Military tradition was alive and well in Thunder Bay on New Year’s Day.
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces gathered Thursday at the officer’s mess at the O’Kelly Armoury to toast the Queen and ring in 2015.
Later in the day they welcomed the public to share in the annual levee festivities, opening their doors at noon to everyone.
Lt. Col. Geoff Abthorpe of the Lake Superior Scottish Regiment said the tradition dates back to colonial times, when the governor of New France would gather his advisors to welcome in the new year.
It’s a tradition that has continued to this very day.
“Tradition is important,” Abthorpe said.
“If you notice from the uniform I’m wearing today, this is the first time we’re returning back to some of our old traditions, wearing the pips and crowns on our uniforms. It’s helping us reconnect with our identity as the Canadian Army.”
He’s glad to see their return.
“These traditions were born on the backs of the exploits of our forefathers. For a little while we let those traditions go. But now we’ve brought them back.”
The New Year’s Day levee is also a chance to reconnect with the community around them.
“It’s been a slow process over the last few years, but generally people will now come in at about noon hour and they’ll come visit us. We’ll open our bar and our community up to them to let them know we’re not complete strangers in the city.”
Robert Cutbush, president of the Port Arthur Branch No. 5 of the Royal Canadian Legion, said his organization will be hosting a levee of its own from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
It’s an important event, Cutbush said.
“It goes back to the 1600s when the governors of the new colonies invited in the general public to toast the king,” he said.
“The tradition of inviting the public to meet the military, the military being an authoritarian figure, the open-door policy was just to show the public that veterans are just regular Canadian citizens also.”
HMCS Griffon officers will salute the Queen at 12:45 p.m. at the Griffon's officer's mess.
