Five-year-old Katilina Farina watches the Langley City Remembrance Day services Saturday morning with her arms wrapped around a stuffed bear wearing a Canadian Army uniform.
Flash back a generation ago and her mom, Sam Farina, clutched the bear at services to remember those in their family who have served and the rest of Canada’s military.
Sam owns three of the bears, each one wearing a different uniform from three branches of the Canadian military.
“They’re actually mine from when I was a little girl. They are comfort bears for those in the military. It actually represents each of the forces, and we have family in all,” Sam said.
Over the years, she has added military memorabilia from family members to each of the three little bears.
At five, Katilina may not understand everything about the service, the bright red flowers everyone is wearing and why her mom has her stand outside with a bunch of other people but Sam thinks it’s important to attend services to honour the war dead and veterans. And that’s providing a lesson to her daughter.
“She’s starting to learn the family history,” Sam said.
The Farinas were among the many who gathered in Douglas Park Saturday morning for the annual services organized by the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 21.
Near the start of the ceremony, with its music, marching, prayers and wreaths, was the sound from the past as a Sopwith Pup from the Canadian Museum of Flight circled overhead. The museum’s biplane flew over services from Aldergrove to White Rock.
