Remembrance and Halloween — Canadian-style
Friday 20th November 2009, 6:18AM GMT.
The service of remembrance took place on the ice rink inside the Moose Jaw Civic Centre
Remembrance Day in Saskatchewan is a public holiday.
For the people of Moose Jaw, it is not a time to revel in a day off work but a time to remember.
My husband and I, along with more than three thousand Moose Javians, gathered on November 11 for a service of remembrance, not at a memorial in the town, as you would in Britain, but at the Moose Jaw Civic Centre, home of the city’s ice-hockey team — the Moose Jaw Warriors.
The service took place on the ice. The cenotaph was moved into the centre of the rink and local dignitaries and VIPs walked to it while members of the public watched from the gallery.
It was a very moving ceremony with people from all over the community taking part.
At the end, organisations and individuals were invited to lay wreaths at the bottom of the cenotaph.
The poppies people wore were different to those in England as they have a more velvety texture.
It was wonderful that, because Remembrance Day was made a public holiday, so many people were able to attend.
Later in the week I bumped into the new Mayor Glenn Hagel. He said he was very proud of the service and thought that between eight and nine per cent of Moose Jaw’s population attended the ceremony.
Mayor Hagel said he didn’t think there was another city in Canada which could say it had that many people in one place for a Remembrance Day service.
More on next page
Shropshire Star on Twitter
Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
Entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new Shropshire Star app
Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
shropshirestar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
