Across the Nation
Reports from the Regions
BC Banter
Ab/Sk Action
Manitoba Moments
Ontario Offerings
Quebec Quotes
Maritime Memories
BC Banter ….
Greetings from cloudy British Columbia:
Hello everyone. Our newsletter this time is filled with the educational activities of Lee Naylor and Graeme Stacey.
On December
10th and 11th, 2009, Lee and Graeme participated in the 1st
International Human Rights Day Students Symposium. A complete report on the
event can be found on our website in the Teachers Zone. Please “surf” over to
it and get all the details and pictures. We extend appreciation to Lee and
Graeme for attending this event on behalf of the HKVCA to tell the story of the
Battle of Hong Kong and our HK Veterans. 
We had a wonderful turnout for our “HK family” traditional wreath-laying ceremony in Victoria on December 20th, 2009. Gerry Gerrard and his beautiful wife Ev; David & Malcolm Anderson and their sister Fiona Hyslop; Gerry Tuppert; Jim & Anne Trick; Sally & Jim Laite; Pat White and Kaden; Ron & Linda Quesnel; Grayson & Lynn Laite; and Linda & Kent Graber. After the ceremony of remembrance at the Cenotaph, we gathered at Gerry Gerrard’s Legion and enjoyed a time of camaraderie.
Graeme Stacey and Lee Naylor made a presentation and lecture about the history of ‘C’ Force on February 19th, 2010 to nineteen teachers and school board trustees in the Okanagan. Their goal is to increase the number of schools in BC currently including this topic in their senior social studies classrooms and to assist other teachers to do so.
Lee has been very active since accepting the role of the BC Region Education Coordinator and he has formed a very effective alliance with Graeme. They plan on making a presentation to the BC Teacher’s Provincial Workshop in Burnaby this October. Lee took the time when he was in the Okanagan to visit Aubrey Flegg and Betty for several hours and recorded an interview with Aubrey.
The dates for our 2010 spring luncheons will be June 5th in Vancouver and June 12th in Victoria at the same locations as last year. We look forward to seeing you there. Remember to mark your calendars.
We are still forming an Elections Committee and are hoping for a mail-out to our regional members in early April with election and luncheon information as well as other regional news and information.
Please take very good care of each other. May God bless you and keep you, until we meet again.
Warmest regards,
Linda Quesnel – submitted on behalf of Murray Doull, Bev Campbell and Lee Naylor
Ab/Sask Action...
NEWS FROM THE WEST
Our biggest news is: DARK SIDE OF THE SUN is now published. We are all so proud of Michael Palmer and this commitment to the Hong Kong Story. The book is out in paperback and available thru our Association. Michael is in the process of planning a book signing at the Calgary Military Museums. He has invited our Hong Kong Veterans to join him as he tells his grandfather’s story. It is a very good read and I now have a better understanding of day-to-day life in the camps.
I would like to thank all of our members who have renewed for 2010. Your support is very much appreciated. For those of you who haven’t renewed, we would love to hear from you. We have a few new members this year and hope to reach out to more of our families and friends.
Hope the rest of the winter is good to all of you.
- Norma Fuchs, Secretary
Manitoba Moments ….
Vince Lopata is trying to submit excerpts from the database to the Manitoba NW Ontario Command who are preparing to publish a Memory book for the National Convention to be held in Winnipeg. They want families to submit instead of a lump sum. He is going to check some options, one would be funding to publish our own.
MB Elections: we hope the nomination forms will be returned soon with the names of members who agree to serve this Region for the next 2 years.
Communications: Marleen Bell is our new Communication (phoning) person with Juliet Lafortune. They hope to contact all our members to check on them and verify the information we have.
William
Bell’s family sent this note: I just thought I would send a quick note to
say we celebrated Dad's 93rd Birthday today. Pretty special for us, and I knew
you would all find it pretty neat too!! Dad (& Mom) would like to say Hi to
each of you in the "Hong Kong Veterans Family", and give you all their
best.
Education: We are working with the Red River Regional Heritage Fair to sponsor an award for the best display on WWII from a student from Grade 3 – 9 – this event is held at University of Winnipeg in May. We participate with a display, info for teachers and students and the scavenger hunt.
· We are also registered to present and display at the Annual Teachers Conference in October.
· Pam Heinrichs – has the tabletop display as she used it in a presentation to a grade 9 class. She reports: “On February 25, 2010 I attended at Seven Oaks School and gave a presentation on the HK story to a grade 9 class that are studying this chapter in history. Unfortunately, due to an “IT glitch” we were unable to use the powerpoint presentation but I carried on nonetheless and feel that it went well. I had some of my own photos, copies of documents, etc that I was able to show them. The teacher asked if they could email me with any other questions they might have and I encouraged her to do so. I also gave her info on Heritage Days and the HK Essay Contest. The teacher’s class from last semester also studied the HK Vets and she showed me some of the assignments they had done then – writing diaries, etc. I was pleased to see their interest.”
Human Rights Museum – a committee of MB Region members (George Peterson, Juliet Lafortune, Barry Mitchell, Pam Heinrichs and Carol Hadley) made a presentation to the Museum representatives who are gathering information on content and displays for the Museum. A powerpoint presentation was made on the issues that faced the Canadians who returned from the Battle of Hong Kong. Carol Hadley also attended a roundtable discussion in the evening, which further enforced the importance of having this story included in the museum. George Peterson and Barry Mitchell were video taped on their personal stories. We left a copy of the presentation with our contact information for any future follow-up. We felt our efforts were well received and as a result we were sent a nice thank you for our involvement with their interviews, input in the discussions, etc. We will keep the membership informed of this project.
Events: Our members with the Colour Party will be involved with the following events:
April 9, 2010 WWI service at 11:00, place TBA;
May 2, 2010 Navy celebrating Battle of the Atlantic with a parade; May 4, 2010 commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Royal Canadian Navy - there will be a ceremony at the legislature and during this ceremony there will be a proclamation made by the provincial government that the navy personnel will be granted freedom of the city; May 30, Brookside Cemetery will hold an open house which will feature free bus tours of the cemetery - military displays and music to entertain. Bus tours will begin about 10 am and continue to 4 pm. During this open house a memorial service and parade will be held at the Stone of Remembrance in the Field of Honour {in the military section of Brookside Cemetery} it will be called VE Day 65th Anniversary Commemoration Memorial Service and Parade - the parade will commence at 1:40 pm and the memorial service will commence at 2 pm this will be completed by 3 pm and the reception will follow in Neil Bardal Funeral Home across the street.
We are saddened by the loss of:
Nancy Peterson, daughter of George Peterson died on February 11, 2010
Neil Bardal, son of Lt. Njall O. Bardal, WG died February 13, 2010
We will remember them.
We wish you Peace and understanding as we celebrate the Easter season.
Ontario Offerings….
Mike Babin, our Regional Director reports: In December, George MacDonell and I made a presentation to a committee from the Canadian Museum of Human Rights. The museum is being built in Winnipeg, and the committee was travelling across Canada to collect stories to be included in the museum. The committee members were very interested in hearing of the human rights issues experienced by the Canadians sent to Hong Kong, and we're hoping that they will see fit to include it in their displays.
For several years, Janis Jennings was the person who sent out email notices to our members in Ontario when a Veteran or widow passed away, or some other significant event occurred. Unfortunately, Janis has had to give up that role due to health issues. On behalf of all of our members who received her email bulletins, I’d like to thank Janis for her work for the HKVCA and to wish her all the best. Mark Purcell (grandson of Veteran Leonard Corrigan – WG, deceased) has taken over the role from Janis. Mark is also our Regional Treasurer!
I am continuing to work out the arrangements for the commemorative trip to Hong Kong later this year. The preliminary itinerary and dates have been posted to our web site for some time, and by the time you read this newsletter I expect that prices and registration information will be added. Look for the link towards the bottom of the HKVCA home page.
Gordon Coyne, Area Representative for Western Ontario reports: Veteran Ken Pifher (RRC) was in very good form when I contacted him at his home in Grimsby, Ontario. He had just returned from his daily lunch with three of his buddies at the “Sin Bin”. He is hoping to have a two-week vacation in March in St. Martin, an island he has visited many times already. Although waiting in the queue now for a stress test, he is not letting his health issues slow him down. He feels fortunate to be living in Ontario’s “Banana Belt”, enjoying the winter birds that come to feed. He is also fortunate to have a grandson, Jordan, to drop in for frequent visits.
Veteran Gerry “Sunny” Sunstrum (RRC) is coming off surgery on both eyes, which has taken quite a few months to schedule and complete. He is “happy with the result”. Having a regular group of friends to lunch with every day makes his days go quickly. Gerry also enjoys watching sports on TV. At the moment, however, this is a bit of a downer, as his three favourite hockey teams, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal are all doing poorly. He finds reading our newsletter brings a lot of pleasure.
Widow Elizabeth Chesser is living in Extendicare in Brampton, Ontario, conveniently located close to her daughter Kathleen in Mississauga. She is in process of dictating her memoirs to a grandson, who is studying journalism. Born in Dundee, NB, she now has one son, four daughters, ten grandchildren, and the same number of great-grandchildren. Unfortunately, health issues have left her immobilized. I enjoyed hearing Elizabeth’s words of wisdom, such as regarding “C” Force in Hong Kong “it should never have been there”, and regarding our Association “keep it going”.
Widow Sylvia Doucette is living independently in her own home in Brampton, Ontario. Her husband, “Gerry”, died two years ago, after they had been married for 27 years. Sylvia has seven sons, one daughter, and seventeen grandchildren. They live in Brampton, Toronto, New York, and Guyana. Last Fall she had the misfortune to be hit by a car while crossing the street. After four weeks spent in hospital, she is working her way back to full health. She enjoys reading our newsletter, and considers it is “very good”. Knowing about the Memorial Wall has also given her much satisfaction.
Widow Doris Murray is living in Faith Manor, a nursing home in Brampton, Ontario. She is quite limited now in her activities, but is living comfortably. Fortunately, her son Bert lives nearby in Milton, so is able to look in on her regularly.
Widow Marjorie Overton Marjorie is a “ball of fire”, and a going concern, and still driving her car. She is living in a high-rise condominium in the west end of Toronto, where she is active playing bridge and many other activities. Her three daughters, who live in Montreal, Whitby, Ontario, and Heatherton, N.S., have made her a proud grandmother five times over. Marjorie says she just “loves” the newsletter. After nine days spent recently in Credit Valley Hospital she is now fit as a fiddle.
Widow June Smith Adjusting to the loss of her husband of 63 years last June is an on-going struggle for this fine lady. Fortunately, she has two sons and a daughter living nearby to lend her support. June described the Memorial Wall DVD as “very beautiful”, and says she hopes to see it sometime this year.
Pat Turcotte, Chair of the Education Committee reports: There are several activities to report at this time. Bud Mann, HKVCA Area Rep. for the GTA, is continuing efforts, in conjunction with Tony Au, President of the RHKR Volunteers, to prepare for a special event at the First Markham Place Mall, which will be held May 1 and 2, 2010. Not only will there be items of memorabilia and materials relating to the Battle of Hong Kong, but the Manitoba Region has agreed to loan us their large display featuring the pertinent facts about the Battle and the Canadian soldiers who fought there. Since this will be a two-day event, quite a number of volunteers will be needed, and we hope that many will take the opportunity to be part of this venture.
The Teachers’ Zone has added another section to its special pages. Titled “Showcasing the Hong Kong Story” it is intended to feature HKVCA members from across the country that have helped to spread the word about the Battle of Hong Kong and the Canadian soldiers who fought there. The first item features the work of Debbie Jiang, one of our members, who is an Education Officer at Library and Archives Canada. She has been involved in spearheading the Lest We Forget Cenotaph Project. The aims of the project are outlined in the “Showcasing” section of the Teachers’ Zone. The project has been in the news lately because there are some who are trying to cut this popular program in order to save money. There is a petition circulating urging Library and Archives Canada to keep the program.
The second item in the “Showcasing” section is a report by BC’s Education Chair, Lee Naylor, describing the Symposium he and Graeme Stacey, also an HKVCA member and distinguished History teacher, attended this last December. They connected with many students and teachers in discussing the Hong Kong Story in conjunction with members of the ALPHA organization. Well worth a read!
Others who have been active in the Hong Kong cause include Gail Angel, who met with Ottawa High School teachers and students in a PD situation just recently. We hope to hear her story, and to include it among those involving people working actively to promote the Hong Kong cause.
The HKVCA Cross-Canada Writing Contest is moving right along. More entries are being received as time goes on. Do pass the word along that the contest deadline is not until May 21, 2010, so that there is still time for students to enter.
The last news item comes from the Rev'd Vicky (Fortune) Hedelius: Last month, Kay Koop, from Texas USA, contacted Jim Trick and Mike Babin through the HKVCA website in search of the family of Herb Fortune. Her father in law, John Koop, an American soldier in WWII had given her sons, many years ago, a medallion that he had received from a Canadian soldier just after the war. How they met, and under what conditions may remain a mystery but because of the hand written engraving on the back of the medallion containing my Dad’s name & number & Winnipeg Grenadiers; when he enlisted; when he was captured; when he was released she had plenty of clues to follow. The Koop Family graciously made arrangements to send the medallion to us and we have now received it.
I’ve enclosed pictures of the front & back. There are many questions but here are two:
Does anyone recognize it? And
does anyone else remember meeting John Koop? He was from Texas and served in the
660th Replacement Company of the U.S. Army (other unit information unknown) in
Luzon, Philippines during 1945. After the war he spent some time in California
before returning to Texas. If you do, you may reach me by email:
vickyhedelius@hotmail.com or
phone (905) 336-0292.
[Editor's Note: Medallion is a bronze disc. On the front is an image of Winged
Victory holding a shield and riding a chariot pulled by four horses. The back
is smooth and blank and apparently hand-engraved with these words in the middle,
"H-6548 H.R. FORTUNE WINNIPEG GRENADIERS JOINED 21-9-39". Arranged in a circle
around this is "CAPTURED -> 12-25-41 RELEASED 8-15-45"]
* * *
Lawrence Alexandre Ross, will be celebrating his 90th birthday on April 2, 2010 cards were sent from many people.
.^
Quebec Quotes ….
Greetings from Quebec Region,
Hope everyone is surviving the winter well. With all the talk about the 2010 Olympics it is very difficult for everyone to keep focused on other matters.
Since the holiday break everyone is back to things at hand. We recently gathered for an executive meeting. As usual many subjects were discussed and reports were read. Certain plans are in the works and will have more news in the next edition of the newsletter.
We are sad to report the loss of another of our veterans, RRC Henry Lyons of Matapedia, QC, he leaves to mourn his death, his wife Isabel his children, grand-children and family members. We Will Remember Them.
Till next time, take care and stay healthy,
Lucette Mailloux Muir,
QC Regional Director
.^
Maritime Memories…
No report at this time.