Remembrance Day in Penticton looked quite a bit different again this year due to the pandemic but that didn’t stop hundreds of people from gathering at Veterans Memorial Park.
“We used to be in the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre and normally around 2,000 people would come. But because of COVID we couldn’t be inside,” said Penticton Legion Branch 40 Poppy Campaign Chair Bob Sudbury.
“We followed COVID protocol this year with a taped off area for only VIP. Being in a public park though, we couldn’t stop people from coming and they filled the whole area.”
For Michelle Jenkins, a bereaved mother, she says that attending the ceremony was especially hard but does so in honour of her son.
“When he finally told me that he had signed up, I cried for hours. I tried to convince him not to do it but he told me that this is what he was born to do.”
Jenkins has laid a wreath in memory of her son each year since his passing.
“He was 31 years old and the army was just his life. He passed away in January of 2016. He was based in Maryland and was in Ottawa to start with,” said Jenkins.
The ceremony was kept short due to restrictions and the weather, but didn’t shy away from important traditions.
A bugle player played “The Last Post” and bagpipes echoed throughout the park before the laying of wreaths.
“I honestly like having the ceremony at a cenotaph like this one — this is the real thing,” said Sudbury.
“Soldiers never said that they didn’t want to fight because it is raining and cold. We have coats, we are Canadian, we can stand out here to remember.”