Morinville Remembers – Remembrance Day 2011 Photos

Nicole Nestor (left) and Kerry Knight take a special wreath in memory of fallen Morinville Soldier Master Corporal Byron Greff to the cenotaph Friday morning. Knight and Nestor were the women who started the yellow ribbon campaign in Greff's honour. See pages X and Y for more Morinville Remembrance Day photos. - Stephen Dafoe Photo

Morinville Remembers
And so we tied our ribbons of yellow, wore our poppies of red, and laid our wreaths of green. We did it because it was all we could do. And because it was all we could do, it was what we must do. And so we did – in memory of Master Corporal Byron Greff in Morinville, Master Corporal Erin Doyle in Legal and for the other 156 soldiers killed in Afghanistan over the last decade. We did it for the countless thousand Canadians killed in WWI, WWII, Korea, and wherever else our countrymen have served us proud over the years. We did it for the countless thousand who have served, who continue to serve and who are yet to serve this great nation and its people. And so we gathered in the drizzle and the chill, never knowing what to say, our poppies, ribbons, wreaths, and silent contemplation speaking in communal unison those three words we must ever remember – Lest We Forget. – SD

PHOTO GALLERY

Below is a gallery of photos taken at Morinville’s Remembrance Day ceremonies. Click on a thumbnail to see the full-sized image, then use mouse wheel or arrow keys to navigate through the images.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

7 Comments

  1. Fantastic coverage. On behalf of the Ladies Auxiliary, we would like to say thankyou so much for attending and capturing the day’s events.

  2. I appreciate all that the Legion does to create a respectful outdoor service when they are at the mercy of the weather. Not wanting the ceremony to be too long just in case we have to endure fridged temperatures, however, I must admit that today’s service was a little too brief for my liking. No playing of O Canada, or God Save the queen, no reading of in Flanders Fields and from where I was standing we could not hear any of the prayers. I miss the longer services that used to be held at the church. I miss the hymns, readings and and the extra special time dedicated to the day. We now have an 11 million dollar Cultural Center that would be a great place to hold an indoor service. There could still be a march to the Cenetaph for 11 am taps and laying of the wreats.

    • Valerie O Canada, God Save the Queen and a moving poem by a serving soldier were all part of the Legion’s ceremonies that took place inside the Legion immediately following the outdoor ceremony. Additionally, were words from the mayor, a Sturgeon County representative and the padre.

  3. As a retired member of the Canadian Forces living in Morinville, I must say that I was extremely impressed with the turn out at the Legion today for the Remembrance Day ceremonies, even though the weather was a bit nasty. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of younger citizens who attended to honour our Veterans! I do echo Valerie’s comment regarding the lack of a proper sound system for the Remembrance day ceremonies! I have been attending the ceremonies in Morinville for the past 11 years and every year it is the same, no-one can hear the prayers or who is presenting wreaths on who’s behalf. That is very frustrating. I would like to thank the Legion and all the organizers for putting on another excellent ceremony. I would also like to thank the young gentlemen who were working on construction on the building adjacent to the Legion who stopped work while the ceremony was taking place! Well done gents! And to you Mr. Editor, thank you once again for your time and efforts in reporting our local news.

  4. I agree with Valerie’s comments. This was a short ceremony, and its ending was not exactly clear…. the Colors Party and Cenotaph Guards and the parade were dismissed before all the wreaths were laid?? People walked away while respects were still being paid because they assumed it was over.
    The turn out was awesome given the poor weather, lots of children were present. But we have to remember the children being the adults of generations to come need a proper example to follow. This means the National Anthem, Flanders Fields and prayers and speeches outside where everyone can hear.
    Overall though it was good to see the numbers that attended.

  5. As with everyone before me I was extremely pleased with the turnout this year. I’ve been attending the ceremonies in Morinville for over 20 years and they seem to get better/bigger each and every year. As mentioned before the PA system needs an upgrade. Mind you the wall of children standing on top of the knoll blocking the view and sound to the people behind them did not help. In previous years they were made to stand behind it or sit on top. But I guess we can blame the weather and poor judgement on the parts of the adults accompanying them.

    As Bill mentioned a big thanks to the contractors who put their tools down during the ceremony. No thanks however to the tow-truck driver that forced his way through the crowd during the ceremony instead or diverting by 102 St. All in all a big thanks to the legion for again providing us with the ceremonies.

  6. Excellent coverage, thanks so much! And thank you to the many volunteers that make the ceremony happen and be such a success!

Comments are closed.