In the wake of the deaths of two Canadian soldiers on home soil, this year’s Remembrance Day commemoration took on special meaning.
More than 1,500 people stood beneath Soldiers’ Tower for the St. George campus’ annual Remembrance Day service. Students, faculty, staff, veterans, and members of the general public all gathered to commemorate Canada’s fallen soldiers.
The 43.6-metre tall monument was built shortly after the First World War to honour members of the U of T community who sacrificed their lives in active service.
Frank Shaw, a World War II veteran who has attended the service every year for 40 years, says that the campus’ service has become better attended recently, with more students attending. When he first started coming, “[N]ot many people [came] at all,” he says.
The large turnout is partly the result of efforts by the Soldiers’ Tower Committee to promote diversity, inclusivity, and awareness of the events.
Kathy Parks, Soldiers’ Tower Committee administrator, says that the committee recognizes that the campus community is diverse, and invites speakers from a variety of different backgrounds in the hopes of encouraging broader participation and inclusion at the university.
This year, the committee invited Ed Sackaney, a knowledge and wisdom keeper at George Brown College and the Toronto District School Board, who spoke about honouring bravery.
One audience member remarked upon the beauty of Sackaney’s words, adding that the diversity of speakers enriched the service.
Ralph Wushke, chaplain for the Remembrance Day service, said both his grandfathers were in the German army in World War I. “It’s Canada’s values that allow me to preside the ceremonies,” Wushke says.
Shaw echoes Wushke’s sentiment. “It’s a funny thing. I go swimming with this group every morning. Every one of us is from a different country: one from Barbados, two Persians, a guy from Malta, two from Italy. But we all get along famously,” Shaw says, adding: “Canada is a wonderful country.”
