A few dozen warmly-dressed residents marked Remembrance Day ahead of Nov. 11 at the Old Town Hall Cenotaph in Oro-Medonte on Sunday morning.
The ceremony honoured Canadian veterans who served for their country since the First World War.
The event saw members of the Navy League, the Grey and Simcoe Foresters, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Royal Canadian Legion, and others take part in wreath-laying ceremonies.
Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MP Doug Shipley noted the importance of Remembrance Day prior to the start of the ceremony.
“It’s paying tribute to everybody who’s given sacrifices in the past so we can enjoy the freedoms that we have today,” he said.
“I’m so glad that people fought on behalf of us, so that we’re here,” says Nancy Partridge, of Guthrie, wiping tears from her eyes.
“And I think it’s very important that we celebrate this day,” she adds.
Mike Maynard grew up in the UK and completed his service in the British army decades ago; he said he thinks his time in the army was valuable.
“I think conscription did a lot of good to youngsters. I was a bit of a terror, but by the time I came out (of the service), I wasn’t,” he says with a smile.
Maynard suffered the loss of loved ones during the Second World War.
“When I was very young, I had uncles that didn’t come back from the war, so I like to come every year and remember those people,” he says.
"My father spent the war up in Scotland,” adds Maynard. “He was in the RAF (Royal Air Force), not a pilot or anything, just a normal guy.
“He was at a place where Germans really couldn’t get to very well, so he was reasonably safe, which was good for us, anyway.”
Does he fear Remembrance Day will diminish as the years march on?
“I hope that it carries on,” he says. “If the children are educated correctly, I think it will carry on, but it’s all about education.”
Caleb Barthorpe, 10, a cadet in the Navy League, said he feels these ceremonies are important, as it’s “to remember the soldiers who risked their lives to keep our area in peace and quiet, so we can all live in peace and no harm.”
