Thousands gather in Waterloo Region for Remembrance Day
Posted Nov 11, 2015 01:46:35 PM.
Last Updated Nov 11, 2015 02:35:30 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The sunshine made for large crowds at Remembrance Day ceremonies in Waterloo Region.
It was a beautiful morning for a solemn occasion.
Many showed their support in Waterloo as men and women in uniform marched down Regina to the Cenotaph to honour those who served.
Many others gathered in Kitchener and Cambridge to pay tribute.
Col. Retd Terry Wilder says it’s important to remember:
“I spent 34 years in uniform, and I’ve known a lot of friends who’ve gone overseas and didn’t come back. It’s good to remember their service to our country.”
Bagpiper Adam Annandale has been playing at the Waterloo ceremony for the past decade, and says the veterans are becoming fewer and fewer.
“It kind of chokes me up, lots of times,” says Annandale.
“Even just to blow my bagpipes, sometimes I wonder if I’m going to break down, especially if there’s a tribute to a person who I happened to have known.”
Many laid wreaths at the Cenotaph near the corner of Regina and William, including Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky and Fire Chief Richard Hepditch.
MP Bardish Chagger and MPP Catherine Fife were there at the monument as well.
For Wilder, the ceremony made for a touching moment:
“It makes you feel good that the people haven’t forgotten. It’s a better crowd now than it was in 1960.”
The veterans were treated to a round of applause as they made their way to and from the ceremony.
Cars stopped and honked in support.
One police officer directing traffic left a lasting image as he stopped to salute veterans as they passed by.
It was a reminder that sometimes the most touching moments are the small gestures.
