Whether it was a day of Siberian cold or one blessed by beautiful sun,
the citizens of the Haut-Saint-François gathered in all four corners of the
territory to pay homage to veterans, and to all those who work to make the
planet a better world. The context was the Remembrance Day commemorative
ceremonies last week.
Whether it was
in Scotstown, Bury, East Angus, Saint-Isidore-de-Clifton, Sawyerville, Island
Brook, Cookshire or Weedon, hundreds of people took the time to stop for this
very special moment. In several places, people also took the occasion to pay
homage, as well, to Corporal Nathan Cirillo, who was killed by two gun shots
while he was acting as the honour guard at the cenotaph in front of the
parliament in Ottawa.
In Scotstown, the ceremony was also an occasion to mark the restoration
of the cenotaph. The project necessitated an investment of some $2,900. It was
made possible by the sponsorship of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 48 of
Bury, the participation of the department of Veterans' Affairs through its
restoration program, and donations from the municipalities of Scotstown and
Hampden, from Madeline Irving and Dawn Irving, from the Riverview Cemetery
Committee, and through a 50/50 drawing carried out during the Canada Day
celebration in Bury last June 28. The president of the Legion Branch 48 of
Bury, Richard Grey, gave certificates of recognition to the generous donors.
The work was carried out by the firm Maçonnerie Corriveau of Ascot Corner.
Germaine
MacAulay is the lead organiser of the Scotstown ceremonies. She's been
attending Remembrance Day ceremonies for more than 20 years. With the aid of
her children, her grandchildren, and others in the community, and the
participation of her husband, she is carrying forward the tradition. "I do this
in memory of those who gave their lives for us. My mother-in-law was a nurse in
the First World War," she said modestly.
Attending the official ceremony at 10:30 a.m. was the provincial deputy
of the Mégantic riding, Ghislain Bolduc, and the political attaché of federal
deputy Jean Rousseau, Valérie Laliberté, as well as several other dignitaries.
They sang the national anthem, read a poem, heard benedictions by the three
reverends present, listened to God Save the Queen, and heard short speeches by
Scotstown's mayor Chantal Ouellet, and Hampden's mayor Bertrand Prévost. Then
the various speakers and dignitaries laid flowers at the cenotaph, and had a
lunch prepared by the Ceilidh community. Close to 50
persons participated in the Scotstown ceremony.
