'You remember somebody': Alliston honours veterans with banners

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Residents in Alliston have a new way to honour Canadian veterans.

More than 50 banners will be on display at banks, schools, the Royal Canadian Legion and businesses around town. Each banner carries the image of a veteran, their name and where they served.

For Cyril Poddiscer – a veteran of the Korean War – the banners help teach a new generation about the reality of going to war.

“It's going to give the mothers and the widows and families a big lift. You remember somebody; it's a lot like sharing a book,” he says.

Hart Holmstrom is now able to honour the man who was so instrumental in his own life – his older brother Eric.

“He was good natured and after he joined that's when I thought I’m going to do after he joined up.”

The town will put the banners up every year in October. It wants to set a precedent, for other cities and towns to follow.

“We hope that Tottenham and Beeton do the same,” says Brian Bullis of the Royal Canadian Legion. “Angus and the City of Barrie does the same… Orillia. This is the whole idea – eventually coast to coast.”

Over the next few weeks, the veteran banners will be put up in downtown Alliston where they will remain until Remembrance Day.