HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1984-11-07, Page 26• .;,•1.
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Luchnow .Sentinelf Wednesda_yl..Plovembez,14.c 119844,age.
"The Sepoy Town" ' Established 1873
The Lucknow Sentinel, P.O. Box 400 Luakriow NOG 2110
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BLUE
RIBBON
AWARD
1984
ouch the Spirit
• Canada today is so near and yet so far from its goal of
being a united, sovereign country. It now has its
constitution but any newscast produces.' further
•evidence that the forcesof disunity have' never been
greater. The Canadian spirit of unity which older
Canadians rentember from the war years is very much
missing. And that is.why. Canada is so near and yet so
far. ' r
The sense of the Canadian spirit flickers briefly when '
Gaetan Boucher wins another medal at' the Winter
Olympics or Steve Podborski, Ken Read or- Gerry
Sorrensen post a good run in. World Cup downhill races. '
Canadians share a pride in their achievements. The
poppy which you wear on Remembrance Day is another
way of shaiing in the achievements of young
Canadians. But it is more than that. It is a symbol of the
Canadian spirit which today finds little expression
because the country is divided. •
It is divided over many issues. Perhaps .you can think
• of at least three. Your friends can think of other issues. .
Put these things together and then ask yonrself if this is
the country Canadians really want? .Is this the. country
Some 112,000 young Canadians died for? Is there to be
no spirit of unity in the new eanada? Will the spirit of
Canada vanish in squabbles over off shore rights, well
head 'prices, provincial rights or federal domination?
. The spirit of Canada was not born at Charlottetown.
It was born in the frozen dawn of Easter, 1917, at a ,
place, called Vimy in Franee. The ridge at Vimy' was
occupied by enemy troops. Other troops had tried to
. take it but failed. The Canadians were aSked to take the
ridge. It was the first time that units from all parts of '
Canada served together in a corps. And the young
Canadian soldiers were determined to show, the world I.
that Canadians were united and could do difficult
things.
• The 'Canadians took Vimy Ridge And when the guns •
fell silent, the soldiers from Quebec and those from.
British Columbia and Nova Scotia shared a new spirit of
being Canadian. They also shared a sense of unity
because they had done 'a' very difficult thing together.
Those who were wounded were put into tunnels where
• they . would be safe until they were moved :out to
• hospital. While they waited to- be shipped out, some
. carved their , names on the limestone walls. Many
carved maple leaves with a new sense of pride.
• When the guns stopped after another battle in
' another war, the , Canadians were not victorious. But _
they were united" at Dieppe, in France, just as they had
been at Vimy. When the Canadians . were ferced to
withdraw, they had to leave many dead and wounded
behind. These soldiers from all parts of Canada, had to
finally surrender because they could not get back to
• England. •. • ,
As German captors moved in,, the . Canadians stood.
tali, helping their wounded as they marched defiantly
• through the streets of Dieppe to prisoner of war, camps.
They marched proudly, as • Canadians, helping one
another. ••
Time has brought change. Some students remember
much 'more recent wars. Now they are Canadians
building a new life. The 110,000 Canadian war dead •
would [have been happy to welcome these students to
the land for which they the#selves died. • But they
wouldprobabiy ask us to try to rekindle the sense 'of
unity which they knew•.
Can -we get it together? We can start by . wearing a
poppy and giving it some hard thought. When you.
touch -the poppy you reach.back and. touch the spirit
• —The. Royal Canadian Legion
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';••••••eaftese..tu
Huron county Fr' 1 wins national Legion essay contest
Editor's notes Bonnie Turner of Huron
County . represented the youth of. Canada
when she laid a wreath at the National War
Memorial in Ottawa Sunday. Bonnie's
essay, What the Poppy Means to Me, was
the winning essay in the Royal Canadian
Legion Remembrance Day writing compe-
tition. She is the daughter of Nana), and
George Turner of Tuckersmith Township,
What the Poppy MONIS te Me
It was the twelfth of November, the day
after Remembrance Day. The autumn
morning was cold and dreary; and my mind
• was as cloudy as the drab sky above. Angry
at the world and the people in it, I walked
swiftly', lost in my own thoughts. Almost
• mechanically, I drew my coat around
Myself and sat down on the seasoned park
bench beside the cenotaph commemorat-
ing the men killed in the World Wars and
• the Korean War. There I stayed, seeing no
one who passed by and caring about
nothing but my own problems.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I
• noticed a stooped figure, slowly making his
way in the brisk wind. With his head down,
and gnarled hands clutching his overcoat,
the old gentleman walked as though every
step were an effort.
Unaware of •my presence, the, man
stopped nearby. He drew himself up with
• dignity. His eyes held a look of pride;
• Following his gaze, I saw, that the old
gentleman's eyes were upon the cenotaph• ,
which was newly laden in wreaths.
Probably he was a veteran of one of the
world wars. I &trilled and looked back to
him. His eyes were no longer on the monu-
ment. He was staring into the grass near
the bench. where .1 sat. Tears welled up in
his eyes. , Sadly he shook his head and
started off down the street.
I was puzzled. What object could make
man as I had just seen, so distressed? My
eyes searched the ground for what was
lying there, and there it was - a poppy. It
was not even real, Just a simple plastic
• Turn to page 110
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