The City of Parksville will honour local veterans with commemorative banners displayed along Island Highway East between McMillan Street and McVickers Street.
The program was approved by council in 2020 and includes sixty veterans whose names are listed on the Parksville Cenotaph. The banners will be displayed from Oct. 5 through November, according to a release from the city.
Four more banners will be added this year, as well as a new section on the city’s website with stories of local First World War and Second World War veterans.
“Our sincere thanks to researcher, Valda Stefani, who pursued the stories through archives worldwide, establishing relationships with military museums and other researchers and conducting interviews to ensure we were able to learn about as many veterans as possible,” reads the release.
Many of the local young men who enlisted were recent arrivals from places such as the U.K. and Australia and were too young to have started families, which added to the challenge of finding photographs and details, the city said.
“We thank the many residents for sharing their personal stories and valuable information about family members, information not otherwise obtainable through archives or museums,” the release continued.
Anyone interested in helping the city continue its research into local veterans can contact Deb Tardiff, manager of communications at 250-954-3073 or communications@parksville.ca.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the iconic poppy symbol of remembrance in Canada. The 2021 campaign begins Oct. 29 with the annual flag raising ceremony by the Legion.
Legion Week, Oct. 11–17, will be recognized at the Royal Canadian Legion Mt Arrowsmith Branch #49 with a series of events. Branch 49 is located at 146 Hirst Ave West in Parksville.
