It’s usually one of the biggest gatherings of the year.
Hundreds and hundreds of people can be counted on to gather at the cenotaph for the Bowen Island Remembrance Day ceremony. Last year, because of COVID-19 restrictions and precautions, the event was pre-recorded and then streamed online.
This year, the in-person event is going ahead with the Legion asking people to follow all public health protocols.
The ceremony will go ahead between ferry loads (10:50 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.) with as much of the regular ceremony – including the piper and flyover – as the Legion can pull together.
“It’s not that the virtual ceremony didn’t serve a purpose,” says Legion president Yvonne McSkimming. “But people being together, sharing space together, feeling connected, being able to see the folks who have wreaths, being able to physically participate in that action, I believe helps to remember what individuals and families of individuals who have served have given.
“Virtual just doesn’t cut it the same way as having those experiences face to face.”
Anyone wanting to place a wreath should order through the Bowen Island Flower Shop as soon as possible and then email either [email protected] or [email protected] to let them know you’ll be bringing a wreath to the ceremony, said McSkimming.
Following the cenotaph event, the Legion is hosting a lunch for anyone who has proof of double vaccination, ID and a mask. The lunch won’t be potluck because of health restrictions.
Volunteers desperately needed to keep the Legion going
As the Legion gears up for Remembrance Day, McSkimming is putting out a passionate plea for more board members and volunteers. “Legions are closing and we’re no different,” says McSkimming. “Our board members…we’re operating on a skeleton [crew] and that is not sustainable.”
The Bowen Island Legion – going on 85 years as an island institution – cannot survive without more volunteers and board members, says McSkimming. The issue of a changing volunteer base – younger families with less free time – doesn’t help but, people are still needed to keep island volunteer organizations running. (The Legion has one employee – a part-time manager.)
While some people may think the Bowen Island Legion gets funding from the national “mothership” as McSkimming calls it, the relationship goes the other direction – with the Bowen Legion paying membership dues.
The Legion has a long history of community events – from community lunches and dinners (which continued through the pandemic), to having charities use their space for fundraising events. “It’s a community hub that every member that’s attached to any kind of organization calls upon,” says McSkimming.
On a personal note, the islander’s been connected to the Bowen Legion for about seven years. “I’m thrilled with how much the Legion is used – I’m astonished at how much it’s taken advantage of.
“It’s been the one constant that this island has had well over [80] years. Yet, most times, it’s the one thing that’s forgotten about.
“It’s just assumed somebody will take care of it. Somebody will make it be possible so everybody else can use it,” says McSkimming. “That’s not how the Legion is supposed to work and it can’t continue to work like that.”
But, McSkimming also wishes to acknowledge the people who have kept the Legion running – vice-president Jason Zahara, Lynn Hartle, manager Maureen Sawasy, past presidents David Wrinch and Tim Hausch and others. Anyone wishing to get involved can email the two addresses given on page 1.
