Hundreds of Pitt Meadows residents attend the Remembrance Day ceremony

Spirit Square was filled with hundreds of spectators from Pitt Meadows and the surrounding communities on Friday, Nov. 11 to honour our country’s veterans in the Remembrance Day ceremony.

This event attracted people from all sorts of groups, including Girl Guides, Sea Cadets, Pitt Meadows Fire & Rescue, Ridge Meadows RCMP, Knights of Columbus, Pitt Meadows city council, Royal Canadian Legion, and others.

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The ceremony started with a parade that led in from the Pitt Meadows Family Recreation Centre and culminated around the cenotaph in the heart of Spirit Square.

This was followed by a roll call, prayer, the reciting of the national anthem, a two-minute silence, various speeches, and the laying of the wreaths.

Some who chose to lay wreaths, such as Daryl Ransom and Sharon Ransom from Pitt Meadows, have a personal connection to veterans.

“My grandfather served in the army in World War II,” explained Daryl. “He passed away in 2015, so we come here every year to honour him.”

Daryl said that although his grandfather, Neil Yaskow, didn’t talk much about the war, he did hear stories about how Yaskow was shot not just once, but twice when serving in Europe. After returning from the war, injured but alive, Yaskow lived out the rest of his days in Maple Ridge.

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Other participants laid wreaths on behalf of local organizations, such as recently elected school board trustee Hudson Campbell, who laid down a wreath from the school board.

“My grandfather was a member of the legion for decades, and my father grew up in the legion, but I don’t have the same connection to veterans as many of these other people here,” said Campbell.

The ceremony ended just before noon, with many people sticking around to lay their poppies on the cenotaph or simply admire the various photos of deceased veterans attached to many of the wreaths.

Anyone with great photos of the event are encouraged to send them to editor@mapleridgenews.com.