For Niagara-on-the-Lake’s British Army veteran Peter Warrack, remembrance is not only a day on the calendar but a daily duty.
The Legion’s annual veterans dinner on Nov. 8 gathered more than 70 guests to share that sentiment.
Held on the second floor of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 124, the dinner brought together veterans, their families, and community leaders, including MP Tony Baldinelli, member of provincial parliament Wayne Gates, and Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa.
The meal was prepared by Legion volunteers, led by Chrystal Haverstock and Paul Dolby, who represented the Legion earlier that day at Queenston Park’s Valour & Victory gathering for Indigenous Remembrance Day.
Warrack, who served the army in Northern Ireland before moving to Canada, spoke about the cost of freedom and the importance of remembering those who made it possible.
“Without them, we wouldn’t be here today. And on an ongoing basis, without our forces and our peacekeepers, we wouldn’t have the life that we live, which is a very privileged one. Sometimes we take it for granted,” he said.
Earlier this year, Warrack received the Meritorious Service Cross for his anti-human trafficking work. He told guests his perspective on loss was shaped by his time in conflict and the friends and colleagues killed in action.
He recalled the constant danger he faced in Northern Ireland and his decision to start anew in Canada after years under threat.
“I was in Northern Ireland in the police. I was under threat of assassination. A major bank offered me a job in Canada, so I left the police and came here and had a successful career,” said Warrack.
Now based in Niagara-on-the-Lake, he continues to advocate for veterans and first responders through his work raising funds for service dogs through the Canadian Veteran Service Dog Unit that supports those living with trauma and post-traumatic stress.
“We take it for granted. We hear about a fatal car crash somewhere and don’t realize what that actually looks like, how the first responder has to go home after that and answer, ‘How was your day, honey?’” he said.
Legion Branch 124 president Al Howse said the annual dinner is about visibility and connection as much as remembrance.
“It’s good for veterans to get out sometimes, especially the older ones. And it’s good for them to be seen with their medals and have everyone recognize what they’ve done,” said Howse.
He added that such events remind the town of what has been won and what could still be lost.
“I don’t think everybody fully grasps what we have and what we could have lost and what we could still lose. That’s why we do this, that’s why we always remember,” said Howse.
The dinner also served as an early reflection of what would follow days later, as Niagara-on-the-Lake marked another Remembrance Day with quiet reflection.
