Carolyn Wheeler hasn’t missed laying a wreath at a Remembrance Day ceremony since her mother passed away, carrying on the family tradition with her sister to honour their lost loved ones.
“My dad was a veteran, and he died very young. I had two uncles that died overseas – one in Monte Cassino and one in Holland – it’s something that was always close to my mom’s heart… and she never missed an opportunity to lay a wreath,” she shared.
Wheeler has volunteered for the Murrayville ceremony committee for three years, and said its amazing to hear from people how wonderful it is each year.
“This is a community event,” she commented.
Her own part is looking after the wreaths for organizations that wanted one to lay in front of the cenotaph.
This year was the seventh ceremony at the Murrayville cemetery on Saturday, Nov. 11, which is home to one of the two Langley cenotaphs erected in 1921 to remember the fallen after the First World War.
The Murrayville ceremony grew out of two strangers meeting on one Nov. 11 morning – founder Rosemary Genberg and bugler Brian Parkinson, who plays The Last Post each year on his trumpet.
A community committee came together, organized by Grace Muller, to offer a chance for people in the area to gather at a historic location with deep meaning for Langley.
Muller, master of ceremonies at the event, said the committee is amazing and does their part to ensure a smooth procession every year.
“We try to always have a simple but meaningful ceremony, and it seems to be appreciated,” she said, noting the ceremony reached more than 1,000 attendees before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Remembrance is personal for Muller too, who was born in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation. Her father was in the Dutch underground, and she grew up hearing stories of Canadian soldiers who liberated much of the Netherlands.
“Remembrance Day to me is always very special,” she commented.
If the Netherlands hadn’t been liberated, she or others in her family might not have survived the occupation.
The Murrayville service featured the singing of O Canada and Amazing Grace by Krystal McEwan, piping by John McCallum, and bugling by Brian Parkinson.
Due to the windy conditions, a replica SE5 from the Canadian Museum of Flight was not flown over the ceremony this year – although the museum waited until the last minute to make the call in hopes weather would change in its favor.
After the service was over, families and individuals approached the cenotaph to lay their poppies privately.
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