Region Reports
From British Columbia ….
Greetings from beautiful British Columbia.
I’ve just returned from holidays and been back to work for a week now.
I went on to Winnipeg after our National Convention in Calgary and spent
a wonderful time with my family in Manitoba. I was very excited to
discover that I’ll be a Grandma for the first time in December. All the
very best to you, Tom and Teresa.
The Convention in Calgary was absolutely amazing. I won’t go into details, as I’m sure there will be reports in this newsletter. I just want to say it was great to see all the familiar faces and get all the hugs. The Alberta/Saskatchewan Region did a fantastic job and everyone, including myself, was raving about the events. Congratulations!
In British Columbia, we held very successful Spring Luncheons - June 2nd in Victoria and on June 9th in Vancouver. There were four veterans in attendance in Victoria - Gerry Gerrard, Larry Stebbe, Ronald Parker and David Golden. We were excited to have four generations of the Gerrard family in attendance. We were sad to have Larry and Anne hand out "change of address" cards. They should be all settled in their new home back in Winnipeg by now. We wish them well and we will miss them very much. Their family is thrilled that they be closer to them. David Golden recently moved to Victoria from Ottawa, so we were very pleased to have him attend his first Victoria Spring Luncheon. Our special guest was Bridget Preston, District Director for Veterans Affairs Canada. This is the third time she has attended our annual spring luncheons. She is a very gracious lady and honoured our veterans with her talk.
37 HKVCA members and invited guests attended the luncheon on June 9 in Vancouver. The HK vets present were Gerry Gerrard (RCCS), Aubrey Flegg (WG), Frank Brown (WG), John Lowe (RRC), Will Allister (RCCS), and Jan Solecki (HKVDC). Aubrey drove all the way from Kelowna with his companion, Betty Waldenberger. Frank, showing a lot of courage after his recent surgery, got up to the microphone and sang "The Galloping Grenadiers" as he has done for many years at our reunions. Will and Jan thrilled us once again with their full-hearted singing of some Russian songs from Shamshuipo. Regrets from Bill Doull (RRC). The widows present were Pearl MacPherson (Don WG), Eileen Cambon (Dr. Ken RRC), and June Naylor (Howard Naylor Sr. RCCS). June was accompanied by her son Lee and his wife Sherry; Pearl by her daughter Sandy, and Eileen by her daughter Noreen and her grandson Harrison. Regrets from Loretta Baty (Arthur WG).
Irene Lugsdin, VAC Regional Director, unfortunately had to cancel due to a conflicting schedule. Edwin Cheung from the VAC Vancouver District office attended in her stead. Edwin spoke briefly and thanked the vets and their families. He was very touched by our gathering.
Guy Black was also an invited guest at our Vancouver Spring Luncheon. Guy is the Special Event Coordinator for the Port Moody Station Museum. Guy invited the HKVCA to participate in the Canada Day event at the museum in Port Moody.
The BC Region of the HKVCA participated in the Canada Day event at the Port Moody Station Museum in Port Moody on July 1, 2007. The Port Moody Heritage Society planned the unique event to showcase Canada’s proud military heritage and say “thank you” to our veterans. It was a free, family focused event and was attended by five thousand people. Many thanks to Carol Hadley for loaning BC the “C” Force display that the Manitoba Region uses in their schools.
We set up our display inside a restored 1934 CN passenger car. The event started at 9 in the morning and ran until 4 o’clock. Murray Doull and I talked to many hundreds of people about the HK vets and the role Canadians played in Hong Kong and their subsequent internment as prisoners of war. We also spoke to people about the purpose and goals of the HKVCA. We handed out HKVCA information brochures and Gander bookmarks with Sgt. Gander’s story printed on them. We had audio and video displays included with our tabletop display. We were able to network with other veteran’s groups. Combined with the material we had, the HKVCA information display was one of the best at the event and was extremely well received.
I took the ferry from Victoria to Vancouver on June 30th to be there early on Canada Day to help set up our display. That gave me an opportunity to visit with Will and Mona Allister at their home near the ferry terminal on the Vancouver side. I was thrilled to get the “grand tour” of Will’s art studio and was sent home with a couple of prints. We had a wonderful visit together. They are doing well and send their regards to you all.
On August 28th, I attended the play “Padre”. It’s a one man play presented by Jeff Forst based on his great-grandfather, Honorary Captain Uriah Laite’s writings during four years in Hong Kong POW camps. Many Laite family members were in attendance at the Centennial United Church in Victoria. Jeff’s presentation was very professional and informative. The play is a tribute to the resilient spirit of the HK vets who persevered against the odds, and to those who fell. The combination of diary entries interspersed with excerpts from his great-grandfather's sermons was most effective. Jeff is donating proceeds from his play to the HKVCA Memorial Wall project. To learn more about Jeff’s play, please access his website at www.forstmedia.ca
We will continue our Christmas wreath-laying tradition at the Cenotaph on the Legislative grounds in Victoria at 2 PM on Sunday, December 23rd. Please mark your calendars. We hope to see as many of you there as possible. Let’s pray for better weather than we had last year.
From Alberta-Saskatchewan …
see convention report.
From Manitoba ….
Hello to one and all
I was not able to attend the Convention in Calgary this year but I did hear through the grape vine that it was a great success – congratulations to AB/SK Region.
In Manitoba, we have been busy preparing for the Tea and Tidbits in September 15th and another one in December 15th. This is a luncheon gathering for all the ladies in our Association but especially for our wives and widows of the HK veterans. It is held at St James Legion at 1 p.m. on the above dates.
We held our VJ Day celebration on August 26th at All Saints Church where the Winnipeg Grenadier’s Colours hang. This is later than usual as many of our members were at the Convention. We were pleased to have Fred Poitras, Larry Stebbe and George Peterson, Hong Kong veterans and widows, Joan Simcoe, Dorothy Morris, Ladena Mabeley, with family and friends attending the service. There were approximately 60 - 65 people participating in our protocol service and the dedication of the new plaque of the HKVA Manitoba members that have passed on. Our Padre Gordon Shields did the dedication and readings and the Colour Party helped open the event. The attendees were able to view the education display and the portfolios that the Winnipeg Grenadiers Ladies Auxiliary created several decades ago.
We had the artists rendering of the ‘C’ Force Memorial Wall that is to be built in Ottawa on display, which generated much interest from our members and ideas for fundraising will be coming soon. There was a light lunch served afterwards.
HKVCA along with Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) are dedicating the JARDINE'S LOOKOUT MEMORIAL PLAQUE on September 30th at Brookside Cemetery. The Military Section of Brookside Cemetery is one of the biggest in Canada and a suitable resting place for this memorial. The Plaque was given to us from VAC and it is the duplicate of the Jardine's Lookout Memorial Plaque that is placed in Hong Kong and was dedicated in 2005. After the dedication there will be a reception at the John Osborn VC, ANAF on Ellice and Empress St.
The HKVA Reunion Dinner is being held on October 27th at the Holiday Inn Airport West and the registration packages have been mailed to our Manitoba members – if anyone else would like to attend please see the website calendar or contact me and I will see that you receive a package.
Manitoba Region will be holding elections in 2008 and the nomination information will be going out shortly, so please give this process some serious thought. Consider giving some time to the Association by letting your name stand for an office, it is very rewarding.
That’s all for now. May God Bless you all and keep you safe.
From Ontario ….
It would be impossible to start this report without offering a huge “thank you” to the Alberta/Saskatchewan branch for mounting an absolutely fabulous National Convention in Calgary. Every one of the fifty or so Ontario members who attended had a great time. The Veterans were treated like royalty (as they should be!), and the rest of us enjoyed ourselves immensely. Thanks to Marilyn Pridgen and her hardworking team for organizing and running a wonderful event!
I may seem like a broken record on this, but are continuing on our theme of finding ways of getting the story of the Battle of Hong Kong and the internment of the POWs into our schools, and adopted as part of the history or social studies curriculum in Ontario’s high schools. We believe that educating our young people on this topic is the most important role of our organization, and so nearly all of the limited resources we have are dedicated to this task.
In the March newsletter I mentioned the high school essay contest that we had introduced earlier in the school year. In May we were very pleased to announce the winners of this first annual contest: Karla Telidetzski of Edmonton, and Matthew Silins of Ottawa, receiving $200 and $150 respectively. Congratulations to these two students for their very thoughtful and well-written essays.
We have announced the 2007/2008 version of the contest, and it is once again open to all high school students across Canada. We need your help to bring it to the attention of high schools in your city or town. You can find the contest details here: http://www.hkvca.ca/education/index.htm , or you can contact me at the address on the last page of this newsletter. Please make copies of the contest announcement and take it to your children’s or grandchildren’s history or social studies teacher and encourage them to promote it to their classes. You will also often find that local newspapers, especially in smaller communities, will be happy to print an article about it, especially if they can link it to a Hong Kong Veteran in the community.
The Canada Veterans Hall of Valour in Ottawa inducted three of our Veterans in May: Robert “Flash” Clayton, his wife Jessie Clayton (also a WW II veteran) and Lionel Speller. Another Ontario HK Veteran, George MacDonell, traveled from Toronto to Ottawa to be present at the induction ceremony. Congratulations to all of them! And our thanks, too, to Ron McGuire for his ongoing efforts to have the Hall of Valour recognize Hong Kong veterans. A total of eight have been inducted so far, and Ron promises more in the future!
May was Asian Heritage Month in Toronto, and we marched in the inaugural parade with the HKVA flag and our banner from the Ontario Legislature at Queens Park down University Avenue to Metro Hall. Toronto’s Chinese community is always very interested and supportive of the HKVCA and of our Veterans.
I’m saddened to report that we have lost one Ontario Veteran since the last newsletter: Don Geraghty (RRC). Several HK Veterans and HKVCA members attended his funeral in Burlington, ON. Also, Dorothy McKay, the widow of Andrew J. McKay (RRC) passed away. We will remember them.
Which brings me to a very important topic: our Memorial Wall. There is information elsewhere in this newsletter with details on the Wall, but our Ontario members should be aware of the challenge which I have accepted on our behalf from our colleagues in BC. At the convention the BC region announced a donation of $5,000 towards the wall, and challenged other regions to at least equal their donation. I accepted the challenge, and now we must deliver!! You will see more about this in your mail shortly.
It was a pleasure to see so many Ontarians in Calgary, and to meet with Veterans and members from across the country. I wish everyone a terrific fall, and a wonderful Christmas and New Year.
From Quebec ….
Greetings all.
Hope you all enjoyed a wonderful summer, as Fall is fast approaching.
Since the last newsletter, we are continuing to work for the welfare of our Veterans, Widows and HKVC Association. We, in Quebec, continue to work jointly with our Veterans of the QC-Maritimes Branch. The HKVCA executive held a meeting in April.
In June we again held our annual joint-executive meeting in New Richmond and for the first time at the Baie des Chaleurs Military Museum. Four Veterans were present. It was remarked by the Vets as they recalled the times when 20 or so Veterans were present for these meetings and then enjoyed the social get-together at which the wives and other friends also attended. Yes it is very sad!
We attended funerals and/or celebrations of life of our Veterans, John Levitt and James Badger and unfortunately due to weather and/or distance could not attend others including some of our widows.
QC Region continues to send their newsletter “The Torch” four times per year, in March, June, September and December. It is always gratifying to read notes from our Veterans, Widows and Members following these mailings.
We try to stay in contact with as many Veterans, Widows as possible by visits or by telephone or even by internet.
We send birthday and anniversary wishes to our members. We also send sympathy cards or notes for deaths or other very special occasions.
For our 2006 Reunion, QC region had a few polo shirts made with the HKVCA logo, this went off so well that we had more made. We have books of the “Royal Rifles of Canada in Hong Kong” by Grant Garneau still available. If someone is interested in the shirts or books, please contact Marcel Mondou or yours truly and it will be a pleasure to fill your request.
For the 2008 QC Reunion, watch your newsletter “The Torch” in your mail or by the Web for more details.
Financially, QC Region remains on a solid footing. This results from the ongoing support of our Veterans, Widows, Members and well-attended reunions. Again thanks to all for your support.
As for membership, we are no exception to other regions, as we do have the same growing pains and have to remind some members to pay their dues on time in order to be kept informed.
We have noticed in the past few years that, following the unfortunate death of a Veteran or a Widow, some family members seem to loose interest in the association, for what reasons? We, as members of the Commemorative Association, have a mandate to fill. We should encourage our children and grandchildren to join and to continue with their interest in the Association. We should never forget the sacrifices our Veterans made for the liberty we today enjoy. We should not forget our “Raison d’être” for our Veterans and Widows and continue to keep the Hong Kong memory alive.
It has been said and again congratulations go to the Host Region of AB/SK for a very well organized and well-attended Convention. There was a very special opening ceremony including the “Lion Dance” put on by the local Chinese community, then came the usual executive meetings, the Annual General Meeting, special meetings and a work info meeting. A very solemn Commemorative Ceremony was held at the Cenotaph and the day closed with a Gala Dinner at the hotel. The weekend closed with a Stampede style breakfast as people said their “goodbyes” until we meet again. Again thank you AB/SK for a job well done and your great hospitality. QC Region had a great delegation of Veterans, Widows, Members and Family Groups.
The “C” Force Memorial Wall for the Battle of Hong Kong will be erected in Ottawa. We can all help to see this project through. We should do our best to get things moving fast, let’s work together. In this newsletter you will find info on funding, how and where you can send your contributions. So little to do for the great sacrifices, health and lives of our Hong Kong Veterans
That is about it for this time. Best Wishes and All the Best for 2008. Take care and God be with you all. Til the next time.
From the Atlantic ……
-Neil Darragh
Greetings,
We had a very successful reunion in Florenceville during the second week of September. There were four Hong Kong Vets in attendance along with their families. At the banquet on Saturday evening we had 44 people in attendance.
On the Commemorative side of things, we passed a motion to donate a thousand dollars from the Atlantic Region to go towards the fund for the Memorial Wall in Ottawa. When we have our membership drive in January, we are going to ask for donations from our membership. We hope to raise another thousand dollars to go toward this great cause.
We have a new treasurer for the Atlantic Region. His name is Bernard LeBlanc. I would like to say thank-you to Bernard for coming aboard to help the Atlantic Region.