By Jim Morrison
www.thesuburban.com
Pointe Claire city hall, on an early misty Sunday morning, was the site of the annual Remembrance Day tribute to our men and women of our military.
The veterans were represented by the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 57, and the Royal Montreal Regiment. The courtyard around the Pointe Claire cenotaph was filled with several hundred people, made of up of young and old awaiting the 10 a.m. service.
Beaconsfield’s 690 Lakeshore Air Cadets Squadron was on hand, as well as the 34 Canadian Brigade Group Band and the 306 Wing Royal Canadian Air Force Association Pipes and Drums, to honour the men and women who gave up their lives for our freedom.
Wreaths were laid beneath the cenotaph, by newly elected Pointe Claire Mayor Morris Trudeau, Jacques Cartier MNA Geoffrey Kelley, and Lac St. Louis MP Francis Scaraleggia as bagpipes played in the background. A reading of In Flanders Field had the crowd in complete silence in respect of the fallen, who later joined in a rendition of God Save the Queen.
The parade, which reached city hall via Hornell, St. Louis, Maywood, and Douglas Shand streets, made its way onto St. Jean to the applause of the citizens on hand who migrated to the front of city hall, following the ceremony.
“My father served in the Ceylon military, and both my boys were Air Cadets growing up,” said longtime Pincourt resident, 67-year-old Don Paul, who has attended every Pointe Claire tribute since 1975. “It’s only fitting that I am here to offer my respect. It is important for our military to know that we appreciate what their sacrifices mean to us.”
“My mom makes sure I attend this event every year. My great grandfather died in Europe,” thirteen-year-old Jack Artzy, who attended together with his mother and grandfather, told The Suburban. “It is a way to understand the meaning of Remembrance Day.”
The tribute concluded at the north end of city hall just as rain set in at 10:50 a.m.
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