Christine Arbic and her army of poppy knitters are once again honouring those who gave their lives for Canada.
Over 1,000 knitted poppies now adorn the bridge on Main Street in Glen Williams thanks to their work, expanding one of Halton Hills’ newest Remembrance Day traditions.
The project got its start last year, when Arbic and her team of volunteers crafted about 3,000 poppies to be displayed on trees at the Georgetown and Acton cenotaphs.
"The Glen Williams Cenotaph doesn't have any trees of significance that I could put a piece of netting on (to attach the poppies), so Glen Williams did not get done last year," explained Arbic.
The bridge was the best option for mounting a panel full of knitted poppies within sight of the local cenotaph.
Much like last year, she enlisted the help of several knitters from across the town. Two dozen individuals have contributed to the cause, including five from a group called the Knit Wits. The hand-woven flowers are affixed to sports nets, which are then wrapped around trees where possible and municipal infrastructure when necessary.
When asked why she thought such a tradition is important, Arbic said it's about the “men, boys, women, children and animals who were sacrificed during all of the wars we've been involved in.”
She recounted meeting two immigrants to Canada while she was mounting the poppies who didn't know about Remembrance Day. She explained the meaning to them, but that moment gave her pause and a new reason to keep the tradition alive.
"It was an opportunity to say, 'This is what we do in Canada. We commemorate the people - the soldiers who've given their lives,'" she recalled.
"I'm putting this up so that people think about Remembrance Day or think about those soldiers and those veterans on more than just November the 11th."
Various Remembrance Day ceremonies are scheduled for this weekend and next. More information on times and locations can be found here.
