Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
It is that time of year again when community members gather to remember the sacrifices made by men and women who have served and died on the battlefield.
Remembrance Day is on a Sunday this year, and the Kindersley Legion is holding its annual community service at St. Paul’s United Church. People are asked to be seated in the church by 10:45 a.m., and the service is expected to start sometime before 11 a.m.
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Scott Holloway, who serves as chaplain for the Kindersley Legion, said a group of Legion members and supporters will march from the Legion Hall to the church, a tradition of the local service. Anyone could march with the group.
People marching from the hall to the church will meet at the hall at about 10:15 a.m. Holloway said the group will start its march to the church at approximately 10:40 a.m. He said it will not take long for the group to get to the church.
He noted that the service will start after the group arrives at the church, so it is why people are asked to be seated by 10:45 a.m. The plan is to pause for two minutes of silence as close to the 11th hour as possible, he said. The service is expected to run for about an hour, according to the chaplain.
People are invited to attend a lunch at the Legion Hall after the service, he said. Legion members also go to Caleb Village and Heritage Manor later that afternoon to put on a service for community members that have a harder time getting around, he explained.
Holloway said the Legion is working with the church because Remembrance Day falls on a Sunday, so Pastor Piotr Strzelecki is overseeing the service. He said Strzelecki has served as a chaplain, so the arrangement works nicely.
The service will feature the usual components of the occasion. The service will start with the singing of the national anthem as part of opening ceremonies that include the playing of the Last Post and Reveille, reading of names on the Roll of Honour and depositing of colours.
Wreaths will then be laid by various dignitaries, representatives of different groups and private citizens, Holloway said. The service also includes hymn singing, scripture reading and various other speaking components.
The chaplain said a group of local students is going to help Legion members mark the graves of all veterans with LED lights on Friday afternoon at the cemetery. The lights would be lit up throughout the weekend, so people could take a quick trip to the cemetery to check out the lights, he added.
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