Jayda Noyes, Daily Herald
Poppies floated through the air like feathers at the Prince Albert Armouries on Sunday to mark a century of freedom.
It’s not easy for Marie Mathers to remember, but she knows firsthand why Remembrance Day is important.
She served in a Canadian prisoner-of-war camp and her late husband served at Juno Beach in the Second World War.
With the building packed with people, Mathers felt tears coming to her eyes.
“It just gives you the goose pimples,” she said with a smile. “It has to be done and it was done.”
Mathers, a Prince Albert Legion member, took the lead on organizing the service, with the first meeting in March.
“I had a second meeting in May, then I had a meeting in June, then August and September, October. There’s an awful lot of planning,” she said.
She also showed appreciation for the provincial government investing in a program for Royal Canadian Legion branches and Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans (ANAVETS).
Here’s some photos of the #ypa Remembrance Day ceremony at the P.A. Armouries this morning. #CanadaRemembers #Sask #SK #news pic.twitter.com/tHKSKcf471
— Jayda Noyes (@jaynoyesSK) November 11, 2018
Mayor Greg Dionne was pleased that the city showed such recognition, especially the children.
At the Prince Albert Grand Council’s (PAGC) service a couple days prior, Dionne asked the crowd to bring their children next year.
Grandchildren and great grandchildren attended the Armouries service, many participating by laying a wreath in honour of a fallen family member.
“That’s what it’s about—sharing our past so we know where we go in the future,” said Dionne.
The building was quiet at 11:00 a.m. for two minutes of silence after The Last Post.
It was exactly 100 years since the country was relieved that a long four years of the First World War had come to an end.
