Across the Nation
Reports from the Regions
BC Banter
Ab/Sk Action
Manitoba Moments
Ontario Offerings
Quebec Quotes
Maritime Memories
BC Banter ….
- Linda Stewart
Hi everybody:
June, July and August 2008 have been busy and exciting months for the HKVCA in British Columbia.
We held our Spring Luncheon in Victoria on June 7th. There were three HK
veterans in attendance: Gerry Gerrard (RCCS), Harry Gyselman (WG), and David
Golden (WG). May Jakel (widow of Alton Jewers (RRC) and Vilma Sequeira (widow of
Tony Sequeira HKVDC) were present. The District Director of Veterans Affairs
Canada, Bridget Preston, was present and addressed our gathering.
On June 21st we held our Vancouver Luncheon. The three HK vets that were in
attendance were Gerry Gerrard (RCCS), John Lowe (RRC) and Bill Doull (RRC). Jan
Solecki from the HKVDC attended. The HK widows in attendance were Pearl
MacPherson (Don MacPherson ,WG), Moira McCarthy (Jim McCarthy, WG), June Naylor
(Howard Naylor Sr., RCCS), Loretta Baty (Arthur Baty, WG) and Eileen Cambon (Dr.
Ken Cambon, RRC). Margie Rozario, widow of Cicero Rozario (HKVDC) also joined
us. The HK vets and widows were all well supported by many family members.
Our new Secretary, Bev Campbell, was invited to the podium and she was very warmly received.
Adrienne Alford-Burt, the new District Regional Director of Veterans Affairs Canada for the Vancouver area, accepted our invitation to speak. Guy Black, the Director for the “BC Day Salute to our Veterans” event at the Burnaby Village Museum, also accepted our invitation and informed our members about the BC Day tribute. Larry Wong, the curator for the Canadian Chinese Military Museum in Vancouver attended as an honoured guest.
British Columbia Region is proud to have made a major contribution to the new Teachers’ Zone. With Graeme Stacey’s permission, we passed his history curriculum materials over to be posted to our website.
On July 2nd I attended the Client Advisory Meeting held at the Veterans Affairs Canada offices in Victoria. Service officers from the local Legions, the naval base and various veterans groups attend it. A new item on the agenda allows one group to showcase their organization to the others. We were the inaugural group. I told them about the Hong Kong Veterans of Canada and how our Commemorative Association was formed and the Memorial Wall. They were very impressed.
August 4, 2008 was BC Day and marked the 150th birthday of the province of
British Columbia. The BC Region of the HKVCA participated in the largest tribute
to our veterans this year in BC. The event took place under sunny skies at the
Burnaby Village Museum and was called, “BC Day Salute to our Veterans.” There
were thousands of people in attendance.
The picture to the right shows part of the display with Lee on the left, Linda in the
middle and Murray on the right.
HK vet, John Lowe, arrived with his wife Florence and their daughter Diane and
Diane’s children.
At 11:45 was the Parade of the Veterans led by the pipes and drums of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, the 78th Fraser Highlanders and the Vancouver Naval Veterans Association Colour Party. Gerry Gerrard and John Lowe assembled with the veterans prior to the Parade. Gerry was carrying the Hong Kong Veterans flag and was very honoured when the Colour Party asked him to join them with the HK Colours. The parade formed and was led in by the RCMP, the pipes and drums, the Colour Party and the veterans. It was a very moving parade and hundreds of participants were clapping and honouring the veterans as they passed.
The following pictures show Gerry carrying the Hong Kong veterans flag in the
Colour Party and John marching with his fellow veterans.
We were grateful that Noreen Cambon brought her mother Eileen Cambon to our
display area. Eileen is the widow of Dr. Ken Cambon, RRC.
Thank you also to all the HKVCA members from the BC Region who participated and helped us in the display area. Your presence and support was greatly appreciated.
On November 13th, 2008, we will have another opportunity to use our new display. I have been invited to speak to the Victoria Genealogy Society. The meeting is open to the public. It will be held at the Gordon Head United Church Hall, 4201 Tyndall Ave., Victoria, BC. After their business meeting, at about 8:30 PM, I’ll be introduced as the Speaker for the evening. Please attend if you can. We could use your support. Jim Trick, our National Secretary and webmaster will be giving a demonstration of our website.
So that’s it from British Columbia for the moment. God bless you and keep you, until we meet again.
Ab/Sask Action...
- Gail Richoz, Regional Director
It is now over 1 year since our AB/Sask Region hosted the HKVCA Convention in
Calgary! We still have many fond and lasting memories of meeting Veterans,
Widows, their families & friends from across the country. We truly look forward
to next August 2009 when we can again reacquaint, and hopefully share in the
dedication of the C Force Memorial Wall, representing an enduring and heartfelt
tribute to our Veterans.
After a long summer break, we will be holding a fall luncheon, September 20, 2008, 11:30 – 2:30 at the Royal Canadian Legion Centennial Branch #285 - 9202 Horton Rd SW, Calgary (RSVP Norma Fuchs - 403-280-5680). We certainly would love to see as many Veterans, Widows and members (old and bring a few new) as possible for this event. At the luncheon an announcement will be made concerning a planned Donation from the members of the Ab/Sask Region - to Phase 2 of the C Force Memorial Wall.
We have had preliminary contact with the Museum of the Regiments in Calgary, in the hope of initiating some sort of display commemorating C Force in their newly expanded facility. The Museum is currently planning a special exhibit in 2011, which is set to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the fall of Hong Kong. It will detail all aspects of Canadian involvement in the Far East. This project is in its infancy, but we are hopeful it will lead to something of a more permanent nature in our Region, and draw attention to contributions made by members of C Force during WWII.
Manitoba Moments ….
- Carol Hadley
Manitoba Region annually observes VJ Day on the closest Sunday to August 15th at All Saints Church in Winnipeg with a service using the Protocol in honouring our veterans.
On August 17, 2008 the service began with George Peterson, President of
Manitoba Branch of the HKVA bringing in the Colours with the Colour Party (Alex
Taylor, Stan and Vince Lopata). There were about 50 people welcomed by George
and Carol Hadley, Secretary (as Juliet Lafortune, Regional Director was out of
town). Introductions of the 5 HK veterans that were present was made; they were
George Peterson, Larry Stebbe, Bill Bell, Bob Lytle and Grant Shepherd and the
Manitoba Region executive; Stan & Vince Lopata, Deputy Directors, Barry
Mitchell, Treasurer and Carol Hadley, Secretary.
A couple of our projects were highlighted; the Memorial Wall in Ottawa with an update to progress and the new tabletop display was available for all to see.
The Protocol service was lead by Carol with the assistance of Larry Stebbe, Pam Heinrichs and Vince Lopata with his computer coordinating the music. Barry Mitchell and Carol supplied the items for the table. The Honour Roll was read with the names of those who died from August 2007 – August 2008.
Following the service we enjoyed refreshments that were prepared by Juliet and served by Bonnie Wiebe and Linda Sloan. Vince Lopata did a very comprehensive powerpoint presentation on the Battle of Hong Kong as to the movement of the units over the 17 days of fighting.
We are pleased to have pictures of the day provided by Dennis Bell.
Four times a year, we hold an event called "Tea & Tidbits" which is a luncheon
for our lady members where we visit and talk about the experiences that our
widows and wives of the HK vets experienced – the next ones, September 13, and
December 13, 2008 when we expect 15 – 20 ladies to participate.
Bonnie Wiebe, our Communications person, who keeps in touch with our widows and veterans, has recently accepted a job in Alberta. We will miss her but wish her well in this new opportunity.
We kept in contact with some of our veterans this summer and hope they keep well. George Taylor celebrated his 88th birthday on September 8th; George Coutts was enjoying his summer; Andy Poquet is doing okay; Tom Dewar was getting out with his family and keeping up with things through the media; Art Lousier is now in Deer Lodge fully recovered from his fall; Dick Wilson also in Deer Lodge comes out to our lunches occasionally, Harry Gyselman keeps in touch through the internet and says “Hi” to all; Bob Lytle has good and bad days and comes out when he can; it was wonderful to see George Peterson, Larry Stebbe, Bill Bell, Bob Lytle and Grant Shepherd attend our VJ day.
The Hong Kong Veterans Manitoba Branch will be holding their 63rd Annual Reunion on Saturday, October 25, 2008 at the Holiday Inn Airport West in Winnipeg. The registration packages have been issued to all Manitoba members and if you wish to join us, the forms are on our website under Current Region News or contacting Carol Hadley, carol.Hadley@gmail.com or 204-837-6754.
A
new item that we are adding to Barry’s Emporium is this sand coloured golf shirt
with our logo on the left. The shirt is available in men’s or ladies CSA sizes.
The region may be added if requested. The cost of this shirt is $25.00 +
shipping – here is the link
http://www.hkvca.ca/store/index.htm . We also have information on a silk
screen HKVA flag that we are in the process of finalizing. You may order all
items at Barry's Emporium, with cheques payable to HKVCA, PO Box 381, Winnipeg,
MB R3C 2H6.
To all our members who have celebrated special days, we wish you the best of health, luck and happiness and we like to hear from you often.
Ontario Offerings….
-Mike Babin
Passing The Torch
The Ontario Branch of the HKVA has decided to wind up the HKVA in Ontario and
hand its operation and assets over to the HKVCA, similar to what has previously
been done in other provinces. The Veterans have recently voted on and passed two
motions that accomplish this.
One motion was to dissolve the Ontario branch of the HKVA. The second motion was to hand over the financial assets of the branch to the HKVCA Ontario branch. This motion contained a proviso that up to $20,000 of the monies be made available, if needed, to ensure construction of the Memorial Wall.
This ends a long chapter in the history of the HKVA in Ontario. The HKVCA salutes the Veterans and widows, both living and deceased, who were members of this terrific organization, and thank them for their confidence in passing the torch to us.
Area Meetings
It has been some time since we’ve had a general meeting in Ontario - 2 years, to be exact - and it’s time we had one! In the past we’ve always had one central general meeting.
Recognizing that our members are spread across this vast province of Ontario and may find it difficult to travel a long distance for a meeting, we’ve decided to try something different in the hopes that more of you will be able to attend.
We are planning to hold a meeting in each of our 6 areas across the province. In consultation with your Area Reps we’ve chosen locations, which we hope will be relative easy for most of you to drive to.
With the exception of the Sudbury meeting, each one will be a luncheon held on a Saturday beginning at noon in a restaurant, and lasting for about two hours. For Sudbury only, the event will be held at the local racetrack and will be combined with dinner.
| Location | Date/time | Area Rep | Area Rep Phone # |
| Peterborough | Saturday, October 4, 2008 at noon | Maureen Kline | 613 392-4334 |
| London | Saturday, October 18 at noon | Barbara Drew | 519 676-7348 |
| Sudbury | Wednesday, October 22 at 4pm | Jackie Le Drew | 705 855-0705 |
| Burlington | Saturday, October 25 at noon | Leon Sokalski | 905 525-6922 |
| Toronto Area | Saturday, November 1 at noon | Roy Sullivan | 905 837-5680 |
| Ottawa | Saturday, November 8 at noon | Ron McGuire & Mitzi Ross | 613 225-5105 (Mitzi) |
The idea is to give us all a chance to chat and get to know one another a little better. Although the Vets and widows for the most part are well known to one another, the same is not always true of other HKVCA members, particularly those of you who are newer to the association. There will be little in the way of formal content (speeches, etc.). Mostly we will have lunch, talk about our Veterans and stories of Hong Kong, and become better acquainted.
Everyone will be responsible to purchase his or her own lunch. We don’t expect the cost to be more than $20 per person.
Your Area Rep will be in touch with you shortly to tell you the specifics, including the address where your meeting is to be held. You are welcome to attend more than one if you like! If you haven’t heard from your Area Rep by two weeks before your meeting is scheduled, please phone him/her to get the information.
I plan to attend each meeting, as do other members of your Ontario executive. I hope to see lots of you!
Mike Babin
South-West Ontario Report
Last Post: Mrs Grey Fair died Jan 13 of this year. Her husband misses her
dearly. They were married almost 62 years.
Lorraine Lawlis made her yearly trip to the east coast to see her family and Hong Kong friends. She reports that Quebecers have a nice new museum dedicated to the many boys that went to war from the Gaspe coast.
Lawrence Ross is still thinking of the boys - loves the newsletter - and
sends thanks to all.
Dorothy Sauson is going on vacation and will attend the Granby Quebec reunion.
Marilyn Morgan visited her mother Mrs Wilbur in New Brunswick.
Doris Hocking, sister to Edgar Smelts, travels widely. Her son lives in France.
Ruth Cunningham is helping supply news for a war display in Vancouver on
medical and dental care given to the POWs in Hong Kong. Her granddaughter Lisa
Drew often talks of her grandfather and the Canadian POWs on Kitchener Radio (CKGL
570 AM) and in her blogs.
Mrs Hazel Martin gave me some interesting details of her husband. When Douglas
returned home from Hong Kong he weighed only 45 lbs on the stretcher and he
could only speak like a mouse, a soft squeak, as he was so weak.
We would like to hear from anyone who has any contact information for Elizabeth Furlotte. She is the widow of the late Elisee Cote and was last known in the Galt area.
Please correct my telephone number, it should have been printed as
519-676-7348.
Thanks to our vets and widows for keeping in touch.
Barbara Cunningham-Drew
Central & South Eastern Ontario Area Report
Hello to all of you. I had a very pleasant conversation with Fred Cooper and his
wife Delilah. Both are enjoying the summer, getting out and about as much as
possible. Fred enjoys gardening. However, this year his tomato plants are about
5’ tall (stretched out fully) and the tomatoes are just starting to ripen. When
I spoke with Fred and Delilah they were enjoying a couple of games of
shuffleboard with their grandson, his wife and the great-grandsons.
Flash and Jessie Clayton had a very busy September long weekend working with
their local Legion at “Fun Day”, raising $4200.
Bruce and Rena Cadoret weren’t able to travel as much this summer. Bruce has
been having his fair share of medical problems, but he and Rena still get out
and about whenever possible.
Fred Mason took a bad tumble just recently. You’re not alone Fred. My Mom,
Marjorie Dwyer, decided to bounce down 4 steps while rushing out to get to the
hair dresser!! It turned out to be a bad sprain but stopped her from getting out
for about a week.
Mom, Bob and I decided to take a short trip back in May. We went up to Casino Rama in Orillia to meet Flash and Jessie for lunch and have a long visit. It’s always great spending time with them.
Well, that’s about all for now. Hope you all had a great summer.
Maureen Dwyer-Kline
Honour Wreath Report
When the Honour Wreath project began, we were able to liaise with the local Legions and the families of our Veterans to have a wreath laid in memory of their loved one and all Hong Kong Veterans on Remembrance Day. Unfortunately, many other organizations also wanted to lay wreaths at this time and it became increasingly more difficult to fulfill this mandate. We have now launched a new program, which is working very well.
Here's how it works:
• Once the Association receives word of a Veteran’s passing, contact is made
with the family to confirm where and when a wreath should be delivered. Some
families have found it meaningful to have it displayed at the Funeral, and
others at the gravesite. This new process allows us much more flexibility in
meeting the needs of each family.
• The Association takes care of all the details in delivering the wreath but we
need your assistance. It is most important to have up to date contact
information pertaining to each Veteran's family. Please contact us if there are
any changes.
For more information, please contact me either by email vickyhedelius@hotmail.com or by phone 905 336 0292.
Sincerely, The Rev'd Vicky Hedelius, Honour Wreath Chair, (Daughter of Herb
Fortune, Winnipeg Grenadiers
.^
Quebec Quotes ….
- Lucette Mailloux Muir
Hope you all had a very nice and safe summer.
It is a pleasure to report on our recent event. We are, at this time, closing the books on our 2008 Reunion. Things went very well and the weather was fabulous. Five veterans, 5 widows, family members and friends of the Hong Kong Family were present for a total of 39 for the banquet dinner. We had visiting guests from Manitoba, Ontario as well as Quebec.
A joint-general meeting was held on Friday morning then enjoyed a “quebecois” dinner and entertainment. On Saturday morning 55 people were present for our Commemorative Ceremony. Philip Doddridge laid the HKVA wreath, Lucette M-Muir the HKVCA and Kathleen Hurd, widow of Lionel Hurd, the wreath for all widows. Veterans deposited small Canadian flags for their fallen comrades of QC Region deceased since we last met; John Russell deposited the flag for all RRC Veterans of other Regions and Alexandra Slovinsky the flag for all WG.
The results of our recent election are, all positions were filled by
acclamation:
Renay Perrier, Deputy Director; Marcel Mondou, Deputy Director and Membership
Chairman;
Debbie Batley-Everett, Secretary; Allan Marshall, Treasurer;
Philip Doddridge, Veterans’ Representative and
Lucette Mailloux-Muir, Regional Director.
We also extend our appreciation to Larry Everett, Chair of the Elections Committee and committee members Kathy Marshall and Eric Batley our Veterans’ Representative.
We are already thinking of what could be done the next time we meet. We will continue to move forward to meet our goals.
Projects on the table: to keep the memory alive and to promote our Association’s membership. These two projects should work hand in hand as one without the other is next to impossible to accomplish.
Take care of each other and God bless. Until next time
.^
Maritime Memories…
The reunion that was held on September 5-7, 2008 in Florenceville, was great with four veterans in attendance. The memorial service was well attended by family and local veterans from Branch 37 RCL. We serviced 53 at the banquet on Sat evening. We have already made plans to host the reunion in Florenceville again next year.