Mernie Sutton is nominated for her important role in the organization and execution of a project to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.
The project was to create a poppy field, with each poppy representing a soldier from British Columbia who died in the First World War. The project was self-funded and community driven. It took two years, 50 volunteers and over 500 hours of hands-on work to make 8,500 poppies.
In a leadership role, she was responsible for organizing all volunteers, as well as collecting and handling supplies and resources. She travelled throughout Vancouver Island to promote the program and to direct and coordinate the volunteer teams. She hosted numerous “working parties” where over 20 people would go to her house to spend hours making poppies.
The hard work culminated in a formal ceremony on November 10, 2018, in which the poppies were placed at the graves of 4,000 Veterans. The over 300 people in attendance included dignitaries from France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Korea. The event received media attention, bringing further awareness to the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.
“Without the passion, leadership and solemn devotion of Sutton, the important large-scale commemoration could not have taken place.”