By Monika Czyz
The U of C kicked off its annual Remembrance Day poppy campaign in a brief ceremony on Thu., Oct. 31.
“We have universities because of those who fought for the freedom to create ideas and to seek the truth,” said Graduate Students’ Association President Michelle McCann. “Remembrance Day is the time to stop taking this for granted.”
The University of Calgary traditionally sells poppies on campus the two weeks before November 11. This year MacEwan Student Centre announced their arrival. The flower has been associated with remembrance of the loss of life during warfare since first spotted on fields ravaged by battle.
“Speaking from the heart is deserved on occasions like this, although it’s a bit more difficult and a bit harder,” said military historian Dr. Patrick Brennan. “Sacrifices were not made in vain. Every day we enjoy the blessing of freedom and normal life. They are not just phrases.”
The first cloth poppies appeared in Canada in 1921 as a project of the Royal Canadian Legion. Funds raised from poppy sales support veterans and their dependents.
“The poppy is not a sign of fashion,” said veteran Ron Martz from the Royal Canadian Legion. “It’s a sign of remembrance. Students, please don’t forget us. Don’t put us in the history books.”
Poppies will be available across the U of C campus until Remembrance Day and can be obtained with a donation to the Legion.