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"So just over 100 years ago,” says master of ceremonies Rita Friesen, “literally more than 700 people gathered on this site, and they paused in their work and in their play to gather and remember and honour. To honour, yes, those who fought for the freedom of this country, but they also honoured the pioneer spirit of this community."

It’s very much both of those things that are observed at the centennial celebration in Birnie, a village about fifteen minutes north of Neepawa. Speakers at the ceremony spoke not just about the community members who served in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, and who are commemorated on the park gates, but about those community members who had the foresight to purchase these few acres of land for public use for generations to come.

It was notable that this event was organised by a community club that reformed in 2020 and consists mostly of younger community members. In a time when many rural villages are little more than ghost towns or are populated mainly by retirees who have lived there since their youth, a growing young population is essential for the health of the community. While the occasion was in part a solemn observance, it also featured family activities such as games and a petting zoo.

"We know rural communities are an endangered species,” says Norma Somers, a longtime resident. ”In today's bigger, faster moving, and more urban landscape, it is a real challenge to find enough interested people who will volunteer their time to help keep a small community vital."

Following the ceremony, we were given a tour of a collection of town memorabilia, both military and otherwise, which included the old-style mailboxes that were still in use until last year when the Birnie post office was closed and replaced by community mailboxes. The Birnie School closed many years ago, but the same community hall that held the display will be hosting a new class of preschoolers in the fall.