The Liberation Cycle Tour

Dave Mink introduced the Grahams, Frank Sr., Jr. and Chester who told us last year about their plan to cycle from Juno to Holland with some young people and who were back to tell us how it went.  Rotary did contribute some support to the program.

Chester thanked the Club for its support and said the first annual Liberation Tour had been a great success.  7 people from Midland, 14 from Chatham and 22 from Holland cycled 700 kms last April and May.  There were 10 support staff and a buss and a trailer along as well.

Starting at Juno Beach and visiting and laying wreaths at places like Dieppe, Vimy, Flanders, The Bridge Too Far and the National Liberty Museum they experienced many unforgettable events.  They were accompanied by members of the Chatham Pipe Band and had a Piper at each stop.  The Dutch have established monuments on a tour through their country and one will feature Frank.

A group of cyclists aged between 18 and 28 years will be coming from Holland from Aug. 9 to 15 this year for a visit and to experience some of our area with a trip to Algonquin and to Chatham.  Frank said they will be looking for help with billeting and in defraying some of their expenses and he would be providing more information on that later.  Then there will be a second Liberation Tour in 2015 that will go through parts of Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia.  The Grahams will be taking part in that too, including Frank Sr., which would make 11 trips for him since the end of the war.

Chester showed us a series of short videos highlighting various aspects of the tour and said there are more to watch on You Tube.  He thanked the Club again for its support.