North Vancouver’s Victoria Park was home to a sea of crimson poppies on Saturday afternoon, as the public braved the inclement weather to pay tribute to those who served in war.
The event, one of four Remembrance Day ceremonies on the North Shore, saw members of the public joined by friends and family members of veterans past and present, and municipal staff members - including City and District mayors Linda Buchanan and Mike Little.
The thousands in attendance fell silent for sombre reflection at 11 a.m., before the President of the North Shore Veteran’s Council Sgt. Kevin Bracewell and the council’s chaplain Rev. Jill Parsons, the event’s hosts, ushered in a wreath-laying ceremony.
Among the funeral wreaths laid at the foot of the park’s centograph were contributions from various branches of the Royal Canadian Legion, the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, North Vancouver City and District Fire Departments, the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and the Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nation Veterans Association.
The ceremony concluded as the JP Fell Pipe Band-led parade marched up Lonsdale Avenue, providing a fitting closure to a week of events, services, and parades that had taken place on the North Shore.
On Wednesday, veterans and community members had turned out in their troves to honour the sacrifice of Indigenous soldiers for National Aboriginal Veterans Day, with a local ceremony led by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation at Whey-ah-Wichen (Cates Park), while schools throughout North and West Vancouver paid respects with student-led ceremonies.
Mina Kerr-Lazenby is the North Shore News’ Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
