By Steven Lang
There were subtle differences between this year’s Remembrance Day Parade held last Sunday, 12 November, and other recent editions of the commemoration. For one, the weather was windy and cloudy with occasional squalls whereas in previous years it had been hot enough to cause band members to faint on Church Square.
The layout of the ceremonial location was rotated 90 degrees to make more space for the various wreath-laying delegations and for the small stands used to accommodate a larger audience. It was also the first time that the St Mary Scouts gained a place in the parade.
Another noteworthy difference was the composition of the Makana Municipality delegation. In previous years, the Executive Mayor, followed by a small entourage solemnly laid a wreath at the Great War Monument. In 2023, the DA’s Brian Jackson was the only Councillor to accompany Mayor Yandiswa Vara as they bowed before the Monument without a wreath.
The local section of the Memorable Order of Tin Hats (MOTH), known as the Makanakop Shellhole, hosts the annual event in Makhanda to pay homage to those who had lost their lives while serving their country. The commemoration was originally conceived to pay tribute to those who had fallen in the First World War but has since become a day to honour those who have fallen in all conflicts.
People wear a red poppy on this day to recall the thousands of bright red Flanders poppies that flourished amid the mud and destruction on the battlefields of the Great War.
The parade began in front of the Makana City Hall and crossed the road to Church Square for the Remembrance service. Makanakop flag-bearer, John Jansen van Rensburg, and other MOTHs led the parade followed by the Executive Mayor of Makana; the St Andrews Pipe Band and Guard of Honour; Kingswood Band and the Boy Scouts of St Mary’s School.
Well known author, historian and member of the MOTHs, Ben Bezuidenhout provided perhaps the most moving moment of a profoundly sombre occasion when he played the Last Post on his trumpet for the last time. He is passing on the baton for next year’s ceremony.
Chris Terry played the Last Lament solo on his bagpipes as a line of delegations laid wreaths at the foot of the Monument.
It was particularly poignant that a ceremony mourning those who had lost their lives in wars was taking place at a time when terrible conflicts are taking place in Gaza, Ukraine and other places. Andrew Kirk, member of the MOTHs said, “We must always remain mindful of the high cost paid by those brave men and women who have been called upon to fight for their countries. We remember fallen comrades, but also those who have returned as veterans and who may continue to pay a price both physically and mentally”.
This is a verse from the poem, For the Fallen, by Robert Laurence Binyon written to remember those who had fallen in the Great War
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
