In 2007, Sidney’s longtime official town crier, Kenny Podmore, led a project to install a memorial marker at Beacon Park to recognize Sgt. Patrick Tower for his valiant action in Afghanistan.
During an enemy strike, on Aug. 3, 2006, in the Pashmul region, Tower led soldiers to survival after their commanding officer was killed.
For that heroic action, he became the first recipient of the Star of Military Valour from the Canadian military.
“It prompted me to think about how we could remember the people who have lost their lives there,” Podmore said.
On Friday, Nov. 1, he was at Beacon Park, joined by two staff members from Sidney Parks, to erect 162 crosses, one for every person who lost their life, including civilians in Afghanistan. This is the 14th year he's been doing this in time for Remembrance Day.
The small crosses, arranged in ranks and columns, will stand at attention at the park until Nov. 15.
The Remembrance Day Parade in Sidney will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 11 with a parade of veterans starting from the Mary Winspear Centre, continuing along Beacon Avenue to Second Street to Sidney Avenue and arriving in front of the cenotaph at the Sidney town hall.
The ceremony will begin at the cenotaph at 10:50 a.m. and will include two minutes of silence at 11:00 a.m., a fly-past, and wreath laying.
If you are interested in making a donation, volunteering, or ordering a wreath, please call the Poppy Campaign Office at 250-656-7421.
