Cambridge Bay youth bring remembrance, honour to Nov. 11

Cambridge Bay Cadets, from left, Acting Sargent Teghan Angulalik, Corporal Cyril Angulalik, Lieutenant Chris Kalluk, Lance Corporal Carter Lear and Acting Sargent Kieran Evalik, took part in a marksmanship program last April in Edmonton. (PHOTO COURTESY OF R. GILLIS)

The Government of Nunavut marks Remembrance Day 2016 with this poster.

If you’re looking for anyone in Cambridge Bay this morning, try the Luke Novoligak community hall.

That’s where most of the community gathers each Nov. 11 to mark Remembrance Day, an annual event coordinated by the Cambridge Bay Cadet Corp.

For the group, made up of about 30 local youth between 12 and 18 years of age, it’s among the most important days of the year, said the cadet’s commanding officer, Chris Kalluk.

“They’re coming together to remember the veterans, the people who’ve passed while serving their country,” he said.

“I’ve never seen the hall as full as it is on Remembrance Day.”

Kalluk can’t say exactly why that event draws so many people, although it’s clear his community has a strong sense of volunteering and service.

Each year, the Remembrance Day service gains a strong showing from other service groups, such as the Canadian Rangers and the RCMP, he said.

Two Canadian Armed Forces personnel are attending the service this year to lay wreaths in honour of fallen colleagues.

Local bagpiper Kelli Gillard will attend, as in years past, to play “Amazing Grace.”

A handful of cadets will emcee the event and help people lay wreathes.

The participation of the local cadets in the ceremony is key, Kalluk said, because it carries the themes of honour and remembrance across the community’s many generations and secures its place in the future.

They may not provide the same service as some of the veterans they’re remembering Nov. 11, but their service to the community is just as important, he said.

Cambridge Bay’s cadet corps is one of many across the territory, affiliated with the Canadian Forces Reserves.

Most communities have either a Cadets program or Junior Canadian Rangers program (Iqaluit and Pond have both.)

Junior Rangers focus on patrolling and on-the-land activities as do Cadets, although the Cadet program participates in a number of training and competitive activities such as marksmanship and biathlons with their affiliated regiment in Edmonton and Yellowknife.

Some local cadets are heading to Edmonton next week to take part in a team navigation exercise, Kalluk said.

“It’s been a part of my life,” said Kalluk, who served as a cadet in his youth before he became an officer.

“If someone were to ask me: what is it like? I’d tell them, if they join and stick with it, it’ll change their lives for the better. They’ll get so much out of it.”

In Cambridge Bay, participants are asked to arrive at the Nov. 11 service at the Luke Novoligak community hall by 10:30 a.m.

Services are being held in most other Nunavut communities. Check with your hamlet or local Royal Canadian Legion for more details.