- thecommentary.ca - https://thecommentary.ca -

Arthur Hughes

Arthur Hughes, 80, has spent the last 14 years at the corner of Robson & Hornby in Vancouver selling poppies around Remembrance Day week to raise money for the Poppy Fund; he sat down with Joseph Planta to talk about the Royal Canadian Legion’s work, the tens of thousands of dollars he’s single handedly raised, and why we should commemorate Remembrance Day.


Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Joining me now is Arthur Hughes. He’s a fascinating guy with a million stories. We’ll share a couple now, and in time for Remembrance Day we’ll get Mr. Hughes, or Captain Hughes to tell us about the importance of Remembrance Day to him and what it should mean to the rest of us. He is a veteran of the British Army and a retired Canadian Forces Veteran. For 12 years now, Arthur has positioned himself at the corner of Robson and Hornby here in Vancouver collecting donations for poppies. He raises thousands of dollars each year pinning poppies on willing passerby, and more often than not they’ll throw in a donation, small or large—and there have been some large ones on occasion—Arthur gratefully accepts them on behalf of the Poppy Fund. He has been cited by Veterans Affairs Canada for his tireless work year in and year out, and has been profiled by various media—a search on Google turns up stories by newspapers and television outlets, including of course our old friend Mike McCardell. I’m very pleased to welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Arthur Hughes; Captain Hughes, good morning.