Lockerby Legion Branch 564 held an event on Sept. 18 in celebration of completing the cenotaph expansion project known as “Lockerby Remembers”.
Lockerby Remembers is a unique milestone project that united members of the community to create pave stones that commemorate legionnaires, veterans, and their loved ones. Two granite memorial walls have also been established as a part of the project as a tribute to deceased veterans who were members of the branch and served the country.
Eddie Thompson, vice-president of Branch 564 and orchestrator of the project, said in a press release that "it was overwhelming to witness such a heartfelt effort by all the contributors of this important tribute to our members, those we remember and all who serve and have served."
Jennifer Huard is Thompson’s daughter and president of Branch 564.
“This project was the vision of my dad,” Huard said. “It was his idea and he costed out the project, he formed a committee, he hit the ground running, found all the contributors, the partners, volunteers, that sort of thing. He made it happen.”
Huard said when her father encountered health challenges, it streamlined the project to be completed so that Thompson could be there to witness the ceremony.
“Having him here for the unveiling ceremony meant absolutely everything. Because, like I said, it was his vision. So having him here to witness this, it means the world to my family,” Huard said. “We have a long history here and this branch feels like home to us. So to be able to give back to our veterans means everything.”
The unveiling ceremony was held outdoors at the Lockerby Legion Branch 564 and started off with a Parade of Colours, including speeches, a ribbon cutting and a March of Colours to conclude the event.
Elder Vince Pawis held a smudging ceremony during the event where he held a wooden bowl of burning sage and invited people to wave the smoke onto their body. One by one, members of the service wafted the smoke of the sage up and around them.
“The smudge ceremony that I performed was a ceremony that we do at any event to take away any negativity that might be around.” Pawis said.
Irish Regiment Honorary Col. Kevin McCormick and Deputy Commanding Officer Kirk Langdon were also invited to the ceremony to represent the unit and lay a wreath for Canadian Armed Forces members.
“It’s truly inspiring to see not only the names that have been etched on the memorial, but also the family members, sometimes great grandchildren, being here today to honour those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we have today,” McCormick said.
The memorial is truly a cornerstone of the community coming together to support one cause. Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré told Sudbury.com that while the government funded $25,000 for the memorial, there were also generous donations from the community and volunteers who played an instrumental role in completing the cenotaph.
“It was a massive turnout from people all over Greater Sudbury supporting a local Legion, but most importantly, supporting our veterans, supporting our community. And this is a fantastic project that will last for decades to come,” Serré said.
