On Friday our community will gather at the cenotaph for the annual Remembrance Day ceremony. Whether snow, rain or glorious autumn sunshine, we can expect the crowd to be typically large.
Marking November 11 in a small community seems to mean more than gatherings in large urban centres. Like all things small town, it’s because the connections are that much stronger, the bonds that hold rural residents together that much more evident.
Looking back through the pages of Nelson’s history, the men and women who have served and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice continue to have important links to today. Because the numbers are smaller, we get to know the stories of Robert Hampton Gray, Rowland Bourke, William Garland Foster, Percy Rigby and Joe Holland.
In today’s paper and for Friday’s edition, we continue to tell stories of the past and catch up with people in our community who offer a living history. These stories are important and provide us with context for the day we are about to mark.
Also included in our coverage this week are stories about what young people are thinking about war, both past and present. Youth provide interesting insight into what the day means and it’s comforting knowing all generations understand the importance of striving for peace.
There is really no other day in Nelson like Remembrance Day. It’s a time when folks from all walks of life come together in large numbers for a few moments of sombre silence. A time when the weathered faces of veterans stand alongside the innocence of youth. Don’t miss your opportunity to pay tribute to those past and present who make the freedom to gather possible.