“Let the kids play hockey”
Vets honoured with street names
Bill Kurelo observes a moment of silence during a ceremony on Oct. 22, honouring himself and 14 other veterans who will have streets named after them in the city’s newest subdivisions.
By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express
A group of Oshawa’s veterans and war dead were honoured in a ceremony on Oct. 22, each of them receiving a street named in their honour.
Bill Kurelo, the lone surviving veteran in the group of 15, had one request for the street bearing his moniker.
“I’m very, very proud to be able to have a street and my family’s name on it,” Kurelo said. “I just hope that Oshawa, a hockey town, they let the kids play on the street.”
Along with Kurelo, 14 others who served in either the First or Second World War were honoured with street names in subdivisions in the city’s quickly expanding north end.
“I am pleased to see the developers who are growing our city choose the names of Oshawa’s war dead and veterans for the street names in our new subdivisons,” states Councillor John Aker in a news release.
On hand for the ceremony at Branch 43 of the Royal Canadian Legion were several representatives from various veterans associations, city councillors, newly re-elected Oshawa MP Colin Carrie and Mayor John Henry.
“Today, we get to honour those families and to the veterans and those who have served overseas with a street name, but it’s more than that. It’s about not forgetting,” Henry said, making note of the fact that the ceremony was taking place one year to the date after Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was shot in the back while standing guard at the National War Memorial prior to the attack on Parliament Hill.
“Our soldiers, those who have served around the world, do the gift of service to their country and the greatest gift you can give is the gift of service. And you go off into harm’s way and you don’t ask, you just go and sometimes you come home and sometimes you don’t,” Henry said. “Freedom has a price and in Canada, we have people that stand up and serve our country each and every day.”
Kurelo, a member of the medical corps, served in Italy, France and Holland between 1942 and 1946. Kurelo’s two sons also followed their father’s footsteps into military service.
He says it is an honour not only for him, but his family to have their name on a city street. Kurelo also wanted to honour the others receiving a street in their name, but were killed during the war.
“What can you say about someone who will give their lives? Look at that election we just had – you think that would happen? They had something to do with becoming a democracy and democracy is so valuable to everyone and too many of us are too busy to look at helping each other,” he said.