CALEB NICKERSON
QUYON Nov. 8, 2020
As is tradition, the residents of Quyon marked Remembrance Day on the Sunday before Nov. 11. Though this year’s ceremony was sparsely attended due to public health guidelines, the event was streamed live to social media. Attendees were asked to wear masks and keep their distance. Some chose to stay in their vehicles and watch from the road.
The ceremony was led by . . .
the Quyon Legion’s secretary and poppy fund chairman, Darlene Morris.
“Veterans know the price paid for our freedom, and they want all Canadians to share in this understanding,” she said. “They are passing the torch of remembrance to us, the people of Canada, to ensure that the memory of their efforts and sacrifices will not die with them and that an appreciation of the values they fought for will live on in all Canadians. As we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, we acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of those that have served their country, and acknowledge our responsibility to work for the peace they fought hard to achieve.”
Regardless of MRC des Collines being designated a red zone Morris said she was determined to mark the occasion.
“We’re going to be doing the right thing, and I think we have to do this for our veterans,” she said. “We can’t let this day go by without them being recognized.”
In an interview with THE EQUITY, Morris explained that COVID has done more than just disrupt their plans for Remembrance Day, but had also hampered their fundraising efforts and the operation of the Legion Hall.
“We have definitely lost some fundraisers this year … it hasn’t been easy,” she said. “The bars were allowed to open in Quebec on June 26. We couldn’t because the whole street was under construction for water and sewer lines, so our main access was inaccessible. It wasn’t safe … When they reconnected the water lines, we had water damage inside the Legion because there was nobody in there when we turned on the water, nor were we notified they were turning on the water. We had a cap that blew off a pipe and flooded our bar kitchen.”
Morris estimated the damage at around $4,800. She said that they had been approved for $2,500 from the Municipality of Pontiac, but hadn’t yet received it.
“Now the kitchen is kind of on hold, because we don’t want to spend any of the money we have to do that kind of repair when we know we need to heat the building for the winter,” she said. “We have to be careful where we put our money and what we do with it.”
Morris was hopeful that the legion hall could re-open if the public health restrictions on bars were lifted at the end of the month.
“The kitchen looks terrible right now, but the freezer works and the sink works and that’s basically what we need, so we’re just going to go with that for now until we get some funds built up and we’ll repair at a later date,” she said.
She added that unlike previous years, the money raised by the branch’s poppy fund would be donated to local organizations. They typically donate the funds to various veteran’s organizations in Montreal.
“All our poppy fund money that we collect this year will be staying within our area,” she said.
