Collingwood's cenotaph commemorates a century of remembrance

A parade and ceremony on Saturday morning in Collingwood will honour Remembrance Day and 100 years of the town's cenotaph.

"The veterans are not forgotten. We're here, we're watching, we're listening, and we're serving the veterans and their families," said Ken Templeman, the Sergeant-at-Arms for Collingwood's Royal Canadian Legion Branch 63.

The cenotaph was created by two Collingwood boys who were wounded serving with the 48th Highlanders of Canada in the First World War.

Charles MacDonald was the architect, and his brother Fred was the model.

"Charles MacDonald was a POW in Germany for three years, and he came home and designed this, so I imagine he had quite a bit of an emotional attachment to it as well," said Templeman.

For 100 years, the statue of the bugle boy and the engraved names of veterans from Collingwood have served as a reminder of Canada's history.

"We see so many visitors coming and just stopping, pausing, reflecting and looking at the Cenotaph," explained Collingwood Museum Coordinator Lindsay Cook.

"They remember the sacrifices made by the people whose names are on the cenotaph. Those who didn't come home plus the sacrifice of all those who did come home," said Templeman, who joined the legion to honour his father, who served in the military.

The location of the soldier's monument bears its own importance on the grounds of the old train station where so many sons and daughters said farewell to loved ones before shipping off to war.

"Too many families and friends, it was the last time they saw their loved ones. So to gather here holds such important significance to all of the town residents," said Cook.

Templeman said they hope to have people in place for the parade by 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, adding that when he looks out and sees the hundreds of people in attendance, it reminds him of the reason that they still do this and that people do still remember 100 years later.

Templeman noted this is a reminder of the gratitude we should all have for the military veterans of past eras. "Whatever community you're in. It's far better today because of them."