The annual Lunenburg Fishermen’s Memorial Service, in honour of the many men who have lost their lives while pursuing their livelihood in the fishery, will be held on Sunday, Sept. 9 starting at 2 p.m. on the waterfront near the Nova Scotia Fisheries Museum.
The Bridgewater Fire Department Band will provide the music and will be assisted by the voices of a massed choir of various local churches. The Roll of Honour, to be read by the Town of Lunenburg Mayor Rachel Bailey, will include the names of fishermen lost in the years ending in eight, covering the last century.
Following the service, wreaths will be placed aboard a working fishing boat to be taken out to sea. The ceremony will continue as the vessel steams to open water, where the clergy aboard will perform a prayer of committal and the wreaths will then be tossed into the ocean in memory of those who lost their lives.
“This service is a deeply moving experience for many people. For those families who have lost a loved one at sea, it is an emotional tribute to their memory. For others, it highlights the perils of a life at sea. For everyone, it is an opportunity to pay homage to those who lost their lives to the industry that secured Lunenburg’s future,” said Bailey.
A compass rose shaped granite memorial on Lunenburg’s waterfront bears the names of those fishermen lost from the early 1900s to present day. There is also a Memorial Room at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic (second floor). The Memorial Room will be open so that family members and visitors may see the mural painted by renowned Nova Scotia artist Joseph Purcell, with the names of the lost fishermen hand painted by his wife Tela, also an accomplished artist.
All are welcome to attend the memorial service.
