Remembrance Day, November 11, recalls the end of hostilities during the First World War on that date in 1918. At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, Canadians pause wherever they are and observe a moment of silence to remember those who have fallen in the line of duty and to recognize their service to our country.
For the Vanderwell family, like many families everywhere, the Second World War directly affected us. In Holland, our great-grandparents and extended family could see that a major war was likely, and packed up the family, landing by ocean passage first in Chicago on their way up to Ontario, Canada. A portion of the family stayed in Ontario, but pretty well all the men moved to the Keephills area of Alberta to take advantage of “homestead” opportunities, with some of them serving in WWII.
I expect that many of us have relatives, especially in the last world wars, who died fighting for our right to live in a free and democratic country. It’s easy now to take such a precious right for granted since our last world war ended 75 years ago. However, despite the passage of time we’ve always considered honoring and observing Remembrance Day on November 11th to be important, both personally and as a business.
In remembrance,
Ken Vanderwell – CEO
