Senior George May did the honours of raising the flag, a responsibility he held for many years as a member of the Royal Canadian

Maplewood resident George May was behind an effort to bring the Canadian flag back to the Brighton long-term care home.

Legion. The Brighton long-term care home once had a flag flying on its property but the pole rusted and wasn’t replaced. Returning the pole and flag to Maplewood was a priority for George, one the resident raised earlier this year during a resident council meeting. The flag and pole arrived in time for Remembrance Day.

“I’m very proud of our flag,” says George.

“I’m very proud of our country. I’m proud to be Canadian. Is it ever nice (to have the flag back again). It’s right in the middle of the whole property. It’s blowing all the time.”

George says he was “the flag man” while a member of the Legion, responsible for raising and lowering the flag.

Chris Charlebois, Maplewood’s life enrichment co-ordinator, says other residents at the nursing home share George’s sense of nationalism.

“They still have great faith in their country,” she says.

“They’re very patriotic.”

When Chris learned returning the flag to Maplewood’s property was a resident priority, she wrote a letter to Rick Norlock, MP for Northumberland Quinte-West. The residents’ council used its funds to purchase the flag pole. The MP hand-delivered the flag and the home held a ceremony Nov. 17 at which the politician said a few words.

“(George) wanted to raise the flag. We all sang ‘O Canada’ when the flag rose to the top,” says Chris.