On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the Brock University community fell silent in a solemn tribute to veterans who served in wars and peacekeeping missions around the world.

The Remembrance Day ceremony, held on Tuesday, Nov. 11 in the Rankin Family Pavilion, was the second of two significant days of observance, preceded by Indigenous Veterans Day on Saturday, Nov. 8.

The Hadiya’dagénhahs First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Centre hosted a series of beaded poppy-making workshops to mark that day. It commemorates the bravery and sacrifice of thousands of Indigenous people who served and continue to serve in Canada’s armed forces. Many Indigenous servicemembers did not historically receive the same recognition and benefits as other Canadian veterans.

President and Vice-Chancellor Lesley Rigg (left) addressed the Brock and Niagara community members who gathered to mark Remembrance Day on Tuesday, Nov. 11.

At Tuesday’s ceremony, Interim Vice-President, External Meaghan Rusnell delivered opening remarks which were followed by the singing of O Canada, a performance of The Last Post and the Reveille, the reading of the poem In Flanders Fields, and the placing of wreaths in front of the Brock cenotaph. Two minutes of silence were observed at 11 a.m.

This year marks the 107th anniversary of the end of the First World War and 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

President and Vice-Chancellor Lesley Rigg said these days of reflection serve as opportunities to remember the past and reaffirm a shared responsibility for ensuring peace in the future.

“At Brock, we are part of a community that values knowledge, compassion and collaboration, the very qualities that can lead to understanding and peace,” she said. “We recognize the power of education to build bridges across differences and to help shape a more just and inclusive world.

“Let us commit ourselves to the ideals for which they fought.”