprised of local firefighters and peace officers, provincial fish and wildfire officers, military veterans, and members of 2995 Lac La Biche Army Cadets.  

Members of the Lac La Biche RCMP and a contingent of troops from CFB Cold Lake who normally attend the event, were not at this year’s ceremony.   

The event’s agenda included the singing of O Canada, speeches from local dignitaries, the recitation by a local army cadet of the poem In Flanders Field, the lowering of the flag of the flag to the bugle notes of The Last Post, a moment of silence, the raising of the flag and a prayer. Wreaths were then laid at the base of the Legion’s cenotaph.  

Dennis Johnston and Cliff Chamberlain were two of many people to place wreaths at the cenotaph. 

Johnston, who served as a combat engineer and an aircraft mechanic during his 20 years as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, stated that the significance of Remembrance is to remember all those who served their country.  

“We should always remember, of all the lives that were lost…and the cost of war…and it should be prevented,” he said.  

On Remembrance Day, Chamberlain, a veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force and a local legion executive member, keeps alive the memory of his father, a World War II veteran.  

Chamberlain, who was in the military from 1966-1972, is a familiar face at the annual ceremonies hosted in Lac La Biche.  

“Every year, no matter hell or high water, I’m here,” he said.   

 

 

 

 

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