More than 300 people braved high winds, drifting snow and cold temperatures on Sunday morning to attend the annual Remembrance Day service in the Estevan Comprehensive School.
Estevan's Royal Canadian Legion branch conducted the service in the school's Cafetorium and then the accompanying cenotaph ceremonies in the ECS courtyard where the traditional wreath laying activities concluded the event.
Estevan Legion president Troy LeBlanc served as emcee for the program that began at 10:45. It included the reading of the honour roll of those who died in military combat and the revered two minutes of silence on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
Sombre, yet still optimistic moods prevailed as those in attendance were again treated with a video collage of former Estevan servicemen and women who have since passed away. The collage, pieced together and edited by Dean Erickson, has been a feature of the past three Remembrance Day services.
Marian Huber provided the invocation, benediction and prayers of remembrance and hope while Legion member Ken Clarke followed another embedded Legion tradition with the recitation of the famous poem In Flanders Fields.
Members of the Estevan Comprehensive School band provided music for hymns and national anthem while Josh Pele and Matthew Grunert provided the Last Post and Reveille during the service and cenotaph ceremony. LeBlanc called forward various organizations and agencies to have their representatives lay their wreaths of honour and remembrance at the cenotaph that was guarded by four members of the Estevan (Elks) PPCLI Army Cadets and Estevan Wylie-Mitchell Air Cadets.
The ceremonies were enhanced by the Estevan Legion Colour Party who trooped in the flags to both venues accompanied by piper Angela Simon who also played Amazing Grace during the first part of the program.
Everyone was thanked by LeBlanc for braving the conditions to attend the service.
