Margaret Saunter rode three city buses and arrived nearly an hour early to Wednesday’s New Year’s Day levee at Government House.
Saunter was first in line in a crowd gathered outside the front door of the stone building, waiting for a chance to wind through the art-bedecked halls, and for a chance to greet Lt.-Gov. Lois Mitchell.
Saunter attends the annual event every year she’s able to. Her family has a long history of Canadian military service, and it means a lot to her to be there.
“I like to serve our country, and honour our military, and come here to celebrate,” she said.
Hundreds of visitors were expected to cross the threshold of Government House on Wednesday for the annual New Year’s Day levee.
Lt.-Gov. Lois Mitchell, who has now presided over five levees, said a particularly special part of the day is meeting children. To entertain young guests, games and cookies are offered. And youngsters waiting in the reception line to greet the lieutenant-governor and other officials are likely to get a high-five from Brig.-Gen. Stephen Lacroix, Commander 3rd Canadian Division, she said.
“We like to make it fun for those children to understand how very special it is to come to Government House because a lot of them have never been here before, and this is their house,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said a new year, and in this case a new decade, is a great time for reflection.
“We’re all global citizens and we want peace. That’s what we want for all,” she said. “But I think, more than anything, to live in a country like we do, in Canada, in a province, like Alberta.”
Earlier in the day, Mitchell spent time meeting with Albertans in uniform and their families.
The morning marked Sub-Lt. Zach Lipinski’s fifth year as a levee guest. He said it’s a great opportunity to connect with people he normally wouldn’t encounter.
“Getting to meet the lieutenant-governor, and chat briefly about what’s going on, and mention what we do, and then also to network with everyone else and find out what the military is doing, to get the scoop”
Another bonus is that the food is excellent, Zipiniski said. He recommended trying the beef sandwich.
Levees are a longstanding tradition in Canada, dating back to the 1600s, and borrowed from an even older European tradition.
The word “levee” comes from the French word “lever,” which means “to rise.” French aristocrats used to receive guests in the morning, but British royalty preferred to mingle with their subjects in the afternoon. In Canada, where lieutenant-governors serve as the Queen’s representative, levees are held in the afternoon.