Lockerby Legion unveils new cenotaph in Sudbury south-end
It was an emotional moment at Sudbury's Lockerby Legion, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 564 Saturday, as members of the community gathered to unveil the new cenotaph.
According to members of the branch, the existing monument had begun to look old and was in need of a facelift.
"These stones, they're engraved now," said legion member Eddie Thompson.
"If a veteran dies, they forget about him after. He's now going to be here on this wall. The members of this branch are here on the wall."
It was Thompson who had the idea and got the ball rolling.
He started to price out material and approached a friend, Sudbury Wolves owner Dario Zulich for help.
"Remembering our veterans is so important," said Zulich. "I've always had a soft spot for that because I can't imagine anyone giving their lives for our country and they have to be remembered. So anytime the legion calls on me, I'm going to help out the best I can."
Thompson is part of a legacy. His father was one of the founding members of the legion. His daughter, Jennifer Huard, his now branch president.
"Everything went wonderfully today, I couldn't be more pleased," said Huard. "With everyone that we had in attendance, the weather cooperated, it was just fabulous."
The cenotaph is now further back on the legion's front yard. It was two walls of honour on either side and an engraved pathway of names of donors and people who helped make it possible.
There was a firearm salute, bagpipes, and bugle. There were also several speeches from some of the dignitaries in attendance.
"This is such a beautiful, beautiful ceremony for such a beautiful grounds. The cenotaph is completely redone. The name of the 230 veterans that are from this legion that have died for us is written on a stone in the ground as well as on the walls. It is just really, really moving to see," said Nickel Belt MPP France Gelinas.
"You look at it and you know a ton of work has gone in to get to this wonderful place. It's volunteers, it's work from the community, it's our community coming together to show how good we can make things."
Nickel Belt Liberal MP candidate Marc Serre and Ward 9 city councillor Deb McIntosh were also in attendance.
Laurette Bechard and her children were at the ceremony and had a stone engraved in honour of her husband Jean William Bechard, who passed away last year.
"It's great honour to have his name up there and I know that he'll never be forgotten, we'll always remember him," said Laurette.
"It's fantastic - we're all feeling the same emotions. It's great that we have all of our families and everything represented," said daughter Theresa Bechard.
Work isn't finished yet. They plan on putting a clear coat over the names on the ground in advance of the Remembrance Day services.
The hope is, as some monuments are marking their 100th anniversaries around the region, this will be around for the next one hundred years, creating a legacy of the heroes who fought and died for our freedom.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.