Whether it was fate, coincidence or karma, the arrival of a farm tractor pulling two grain cars just as the Remembrance Day ceremony in Oro-Medonte Township was set to begin Sunday morning seemed appropriate.
It reinforced where the ceremony was taking place and for whom it was being held.
The cenotaph, located on the Oro-Medonte fairgrounds at the corner of Line 7 North and Sideroad 15/16 East, about halfway between Barrie and Orillia, features the names of the locals who lost their lives in past conflicts.
The majority were farmers or the sons of farmers - neighbours to the folks around these parts.
For Ruth Fountain, they’re not just names on a granite memorial.
They’re real people who left behind real parents, real siblings.
She was born in the former Oro Township, long before it became Oro-Medonte, in 1937.
While she may not have experienced the pain of war firsthand, she knew those who did, like the Clarkes of Hawkestone, who lost two sons, both pilots during the Second World War.
“I believe our veterans have done us a wonderful service over the years,” Fountain said. “My son served in the military for 15 years as well. Remembrance Day means a lot to me.”
It means a great deal to others as well.
About 200 folks braved overcast skies and intermittent rain as wreaths were laid, honours were paid and heroes remembered.
The notes of The Last Post seem to echo forever across the silent fields.
For many, it would be the only opportunity they would get to take in a Remembrance Day ceremony, with many Ontario residents forgoing the annual ceremony tomorrow because it’s not a statutory holiday in the province.
“The township (Oro-Medonte) has historically held a Remembrance Day ceremony on the Sunday prior to Remembrance Day to allow the residents and dignitaries to attend a local ceremony,” said township employee Vanessa Cooper, who organizes the event. “Our larger neighbouring communities host ceremonies on Remembrance Day that our officials participate in.
“Additionally, hosting our ceremony on Sunday allows local people who may have to work on Remembrance Day an opportunity to pay their respects.”
This year, for the first time, the men of Medonte were recognized, their names acknowledged.
“Remembrance Day is about remembering those who served,” said Robert Young, the Oro-Medonte councillor who requested the names of the Medonte men be read. “There are 32 of them — a lot of them just farm boys who never returned.”
The Medonte men are recognized on the Waverly Soldiers’ Memorial in Waverly. It was built in 1920 and commemorates the residents of Flos, Medonte, Tay and Tiny townships who died in war. It is located next to the crossroads of Highway 93 and County Road 27 where the corners of all four townships meet.
Over time the names of those lost in World War Two and the Korean War were also commemorated.
