President David opened the meeting with our land acknowledgement, and the singing of O Canada.

Chair announcements

Sunday, June 7th is the Pride Parade. Rotary has a float, provided by Larry Vickar. There will be a rally ahead of the parade and muster time will be 11:45. President David has more information. Talk to him if you want to learn how to be involved. Everyone is welcome to take part.

We received a letter from the Rotary Support Centre re the prospective member management system that has been implemented.

We need to set goals by June 30th to be eligible for the Club Excellence Award. More information to come.

Rotary Day at the Goldeyes will take place on August 27th. Game time is 6:30 pm and the cost is $18.50 per person. Contact Cathy if you want a ticket(s), but do it soon because there is limited capacity and tickets are selling quickly. We will have the patio all to ourselves. This will be an excellent opportunity to connect with members of the other Winnipeg Rotary clubs.

There will be no meeting on June 29th in recognition of Canada Day. The handover meeting will be on July 6th. June Board meeting to be determined.

Jack: The Forest washroom has been delayed, but it will happen. The outdoor classroom should be completed by next week.

Andrea has arranged for white spruce seedlings to be distributed to WWTE participants in the fall.

Jack was chatting with a Forest supporter, Jim Richardson, who suggested creating a wetland near the area where the east side parking lot for the Forest will be.

Past President Cathy introduced this evening’s speaker, Maj. Paddy Douglass.

Cathy and Paddy first met at CFB Goose Bay (or ‘on the Goose’) in 1975 when Paddy and Cathy’s brother were both posted there. Cathy went to visit her brother. Paddy and Cathy renewed their friendship for a time, when Paddy was posted to Milner Ridge. 

Following that posting, the next Cathy heard of Paddy he was in the Army, not the Air Force.

Paddy earned a BA, sponsored by the CAF. He moved to the Land branch, and obtained a Masters degree. His thesis was on the contribution of Indigenous peoples to the armed forces in North America. And he is willing to share that thesis with anyone who wants to read it. (Cathy can make the connection, or you can connect with Paddy by LinkedIn.)

Paddy had an impressive career with the CAF. He enlisted as a high school drop out, and retired a major, with a Masters degree and a Member of Military Merit.

He is proof that peace makers belong in the armed forces, and in post-retirement consulted on Peace and Conflict Resolution.

See him being interviewed here: https://share.google/eWJOglWxQWdjKDJsU

Paddy shared some of the story of his time with the CAF and how it changed the course of his life.