On November 11, 2016, about 700 people gathered at the Niverville Heritage Centre to honour the men and women who have served, and continue to serve, our country during times of war, conflict, and peace. With Remembrance Day falling on a Friday, the organizing committee, comprised of private citizen volunteers, wasn’t sure how many people to expect. This year’s attendance was just shy of last year’s 800 attendees.
This year’s program was filled with video and musical presentations including a special song written by Bob Thompson called “Canadian Soldier.” His daughter Emily Thompson accompanied him on stage to sing it. Melanie Bergen assisted the Girl Guides, Brownies, and Sparks in the singing of O Canada. Bergen also performed “We’ll Meet Again” and “God Save the Queen.”
Lorraine Kehler welcomed guests by sharing her experience as a mother with a son in the Canadian Forces. Kehler’s son, Samuel Kehler, currently serves as an officer in the navy.
Following these welcoming remarks, young members of the community, including Shelby Vernier, Brett Zacharias, Brendan Derksen, and Hana Stott, recited In Flanders Fields.
As a sign of solemn observance, five cadets from the 170th St. James Squadron, including Vigil Commander Aiden Bruce, Samuel Harder, Ryleigh Bruce, Vanessa Harder, and Derek Kehler, held vigil of the memorial on stage. This act of respect is usually performed at a cenotaph or memorial site when ceremonies are held outdoors.
This year’s guest speaker was World War II veteran George Peterson. Peterson is a recipient of both the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.
For 20 minutes, Peterson participated in a question-and-answer period with host Ian Wallace, whose father John Wallace also served in WWII. Peterson explained how many lives were tragically lost in the Battle of Hong Kong and in prisoner of war camps.
“290 Canadians died in action and, after four years in captivity, more than 250 passed away… Today, there are 18 of us left and I’m going to be the last one to go,” he quipped.
While Peterson still has a sharp sense of humour, when Wallace asked him about his time as a POW, his tone changed.
“We were treated worse than they treated their animals. We were their slaves,” he said. “We didn’t have names, we had numbers. In the coal mines, we were working anywhere from 10, 12, to sometimes 14-hour days until we had put out our quota. At the time, we were fed 1,900 calories of food a day. For the work we were doing, we should have been eating at least 3,000 to 4,000 calories a day… We didn’t live, we survived.”
Before ending his conversation with Peterson, Wallace asked him to share his final thoughts on war.
“War has never solved any problems at all. There are no winners in war, but a great deal of losers,” Peterson said. “People like Hitler, Mussolini, Hirohito, Churchill, Roosevelt; let them fight each other in the frontlines and see how long it would take them to get to the negotiation table. War doesn’t solve anything.”
After the guest speaker left the stage, the service continued with the Acts of Remembrance and the wreath-laying ceremony, which included a bugle call and bagpipe music. Wreaths were laid by members of the community including local politicians, members of the Canadian Forces, RCMP, and the Niverville Fire and EMS. The service ended with a closing prayer by Roger Armbruster.
Guests and attendees were invited to a light lunch prepared and served by Heritage Centre staff. This provided an opportunity for people to sit and visit while reflecting on the service.
This year was the first time Elaine Bernardin attended the Remembrance Day service in Niverville with her family, who live in the community.
“It’s not much for me to take an hour or so out of the year to stop and think about what this day really means. It is a very small price to pay when I consider stories like George Peterson’s,” Bernardin says. “There were moments where I had to wipe tears from my eyes today. The entire service was very moving.”
