It was a proud moment for Bonnyville as they welcomed 4 Wing Cold Lake with open arms.
The sound of soldiers marching filled the streets as members of the Cold Lake Canadian Forces Base made their way down main street Bonnyville Friday morning for the Freedom of the City and District ceremony.
It was a moment that left residents and local officials in awe as they witnessed history in the making.
“Freedom of the City is something that goes way back and has a long lineage. It marks the trust and confidence that exists between a town, city, and municipality and the military units or bases in the area,” said 4 Wing Commander Col. Paul Doyle. “For the MD and Town of Bonnyville to grant 4 Wing the Freedom of the City, to me, it underlines and reinforces how integral we are in the Lakeland community, how we have woven ourselves into the community over the decades that we have been here.”
The ceremony included a proclamation from the Town and MD of Bonnyville, permitting 4 Wing's troops to parade through their streets, drums beating and colours flying.
Prior to the reading of the proclamation, Doyle marched to the doors of the provincial building. Knocking three times with the end of his sword, he asked for Mayor of Bonnyville Gene Sobolewski and MD of Bonnyville Reeve Ed Rondeau.
After being granted permission to enter the Town and MD of Bonnyville, they began the ceremony with the exchange of plaques and kind words.
“We know that we will always be welcome here and that we will be an immanent part of the community,” noted Doyle.
This was the first time the town and the MD have held a Freedom of the City ceremony. The idea had been discussed in the past, but never saw fruition until last week.
Chief Warrant Officer Alain Roy said flying their colours is a proud moment for the troops.
“Every time we fly them and do something like this, the troops are very proud to show their colours and where they belong.”
During the playing of O'Canada, four CF-18 Hornets flew overhead, followed by a helicopter from the base.
“It's nice to be out in the community and be visible and show the pride that we have in wearing the uniform,” expressed Doyle. “I think this just reinforces what we talk to our troops about all of the time, is how important it is to be a part of the community and to be active in the community.”
Roy added “The relationship that we have between 4 Wing, Bonnyville, Cold Lake, and the area is fantastic, and you don't see that at any other base.”
Sobolewski said the ceremony builds on the relationship that the town already has with the base. Watching the troops make their way down the streets of Bonnyville was something he will never forget.
“I had an incredible amount of pride. I was humbled by the fact that we were doing this and we were granting this honour to 4 Wing Cold Lake. I am so proud,” he described. “I was just filled with so much pride to see the colours, the marching and to do the inspection, all of it was just fantastic.”
Eleven years ago, the town had considered this very venture, however, the idea died off until Bob McRae brought it back to life.
“In some informal discussions with the mayor, I brought it back to town council, they voted and reaccepted it… and then I went and took it to the MD of Bonnyville and they were quite receptive as well,” said McRae.
Seeing it take place was a proud moment for McRae, who was pleased to see that the members of 4 Wing were recognized on a local level.
Rondeau added, “I am so happy that we have taken this on and that we did this. We should have done it years ago.”
