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Photo by Neale McDevitt:听On the left, 99-year-old WWII vet Joe Maxwell shakes hands with Colonel Andrew Lussier, 35 years service including tours in Kosovo and Afghanistan. In the middle is Lt. Commander Alex Csank (20 years Canadian Navy).

Hundreds of community members take part, including students from local elementary schools, Macdonald High School, John Abbott and Macdonald Campus

By Neale McDevitt
Editor,

During the 2024 Remembrance Day ceremony,聽Alex Csank, a 20-year veteran of the Canadian Navy, turned to Joe Maxwell, a 99-year-old World War II veteran and said, 鈥淵ou look good, Joe.鈥澛�

鈥淵ou鈥檙e looking pretty good yourself,鈥� chuckled Maxwell in his thick Glaswegian accent.聽

But the smiles faded when the two veterans laid a wreath at the permanent War Memorial in front of the Raymond Building of Macdonald Campus. Silently and stoically, they saluted their fallen comrades.聽聽

Hundreds gather to pay tribute聽

Csank and Maxwell were among the honoured guests at today鈥檚 Remembrance Day ceremony, jointly organized by Macdonald Campus and John Abbott College.聽聽

Hundreds of spectators, young and old, took advantage of the perfect fall weather to take part in the ceremony held on John Abbott鈥檚 Memorial Field. As per tradition, the veterans and dignitaries in attendance were encircled by students from local elementary schools, Macdonald High School, and John Abbott鈥檚 Police Technology program.聽聽

People from the West Island, including Greg Kelley, MNA for Jacques-Cartier, sat in the stands along with members of the Mac, John Abbott and Mac HS communities.聽聽

鈥楾heir courage reaches all of us鈥櫬�

The ceremony featured dignitaries and veterans who spoke, recited poetry or contributed with music.聽

鈥淭oday, we come together to honour the courageous individuals who served and sacrificed in defense of the freedom that we are privileged to enjoy,鈥� said Vaishnavi Parey,聽President of the Macdonald Campus Students鈥� Society. 鈥淭his includes students, faculty, staff and community members of all ages鈥攁 reminder that the impact of their courage reaches all of us regardless of our background.鈥澛�

Colonel Andrew Lussier, whose 35 years of service included tours in Kosovo and Afghanistan, read聽The Act of Remembrance:听

鈥淭hey shall grow not old,
as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
And in the morning
We shall remember them.鈥澛�

The ceremony ended with the Grenadier Guards leading a large procession to the permanent War Memorial in front of the Raymond Building. There, Maxwell and Csank laid their wreath and people planted dozens of small Canadian flags around the Memorial.聽