Vernon's lonely Cenotaph

Photo: Dawn Tucker

Vernon residents crowd around Cenotaph on Remembrance Day despite the lack of a ceremony.

There was unhappiness again this year over the lack of an official Remembrance Day ceremony at Vernon's downtown Cenotaph.

“I’m very saddened by the lack of presence at the Cenotaph today by anyone in an official capacity for this Remembrance Day,” posted resident Dawn Tucker on Facebook. “I understand that services are held at Kal Tire Place as it is an artificial environment and it can hold people but we must never forget our memorial is the Cenotaph downtown.”

Tucker said veterans at the Cenotaph “felt forgotten and were dismayed at the lack of care given this important monument.”

However, the vets stepped up and spoke to those who had showed up before two minutes of silence were held, she said.

“This is not the ceremony of my youth at this monument. I understand we have shifted to another site, I understand we no longer have our Remembrance Day parade, I don’t understand abandoning the Cenotaph,” Tucker wrote.

A veteran also expressed his frustration over the lack of a ceremony.

"As a veteran who has seen how some cenotaphs get the respect they deserve, I was ashamed of the lack of representation/respect I witnessed earlier today," wrote Dean Roosevelt. "The veterans who were there, besides myself, were hurt and angered by the lack of imagination that resulted in a very embarrassing situation."

An estimated 2,000 people attended the official Remembrance Day ceremony at Kal Tire Place Saturday.