Preston Kane on far right holding wreath. Photo courtesy PWPSD.

By Erika Rolling

Community

Beaverlodge teen’s Remembrance Day poem wins national competition and ticket to Ottawa ceremony

Nov 28, 2025 | 11:23 AM

A Peace Region student has won the honour to represent Canadian youth at the 2025 National Remembrance Day ceremony in our nations capital Nov. 11.

Beaverlodge Regional High School’s Preston Kane was selected to go to the Ottawa ceremony for his poem A Mother’s Heart, A Father’s Pride.

Preston submitted the poem in the Legion National Foundation’s annual literary contest.

The poem was chosen as the nationwide winner after going through several levels of judging. He was also offered the chance to travel to Ottawa for the National Remembrance Day ceremony, which he accepted and attended.

In a news release from the Peace Wapiti Public School Division, Preston said he entered the contest to honour all the victims who suffered due to war.

“I wanted to commemorate the victims who suffer, not just the death of their family member, but also those who live with mental illness, and the trauma that can still be present in veterans and how it can affect their families.”

Preston said he didn’t write the poem to win, but is happy his piece was recognized at a high level so others can read it and be inspired.

“The actual ceremony was so touching, because it made me realize and reflect – in a world where people are always bashing on one another, in that moment it was a collective decision to disregard all our differences and take time to reflect.”

You can read Preston’s poem, A Mother’s Heart, A Father’s Pride, below:

A MOTHER’S HEART, A FATHER’S PRIDE

Preston Kane

In fields now quiet, shadows sleep,

Where mothers’ tears still softly weep.

A son, her boy, once held so near,

Now lost beyond this world’s frontier.

She feels his laughter in the breeze,

A memory that will never ease.

Her arms ache still, though he is gone,

In dreams, she still sings his cradle song

A father stands with empty hands,

His pride now dust, in distant lands.

Once strong and tall, his son will say,

“Don’t worry, Papa – I’ll be okay!”

But battles steal what words can’t mend,

And silence is a bitter friend.

The father’s strength, now hallowed out,

A heart weighed down with fear and doubt.

A sister’s voice calls through the years,

Her laughter stained by hidden tears.

She thinks of games they used to play,

In fields of green on summer days.

And somewhere, a child cries alone

A face she’ll never fully know

Small hands reach out for someone dear,

A ghost who cannot hold her near

Yet in soil, their memory grows

In every flower that bravely shows

They gave the world a gift unpriced

Their love, their lives, their sacrifice.