On June 11 a group of about 15 people including members of Gaetz and Sunnybrook United Churches gathered at the Red Deer Cemetery to honour and commemorate the First Nations children who died while in the Red Deer Industrial School several years ago. At the memorial gravestone, we spoke of that sad history, prayed for honest remem- brance, and paid our respects to the names on the stone - as well as remembering the many other children who were taken from their homes and families and sent away to deliberately lose their heritage. We heard from some of our First Nations friends about how we affected their lives then, and even still.
On June 21, "National Indigenous Peoples Day", we are all invited to celebrate the heritage, cultures, achievements, and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples. At this time, we are re- minded that settlers do not own this land. Settlers must acknowledge our history if we are all to move together into the future in a Good Way.
Bonnie & Sam Denhaan