Thursday May 7th:
This morning the band woke up for our usually 8
o'clock breakfast. As the band finished up, we headed out to go to the Canadian
War cemetery. Upon arrival to the cemetery, we were greeted with our lovely
tour guides. To start off our time there, we participated in a wreath laying
ceremony including two minutes of silence as well as a playing of the Last Post
by drum major, Andrew Stobie. Many of the staff and band members including
ourselves, were very moved by the respect that was displayed and the atmosphere.
Following the ceremony a guide took us around and told us some stories of the
men that were laid to rest at that site. He added that the only woman at the
site lies buried next to her husband at the cemetery. Later on, several veterans
arrived and we were given a chance to speak to some of them. It was very
touching to hear about their experiences and to have been able to thank them for
their services.
Following the visit to the cemetery we were given some
free time to explore downtown Apeldoorn. We were stopped by some locals who
complimented the band and asked about our upcoming performances and time in the
Netherlands. We then headed back to the barracks for dinner and afterwards went
to a perform in front of city hall in Apeldoorn. It rained a lot in the
beginning so we were very surprised to see how many people there were that
showed up to watch the performance. The weather cleared up and the audience
seemed to have enjoyed it. Afterwards the band was invited to a reception hosted
by the Mayor of Apeldoorn. We mingled with the 48th Highlanders as well as
members of the city. A few of us got to speak to the Mayor who extended warm
welcomes and praised the bands hard work and dedication. It was excellent to
speak to the Mayor and hear first hand how he feels about Teen
Tour.
There was a surprise presentation by the Mayor of Apeldoorn where Rob was awarded the City of Apeldoorn's Silver Medal for his 4 visits to the city with the Band. They say it is the highest honour the City can bestow on someone. At the nightly meeting Rob said as with all awards we, as a band, share them as it is not one person that makes the band, but we all do!
Overall we had a very educational but fun day in the Netherlands
and hope to continue to learn more about the history and origins of Canada's
strong relationship with the Netherlands.
Samantha Jones (bells), Jessica
Sadlowski (drumline) Brittany Wells (flute)
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