Local songwriter honors veterans

Hayley Lepowick has no immediate family who fought for Canada, yet she has found Remembrance Day something which means a lot to her.

Lepowick, who has been singing "for as long as I can remember," performed a song she wrote ('We Will Remember Them') at the Remembrance Day ceremonies in Yorkton Monday.

The hour has come, the one we all know, but we can't help but show

The hurt the pain the ache the tears as they face their biggest fears.

The dead are dead, the gone are gone

But we have to carry on

A solider for my country, he is a hero and I couldn't be more grateful

A warriors heartbeat is the soul of this place

The blood on the battlefield the screaming and tears, running forward into our fears

Pray for our brothers and our sisters who have suffered more than we will ever know.

So take that moment of silence so we will remember them

Lepowick said the importance of the day came into focus for her when she was involved with an Encounters Canada program in Ottawa in October.

"A veteran came and spoke to use," she said, adding he told them stories of the war, and she found herself "really interested in them."

A candlelight ceremony of remembrance added to the impact.

"I was really inspired by that," said Lepowick.

As an a songwriter inspiration often manifests itself in a new song.

Lepowick, who has been writing songs for about three years said one day she pulled out the guitar, and the words simply flowed.

"I just started writing them down," she said.

Two hours later 'We Will Remember Them' was written.

Lepowick said she was surprised by how quickly the song came to her.

"I can't usually just write a song. It usually takes a couple of weeks," she said, adding some songs have taken months.

And the words came from someplace not immediately understood.

"None of my family was ever involved in the wars," she said, adding that it must have flowed from her interest in the stories of those who did serve.

Lepowick added she realizes for a girl in Grade 12, it is not something most are interested in.

"Girls at my age don't write about this sort of stuff," she said.

But writing the song was only the start of things for Lepowick.

"I don't perform a lot of my originals, but I do have a lot of originals that I have written," she said.

But Lepowick told school instructor Doug Ingham about the song because she knew he was involved with Remembrance Day Services in the city.

"He (Ingham) said play it for me," said Lepowick, adding he liked it.

After that "someone contacted my mom," suggesting she play at the service Monday.

Lepowick said she ended up playing the song for Peter Wyatt, president of the local Legion branch, and "he liked it."

And after the service Lepowick said she received a lot of positive feedback on her song.

"Lots of people came up to me," she said, adding some even shared stories of family members who did serve, "and they said how it (the song) related to them."

The blood on the battlefield the screaming and tears, running forward into our fears

Pray for our brothers and our sisters who have suffered more than we will ever know.

So take that moment of silence so we will remember them.

We will remember them, we will remember them.