Last Meeting November 6, 2018
President Brian Street chaired the meeting and gave the invocation.
Don Evans accompanied us on the piano for the singing of O Canada.
Reflection, In Flanders Fields, by John McCrae
In Flanders field the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Observed a moment of silence.
The Lament, played on the bagpipes by a Seaforth Armoury Piper.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
Joe Lopushinsky, Sergeant-at-Arms, introduced visitors and guests.
President Brian Street's announcements:
- 2018 is the Armistice 100th anniversary (1918-2019).
- This year also marks the 100th anniversary for Canada's Hundred Days, a three month stretch of victories at the end of the war, from August 8th to November 11th 1918.
- For more information see veterans.gc.ca/CanadaRemembers
Joan Posivy provided the Secretary's announcements:
- reminders of upcoming events/meetings (see above)
- birthdays: Aldo Brussoni Nov 7th
- member anniversaries: none this week
- wedding anniversaries: none this week
Special announcements
- Wilf Wassersleben received his PH +4. Congratulations and thank you Wilf.
Member's moments:
- Stu Bird, has his grandpa's spurs from his time in the Calvary in the World War I. Stu remembered the tale of how his grandpa, though in the calvary, never did see a horse and those riding boots & spurs were far from ideal footwear for the trenches.
- Don McPhee's uncle was honoured with the Victoria Cross for his efforts in the Battle of the Cross.
- Franco Gallo's wife's family harkens from Mennonite roots in Germany. Her grandpa went to war, grandma had to leave their home upon evacuation. Once the war was over she had an overwhelming need to go back to the homestead with an instinct that she would find her long absent husband. The trip was perilously unsafe, she made it anyway. Her instincts were right, she and her husband found each other, made their way to Canada, and settled future generations in safety.
- Parisa Adrangi lost her uncle last week. He was an Army General before the Revolution in Iran. He ended up spending 8 terrible years in jail but never fell - he never betrayed his loyalty to his country. He passed at 91 years old, the last soldier in the family. Parisa added that people like her uncle are why we live in peace today. Thank you to all for remembering.
- Juliette Wong, a regular visiting Rotarian (from Toronto), told us of her father who was born in Taiwan in 1913. After the War, he became a minister, giving of himself to others for the rest of his life. Some good did result from terrible experiences.
- Paul Martin reminded us of the ongoing casualties of war. His friend, Dermott, never met his Dad who fell in action in Holland. His Mom passed not long after, thought to be because of her despair from losing her husband. This left Dermott an orphan. One of the invisible casualties.
- Jim Evans' Dad was in the air force based out of Regina.
- Brian Street's Dad, Fred Street joined the army at 18 years old. As it happened he met his brother on the ship heading over to Europe for action. He remained in and around Germany until 1946. Brian shared some excerpts from his Dad's diary during the time; some heartbreaking, some entertaining.
- Nick Blom was travelling through Holland a few years ago, wandering through a small town's cemetery where he came across the graves of 2 Canadians, 2 boys from Regina both aged 20. It brought back memories: the Canadian soldiers threw candies out to the crowds upon liberation. Something the young kids of Holland had never seen before so Nick had no idea how to open it up. The liberation of Holland was not easy on the residents. The South was liberated in 1944 but the rivers separated them from the North for the winter. It was known as the Hunger Winter. Nick remembers that tulip bulbs were their staple to keep them going, barely. Many perished. Seeing the Canadian army come through and knowing the horrible times were over was absolutely incredible.
- John Bathurst told us about the Dutch royal family who moved to Canada in June 1940 after the occupation of the Netherlands by Nazi Germany. The maternity ward of the Ottawa Civic Hospital where Princess Margriet was born was temporarily declared to be extraterritorial by the Canadian government. Making the maternity ward outside of the Canadian domain caused it to be unaffiliated with any jurisdiction and technically international territory. This was done to ensure that the newborn would derive her citizenship from her mother only, thus making her solely Dutch, which could have been very important if the child had been male, and as such, the heir of Princess Juliana. Since Canada follows the rule of jus soli, it was necessary for Canada to disclaim the territory temporarily so that the child would not become a Canadian citizen.
Such personal accounts bring the experience of war to life for those of us who have no idea what it was really like. Thank you to all who shared with us.
Program:
Adriana Zylmans introduced today's speaker, Gayle O'Hara. The highlight for today's talk was the Dutch liberation in 1945. Gayle is a service officer who looks after the needs and benefits of veterens.
Adriana and Gayle are co-chairs of the newly formed Dutch Liberation 2020 Canadian Society. It was incorporated under the Societies Act on August 31, 2018. It is a unique partnership between the Royal Canadian Legion, the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Vancouver and the Netherlands Association “Je Maintiendrai” – Dutch Network.
In the plans is a reflective occasion to commemorate 75th Liberation of the Netherlands. The major focus is to publicly commemorate the lives lost and the efforts made by Canadian men and women who helped re-establish freedom in the Netherlands in 1945. The group is planning commemorative events and activities to thank Canada and to honour its soldiers for liberating Holland.
The Canadian Legion is officially recognized as the “Canadian God-parents” of the Royal Family and have a fiduciary responsibility for the well-being of the family. This creates a very unique situation and responsibility. With 1400 Canadian Legions in Canada the hope is they will all get engaged and excited.
So far, they are working on support from Provincial and Federal Government Agencies, Veteran Affairs Canada, the local arts community, elementary and secondary schools throughout British Columbia and Canada, and Vancouver Lower Mainland Dutch Associations including the United Flower Growers, Canadian Association for the Advancement of Nederlandic Studies (CAANS) and the Dutch Business Club of Vancouver.
They are planning an event in May of 2020 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Dutch liberation. It will be a signature event, a huge gala. Working to make the celebration a coast-to-coast event.
In commemoration , for the 50th Anniversary Mr. G. Bouman, Mr. H. van Hest, Mr. H. Steen, Mr. G. van Gelderen, and Mr. W. Zylmans coordinated and sponsored the sending of 35 Canadian veterans, liberators of the country, to return to Holland to participate in the liberation anniversary of VE Day. The Veterans experienced firsthand the gratitude of the Dutch people to Canada and its Canadian soldiers. They participated in the liberation parade in Apeldoorn and and visited their fallen comrades buried at war cemeteries in Bergen op Zoom and in Arnhem.
On April 24, 1995, Mr. Klaas Elgersma, President, Dutch Canadians Remember 1945 Society, presented to the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation the Joy of Freedom Statue as a token of appreciation to the people of Canada for their participation in the 1945 liberation of the Netherlands.
In closing, those who experience war, understand peace.
Extra reading:
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, Liberation of the Netherlands CLICK HERE
- Nomad Women, Remembrance Day in the Netherlands, The Power of Silence CLICK HERE
Meeting adjourned with a toast to gratitude for peace.