An early Remembrance Day ceremony was held in L’Orignal on Sunday morning. Approximately 50 people gathered under a bright and sunny sky by the cenotaph at the park entrance to remember the village’s veterans of the past and present.
The L’Orignal ceremony was organized by Royal Canadian Legion Branch 472 Hawkesbury and included the participation of the Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry #57 Cadet Corps. The Master of Ceremonies was Nicole Trottier. The observance included the Last Post, two minutes of silence, and Reveille. Sixteen wreaths were placed in front of the monument on behalf of all three levels of government, fraternal organizations such as the Knights of Columbus and Daughters of Isabella, and local businesses.
Brief remarks were made by Glengarry-Prescott-Russell Member of Parliament Francis Drouin, Glengarry-Prescott-Russell Member of Provincial Parliament Amanda Simard, and Champlain Township Mayor Gary Barton.
Drouin noted that Remembrance Day 2018 will be the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War One.
“We owe our independence and freedom to the men and women who have served in wartime and peacetime,” said Drouin.
Simard spoke of the need to remember the service and sacrifice by all veterans and to support the needs of living veterans.
Mayor Barton said “We must never forget” those who served and serve and emphasized the importance of peace and preventing future worldwide conflict.
The war memorial plaques on the stone wall at the entrance of L’Orignal Park recognize local participation in World War Two (1939-1945), and the Korean War (1950-1953). Six men from L’Orignal died while serving in World War Two and their names are listed on one of the plaques. They were; Joseph Guy Bertrand, Gordon Stuart MacIntosh, Malcolm Alexander MacLeod, J.E.G. Conrad Montcalm, and Joseph Germain Pilon.
