Adrian Peries

A record of my very first project as a journalist, the challenges I faced and the creative choices I made.

Going into the Remembrance Day ceremony project, I was both anxious and eager, as the topic of World Wars has been an interest of mine. I had not attended any Remembrance Day ceremonies, but I make sure to wear a poppy for Nov 11. I picked the Etobicoke Civic Centre and RCL Coronation Branch 286, thinking that I may have some time before Remembrance Day to visit the Legion Hall and interview some members. However, I ended up choosing the Legion Hall, because I thought to localize Remembrance Day to the Rexdale community.  

Before going to the ceremony, I prepared my questions. I arrived at the ceremony at least 1.5 hours early to see if I can identify picture opportunities and possible interviews.

This proved to be a good idea, as before the ceremony even began, I had interviewed at least 3 people on their service history and their ideas on Remembrance. 

I spoke to Faye MacLachlan on her experience as a horse guard escort for Queen Elizabeth II. Jack O’Reilly (whom I did not use for my article) spoke on his experience working as an RCMP officer uprooting Italian organized crime in Hamilton. Sebastian Ribeiro, a retired RAF personnel member spoke on his experience with Operation Snowgoose in Cyprus.  

Additionally, I spoke to Sammy Ullah and Abdul Basit, two Pakistani gentlemen whose family members served in World War II. Sammy spoke about his father flying a plane over England, and Abdul spoke on his father-in-law’s experience fighting in Italy. He told me how his father-in-law had always turned to prayer as a refuge and solace, in the darkest of times. He also spoke to me about remembering not just soldiers, but the many healthcare workers like doctors and nurses, especially after the global pandemic. They had some great insights to share.

I was afraid that people might object to my presence with a camera and photographing during solemn moments, such as the 2 minutes of silence. However, they did not object, and I managed to get some pictures and speak to several members on the topic of Remembrance.

I was given a museum tour by Lauren Barkley, the museum curator and PR person for the Legion Hall. She shared many details with me, including the history of the Legion Hall and the benefactor who donated the land. Her story was also fascinating. She showed me pictures of her grandmother, who contributed to the war effort by planting food crops in her garden to send the soldiers overseas. Her father and stepfather had also served in the war, and she spoke to me about envisioning both her fathers meeting at the mess hall.

I was also given the rare opportunity to interview Doug Ford at the Legion Hall lunch. I did not know if the premier would be visiting this particular venue; usually, he attended the Queen’s Park event and some veterans at Sunnybrook hospital. However, it turned out that the premier’s family had been long time members of this legion hall.

Altogether, I spent at least 3 hours at the event, collecting stories and taking pictures. I spoke with so many extraordinary people and I felt grateful and humbled.  

I’m proud of how I used my knowledge and interest in history to connect with the veterans and family members of veterans who were present that day. I had exchanged my number with Abdul Basit, and forwarded him a link to the final article, for which he expressed his gratitude and appreciation. I felt I had connected with the community using my knowledge, and I was immersed in the process of having conversations with diverse people.  

I initially felt intimidated when I spoke with service members like MacLachlan, Ribeiro, O’Reilly and Rick Williams, a recently joined Legion member and a veteran of Afghanistan. However, they were very pleasant and polite. They were happy to share their stories with me. I felt saddened to leave out Jack O’Reilly and Rick Williams from my write-up, as I was approaching the word limit. However, I felt I did the right thing by choosing to diversify my sources.  

Looking back, I am proud of the way I handled my very first journalism assignment. I do feel like I could write a much longer article, a feature-length piece with more pictures. However, I managed to write something that I felt was appropriate and to the point.

This event took some of the things I enjoyed – speaking with veterans and sharing historical stories, and applied them to my writing. Although it was an assignment, I enjoyed myself immensely, and it was a confirmation of my calling as a writer.