Sophie Kuijper Dickson, reporter

Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

The Pontiac Legion hosted a small crowd at the cenotaph in front of the MRC Pontiac offices on Sunday afternoon to remember and honour the soldiers who served in past and ongoing wars.

The ceremony opened with a somber national anthem, played on the trumpet by musician Jessica Nilsson.

Litchfield mayor Colleen Larivière and Campbell’s Bay mayor Raymond Pilon were both in attendance, as well as MRC Pontiac warden Jane Toller, and representatives for MP Sophie Chatel and MNA André Fortin.

“What’s going on today gives us so much to think about and makes us realize how we need to protect our freedom,” Larivière said, prior to the wreath laying ceremony.

“It seems like the last six months, or the last year actually, has been a trying time for the whole world.”

Mayor Pilon shared similar remarks.

“So many lives that were lost, so many lives that were changed because of the war,” he said. “So let’s not forget the past so hopefully it doesn’t happen again in the future.”

Wreaths were laid on behalf of public officials, local businesses, and by local residents wishing to honour family members who had served.

Among them was Campbell’s Bay resident Sophie Ringrose, who laid a wreath in memory of her father Frank Lisowski, a Polish soldier in the Second World War.

“He fought in the [Polish] army there, and then a contingent of the Polish army fought with the French army, and then he ended up fighting with the British army,” Ringrose said. “It was from England that he then immigrated to Canada.”

Today, her father’s family lives near Poland’s border with Ukraine. Ringrose said her cousins are helping the refugees arriving from Ukraine, which to her is a reminder that the fight for freedom is ongoing.

‘Not enough young people know’

Pontiac Legion president Ron Woodstock and secretary Mona Woodstock have been organizing Remembrance Day ceremonies for seven years.

“The poppy sales are down,” Ron said, following the ceremony. “I think it has a lot to do with the cost of living. People don’t have much money for extra.”

He also noted that while the Legion often invites troops to partake in the ceremonies as flag bearers or to help lay the wreaths, none were available for Sunday, as most are on standby for deployment.

Both Ron and Mona agreed that as the local community ages, the sacrifices made by soldiers in previous wars are at risk of being forgotten.

“When I was six years old in 1950, there were still lots of soldiers around, where now there aren’t any,” Ron said. “The young people don’t have a chance to know and realize.”

“And there’s not enough talk in schools today about what it was all about,” Mona added.

“Our troops and our people fought so hard for our freedom, and today it’s being taken advantage of. Not enough people know anything about it.”