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Photo by Joe Warmington / Toronto Sun

Some looked lonely as thousands streamed by without even taking notice.

“I still feel there is a steady flow,” said an upbeat, retired Sgt. David Ratcliffe at the Eaton Centre.

Same goes for venerable Leading Seaman Gerry McGovern.

“My favourite is when young people and kids ask for them,” he said.

“It means a lot.”

They never complain. Nor does the Royal Canadian Legion.

“Canadians are always very generous in what they contribute,” said Nujma Bond, communications manager.

“We won’t have dollar figures for some time, but each year close to $20 million is donated.”

Imagine how much could be raised to help veterans — many suffering from PTSD after the very difficult war in Afghanistan — if we could get it from one in ten wearing a poppy to ten out of ten.

With Remembrance Day Monday, there’s still time to aim for this.

That’s why Cherry said he and Ron MacLean will once again air his taped poppy appeal.

It was filmed at his great uncle Sgt. Thomas William Mackenzie’s grave in the British Cemetery in France where he was killed in an explosion Nov. 7, 1918 — just four days shy of Armistice Day, which is now called Remembrance Day.

Photo by Courtesy Don Cherry

“There are rows and rows of graves there. It’s very moving. Everyone of those dead troops gave us our freedoms. They were all so brave,” said Cherry.

“My uncle, who was part of the Canadian Field Artillery First Brigade, was awarded the Military Medal and bar for his valour in World War One but they all gave so much.”

Cherry said he was actually not going to show the segment from the cemetery anymore.

Photo by Postmedia file

“I can see it (encouraging people to buy a poppy) wasn’t working,” said Grapes.

“But then a veteran said ‘please Don keep running it. Do it for the people who are wearing the poppies.’”

Cherry will oblige him on Coach’s Corner on Saturday night: “The least we can do is wear a poppy to remember the fallen and thank them.”

Very few in Toronto do anymore. We saw more Drake owl, and Nike and Gucci logos than poppies.

It is true people are free to wear, or not wear, a poppy.

But lest we forget who it was who gave them that freedom.