MARY'S HARBOUR, N.L. — Attending the Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa gave a Mary’s Harbour junior ranger some perspective on just how important the occasion is to Canadians.
Zoe Stevens, 17, represented the Junior Canadian Rangers (JCRs) at the National War Memorial as a guest of the Royal Canadian Legion on November 11.
She was chosen to attend along with three cadets from the province and escorted one of the dignitaries who laid a wreath at the site during the ceremony.
What impressed Stevens the most was the grandeur and size of the ceremony, making it evident how important it was to Canadians to remember the sacrifices made in wartime.
“It was pretty special, they really do make a big deal of the ceremony in Ottawa,” she told The Northern Pen. “They had so many people there, it really shows how special this ceremony is to everyone.”
Stevens, currently master corporal in the local JCRs, was selected to attend for being active in her community while maintaining high academic standards and athletic achievement.
She was nominated by her Ranger patrol leader.
The submission letter detailed the volunteer work she does with the JCRs in the community and at the JCR summer camp.
She has also taken on leadership roles in map and compass training and was selected to attend advanced leadership training in British Columbia this summer.
Stevens has been in the JCRs for six years.
While she was in Ottawa, from Nov. 8-12, Stevens visited the Parliament building, the war museum, and attended luncheons with Governor General Julie Payette and Silver Cross Mother Reine Samson Dawe.
She also met Harjit Sajjan, the Minister of National Defence, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the ceremony.
