Finlandia residents receive Quilts of Valour

Sudbury -

When Bill Hurteau thinks back to when he joined the military, he says he was happy to serve his country -- and even fibbed about his age.

“Would have never gone in if I didn’t," Hurteau said. "When I was sworn in, I had to put my age ahead to get in -- and when I got in I was 16."

The Second World War veteran served in the medical corps from 1942-45. On Wednesday, he was recognized for his service by Quilts of Valour, a non-profit organization that makes quilts for Canadian Armed Forces veterans who were injured physically or mentally while serving for their country.

“It’s quite amazing -- veterans have so many stories to tell and they’ve given so much for our country and this is just our way of, you know, saying thank you,” said Donna Miner, of Quilts of Valour.

Hurteau was one of two veterans nominated by staff at Finlandia Village, a long-term care facility in Sudbury, to receive the quilts. Bruce Weaver also received a quilt for his time spent in the army.

In the last three years, Quilts of Valour has presented more than 400 quilts to veterans across the northeast region. Miner said each quilt takes anywhere from 100 to 500 hours, depending on the design, to create.

To learn more about Quilts of Valour, click here.