Residents of Sidney honoured veterans and military personnel once again this Remembrance Day.
“This day is important because people sacrificed so we could be here today,” said Royal Canadian Legion Saanich Peninsula Branch 37 president Mary Truttman. “It’s just overwhelming.”
The Remembrance Day parade began Friday morning from the Mary Winspear Centre and continued along Beacon Avenue and Second Street to the cenotaph on Sidney Avenue.
Don Hinse, veteran and president of Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada Sidney Unit #302, marched in the parade and said the event means a lot to him.
“It was great to see how many people came out,” Hinse said. “I’m so proud. I love being in Sidney.”
A service of Remembrance for the fallen was held next to the cenotaph and featured the laying of wreaths to honour service personnel who didn’t return from war.
Saanich North and the Islands MLA Adam Olsen was able to lay a wreath during the event.
“This is the least that I can do to pay my respects for those who serve our communities and put their lives on the line,” Olsen said. “It’s a sombre reflection for me.”
A large crowd gathered throughout the parade route and at the service.
“There’s a lot of people here today,” Olsen said. “It’s nice to see people given a space to pay their respects.”
A flypast and two minutes of silence also took place during the ceremony.
This was the first full Remembrance Day ceremony in the town since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It feels awesome to be back,” Hinse said. “It was very different during COVID-19. It was never big like this.”
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