Video – Photo Gallery – Alderville Remembrance Service
The Alderville First Nation Remembrance Service took place on Sunday, November 9, 2025.
With snow blowing across the roadway carried by strong winds, the Cobourg Legion Pipes and Drums, followed by dignitaries and members of Alderville First Nation the procession left Alderville Community Centre and marched to the cenotaph at the corner of County Road 45 and the 2nd Line Road.
The cenotaph containins 468 tonnes of concrete mixed and built by hand to honour those enlisted and fallen men.
Alderville First Nation Councillor Jason Marsden presided over the ceremony welcoming guests and dignitaries with special mention to Alderville First Nation Elder and World War II veteran Don Smoke (99-years-old) and Morris McKenzie.
The Last Post was played by The Concert Band of Cobourg’s Chris Devlin followed by the reading of the names of the fallen from World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War.
“The names etched in this stone are not just names, they are the stories of our ancestors, our neighbours, and our family members,” said Marsden.
“They are a reminder that the freedoms we enjoy today were hard won, and that each one of us carries a responsibility to remember the cost of that freedom.
Today we remember those who never returned, and we also remember those who did, who came home changed, carrying the memories and the weight of what they experienced. Their service did not end on the battlefield, it continued here, in the lives they rebuilt, and in the communities they helped strengthen in a country that tried to forget them and a country that discriminated against them.
As a community, it is our duty to ensure that remembrance is more than a moment of silence once a year.
It should live in our actions, in how we support our veterans, how we teach our youth, and how we work toward peace and understanding in our own lives.
So as we stand here before this cenotaph, this symbol of sacrifice and remembrance, let us take this time to renew our promise:
That we will remember them,
That we will honour their legacy
And that we will strive to build a world worthy of their courage.
Lest we forget”
Laying of the wreaths by dignitaries included,
Anishinabek Nation Representatives:
Regional Chief, Southeast Region, Marsha Smoke, Anishinabek Nation, Alderville First Nation, Councillor Jason Marsden, Morris McKenzie, Alderville Soldiers
Federal Government, Provincial Govenment, Municipal Representatives, Military and Veteran’s Organizations, First Responders and Alderville First Nation Departments.
Representatives from the Government of Canada, Province of Ontario, County of Northumberland, Municipality of Alnwick/Haldimand, Town of Cobourg, Township of Cramahe, Township of Hamilton, Municipality of Trent Hills.
Military and Veteran’s Organizations:
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 103 – Campbellford
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 133 – Cobourg
Royal Canadian Legion – Ladies Auxiliary Branch 133
Cobourg Legion Pipes and Drugs
116 RC SCC Skeena Port Hope Sea Cadets
First Responders
Ontario Provincial Police – Northumberland Detachment
Alnwick/Haldimand Fire Department
Alderville First Nation Departments:
Alderville First Nations Child & Family Wellbeing, Community Trust, Daycare, Education & Students Services, Health & Social Services, Library & the United Church
Family wreaths
In Memory of Art Beaver
In Memory of Ivan Beaver
Beaver Family
Bigwin Family
Blaker Family
Chase, Tobico, Comego & Chubb Families
Crowe Family
Franklin Family
Gray Family
Loukes Family
Marsden (In Memory of Butch Marsden & Robert Marsden)
Marsden Family
Simpson Family
In Memory of Moses Smoke
Smoke Family
Sunday Family
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields, the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love