Wilf Wilkinson Speaks about Landmines

It was our great honour to have as a our keynote speaker Wilf Wilkinson, past RI President, and currently on the board of directors of the Landmine Foundation of Canada.

 

 

News reports often talk about landmines from a military perspective.  Wilf brought the human side of the story to the audience.  He recounted the story of little girl Ema Alic.  On April 10th, 2000, the 11-year-old girl Ema and two of her friends were playing in a field north of Sarajevo and they were killed by an antipersonnel landmine. It’s tragic when young lives are cut short. It’s tragic that they died while they were playing. And it’s tragic that Ema didn’t die immediately, she suffered for some time. And the people of the area stood on the edge of the field unable to offer aid or comfort – because the children were in a minefield. But what is more than tragic is that the landmine that killed those children was put into the ground as part of a military conflict that ended 5 years before the tragedy occurred.

 

When wars end the surviving soldiers take their weapons and go home – not so anti-personnel landmines, they stay in the ground. They are ready; they are waiting. They don’t know the difference between war and peace. They don’t know the difference between the footsteps of a soldier and the footsteps of a child. They don’t wear out.

 

If you are interested in more information on landmines, please go to http://canadianlandmine.org/. 

 

Above is a photo of Dr. Emmanuel Abara, President Elect of the Rotary Club of Richmond Hill, presenting a certificate of thanks to Wilf Wilkinson.