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HONG KONG
VETERANS’ ASSOCIATION OF CANADA |
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In this issue: Hong Kong Veterans’ Commemorative
Association Winnipeg Grenadier’s Hong Kong Trust Fund Notes from Barry Mitchell, Treasurer and
Membership |
As 2000 Closes!
- George Peterson
Well summer is
almost over and I sincerely hope everyone enjoyed a good one. Other than the month of August, I know that
I have had a good summer.
During August our
colours were once again proudly flying at the cenotaph in Winnipeg. A Big Thank You goes out to our associate
member Stan Lopata for seeing to this for us. Stan is also a member of our colour party.
Fred Wright and I attended the memorial services at Brookside
Cemetery on Sunday, September 10th and laid a wreath on your
behalf. Fred was also our delegate to
the ANAF Veterans Convention in Saskatoon this year in place of Harry
Atkinson.
Through some mix-up he was not recognized by the convention and apologies for this error are forthcoming to Fred. I had the honour of attending Branch #60 of the ANAF Veterans on Garry Street on the occasion of unveiling their memorial military mural which is the entire south wall of their clubrooms. This is worth a trip to see.
As you go down Graham Avenue look
northward and there it is in all its splendor.
I must apologize for my non attendance at our own Commemorative
Associations’ Memorial Service at All Saints Church in August, and to those who
were there, THANK YOU.
The last report that I have received on the remaining survivors of
“C” Force, there are 289 of us still living.
Our numbers are getting smaller.
“We will remember them”.
Don’t forget and please try to come out to our Annual Reunion
dinner at the Holiday Inn Airport West on October 21st , 2000. If you are mobile, we would love to see you
there. Keep well and in touch.
- Juliet Lafortune
Just a friendly
reminder about the deadline for the Reunion Dinner. Mailing back the request forms is NO later than OCTOBER 10, 2000.
“Oooooops!!!” there is an error on the forms -
dinner is either Prime Rib or Teriyaki Chicken - NOT Chicken Wellington.
Please call or notify me if you have a gift donation tobe picked up. Happy Thanksgiving to all.
See you at the Reunion.
(Julie
has an email address now and can be reached at jlafortune@email.com)
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Donna Remillard
We are still
seeking donations for the Winnipeg Grenadiers Hong Kong Trust Fund and cheques
should be made out in that name (not HKVA).
The Hong Kong Veteran’s Association make a donation to this fund in
memory of each deceased veteran member .
Contributions can be directed to Donna Remillard at 303_740
Kenaston Boulevard, Winnipeg, MB R3N 1Y3 or phone her at 489-0008.
Greetings again
to all our members!!. I hope everyone had an enjoyable and relaxing summer. I
know one thing you weren't doing--paying your bills!! I guess the summer
months are a good time to sit on your wallet but now you need to bite the
bullet and bring yourself up-to-date with your Veterans' Organization. We think
it's reasonable to expect everyone to pay their dues in the current year, so we
are going to continue to remind you that we need your support. This newsletter costs a
bunch to print and mail, so if you want to stay on the mailing list, please be
sure your dues have been paid.
Whenever I meet
with members of our association, I'm asked "Have I paid my dues--do I owe
you any money?". Well, for this mailing we're going to make it easy for
you. If you have not paid for the current year 2000, you will find a
pre-addressed envelope along with this newsletter. Thus we have offered you a
subtle reminder as well as something in which to send us your cheque. The fees
for Veterans are $15.00 per year while Associate Members are charged $7.50.
Membership in the Commemorative Association is $15.00 annually, with all widows
included free of charge. All dues are to be sent to P.O. Box 381, Winnipeg,
Manitoba, R3C 2H6.
You may be
interested to know that our complete mailing list for the H.K.V.A. is made up
of a total of 275 people--84 Veterans and 191 Associate Members. At the time
this letter was sent out, we had 185 paid memberships paid for the year 2000.
On the other hand, the Commemorative Association, which presently has 102 names
on the mailing list, has 73 paid up members---a much higher percentage than
H.K.V.A. The total membership between the two organizations has remained fairly
constant over the last few years with a slow but steady growth in the
Commemorative group. Please continue to alert your sons, daughters, nieces,
nephews, etc. to the value of continuing to perpetuate the memory of those who
served overseas.
On
another housekeeping matter, we would appreciate being included on the list of
those you advise of your change of address when you move. For example, Jean
Zilkie recently moved within the same building and was thoughtful enough to let
us know that her apartment number had changed. I can assure you that the post
office demands a complete and current address or the mail is returned. We try
to find our "lost" members by calling relatives, etc. but a simple
card to P.O. Box 381 in Winnipeg will keep us in touch.
Speaking of the mail, I was pleased that
Yvonne Hogle had the patience to deal with Canada Post recently as they didn't
seem to know we exist. She had sent her dues to what she thought was the proper
address but the post office sent her letter back, saying we are
"unknown" at P.O. Box 381. I have no idea why this happened, but her
membership later arrived at my house and all is well…..Nice note from the
Falcon family who are looking ahead and taking out dues in the Commemorative
Association for a couple of years at a time. Thanks for the
support!!…..Phenomenal donation from John Pollock of West Hill, Ontario! He
tells us he now uses a cane and is a little shaky, so he might not make it to
the Reunion Dinner this year. However, he certainly has been generous to the
Commemorative Association and his gift will go a long way in sustaining our
activities. Many thanks and good health, John. Having talked with you over the
phone recently, I suspect you will find your way to the Reunion Dinner in
Winnipeg next month…..Received some interesting memorabilia from Tom Forsyth of
Reston, MB. Thanks for sharing these notices and articles which have been a
part of your personal experience…..Welcome Dick Wilson of Stonewall, MB. to the
Commemorative Association. It's nice that some of the Veterans are helping this
new organization with
their membership and generous donations as well…..Most interesting and
thoughtful letter from Neil Bardal of Winnipeg, along with his generous
donation and dues for a couple of years. He caught me without my computer (I
was on holidays) so a proper response had to wait for my return to my office.
Neil put forward some good ideas for keeping up our memories and traditions and
we will be following up with him on all these matters…..Wow! When Blanche
Younker of Winnipeg catches up with her bills, she really comes through! In one
envelope, we found two years dues for Doris Peterson in the HKVA, as well as
two years dues for Blanche and Joe Levene. Well done folks!!
Interesting note
from Grant Shepherd with his comments on "The Battle for Hong Kong",
a history paper which was on display at our VJ Day ceremony. I had sent him a
copy at his request and asked for his thoughts on the matter. Grant was a
member of the British naval force and had served on two of the four gunboats
stationed in Hong Kong. He offered some details on the navy aspect of the
historical summary and confirmed that there were three destroyers involved: the
HMS Thanet, HMS Scout and HMS Thracian which was sunk in the course of
evacuating troops from the mainland. Thanks for the commentary, Grant……Cliff
Matthews also received a copy of "The Battle " and paid a visit to my
house to chat about it. Unfortunately I was not at home and I hope my wife and
daughter offered some good chitchat for you, Cliff. Thanks for the visit along
with your usual generous contribution towards the Reunion Dinner……Which reminds
me---see you all at the Holiday Inn West next month.
Cheers, Barry Mitchell
I sincerely hope everyone with a
computer has been checking out the Commemorative’s website (http://members.xoom.com/hkvca/). Linda May, Julie Lafortune's
daughter, the custodian, and one of the developers of the site has invested
a tremendous amount of love and
diligence to make this site a marvelous tribute to the Hong Kong Vets. This award winning site is so wonderful and
informative that I don't think
you will be disappointed.
Membership
renewals ($15.00) are now due and can
be sent to Barry Mitchell, 22 Tunis Bay, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2X1 . Widows of Hong Kong Vets are exempt.
Crests
($18.00) for blazers are available.
This is the new Associations crest - it is professionally made, similar
to the military crests and has a 5 - 7 week delivery on it.
Monument
HK markers ($48.00) are available.
These are mounted on the gravestone - the marker is metal and coated in
heavy-duty red enamel with white HK emblazoned on it. The package has a registration inside that should be sent to
Ottawa to be archived.
The
crests and markers can be purchased from Lora Wachtendorf (1-204-388-6536).
We were saddened
to hear:
^Francis Andrews passed away
August 3, 2000
^Andrew Arsenault passed away
August 12, 2000
^William Bradley passed away
August 29, 2000
^Leo Pitre passed away September
14, 2000
^Earl Francis passed away
September 17, 2000
^Noreen Phillips (nee Kelso)
passed away August 8, 2000 (Commemorative)
Our thoughts
and prayers are extended to all the families and friends.
The Hong Kong
Veterans Commemorative Association have arranged with a contact in England to
save the cost of the shipping and handling charges by having a collective order
for these medals. For $65.00 for
the regular size or $24.00 for the miniature, please forward your cheque
to:
Hong Kong
Veterans Commemorative Association
Suite #164, 1
Stafford Road
Nepean, ON K2H
1B9
Here is an image
and description of the medal ....
The Medal
Obverse
The
medal features a symbolic Bird of Paradise delicately modelled with all its
fine detail frosted on a mirror polished background, Surrounding the design are
the words Hong Kong Service Medal with the dates 1841 - 1997 denoting the
period Hong Kong was 'The Crown Colony of Hong Kong'.
Reverse
Again,
a brilliant polished background carries the
central
feature of Hong Kong written in Cantonese.
The golden appearance of the medal giving prestige
and a most appropriate commemorative significance to service in
the 'Fragrant Harbour'.
The Ribbon
Blue represents the waters, channels and the seas surrounding Hong
Kong
and the New Territories with the centre Golden Yellow stripe
representing the rich and strategic 'Jewel in the Crown'. The exclusively
designed woven medal ribbon is fitted
to a uniquely designed medal suspender, which
features
two powerful inter-twined dragons 'guarding the Colony'.
Eligibility
Available
to all former civil and military personnel who served for a minimum period of six months in The Crown Colony of Hong Kong, in addition eligibility is
extended to include next of kin. Award Productions Ltd. international
medallists and medallists to the Royal
British Legion, have been invited to sponsor and produce this distinctive and befitting tribute to be worn
with pride, not alongside campaign
medals or gallantry decorations, but
separately and distinctively. The
sponsors have pledged ten percent of the net cost of each medal sold
to be donated to SSAFA Forces Help,
the
Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families
Association _ Forces Help. Produced to
the exacting standards for which Award
Productions have become renowned, this very distinctive golden 36mm medal is struck with all the detail
frosted on a mirror polished
background. Each medal is ribboned and fitted with an individual brooch ready to wear. All our medals are produced
in England to the highest standards
I had a phone call from Lorna Cardinal to tell me that Charlie was in
hospital. We sincerely hope that things
improve for Charlie and a BIG HELLO
from all your HK buddies. Lorna also
mentioned that Regis Lajeunesse was in hospital ... we hope for good things for
Regis as well ... we are thinking of you both and wish you all the best.
Ë Ë Ë
Here is an email I received
recently and maybe someone can help with information about Edward Ross Keating
:
My wife's grandfather was a
member of the Royal Rifles of Canada, R.C.I.C. and died in Hong Kong Dec.22,
1941. For some incredible reason, her
family has no pictures of him and they know very little about him and the
circumstances surrounding his death.I've been told that the picture appeared in
a Toronto newspaper, but I don't know if it was a story about him, his death,
an obituary or something else. The
photo is remembered as being fairly large (8x10). My question is, do you know
if the photograph would have been taken by the newspaper or did the army take
such pictures and provide them to the newspaper? Do
you know where I could begin searching?
We will be inquiring at the local library and the Toronto daily papers,
but I wondered if there were other archives that could contain this picture
(possibly others). We are seeking as
much information about him as we can.
Being only 22 when he died, he had hardly any time to live before he
died for his country. We are trying to
make sure that he is remembered well.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Bill
Oates
Ë Ë Ë
A Little Bit
of History
For some time, I have had a memory 'snapshot' of my cousin and me
attending a church ceremony at Whytewold Beach (Lake Winnipeg) when we were
kids. I felt it was something to do with our grandfather and the loss of his
two sons, so this summer I started to hunt around. I found that there was an
Anglican church at Whytewold and made contact with the local People's Warden
who in turn confirmed that a lectern had been dedicated by my grandfather.
I made arrangements to meet at the church and took a few
photographs. It's a beautiful little old church and is in use every Sunday. I
gather the congregation consists of a few of the older local residents with
some of the summer cottage people attending on a seasonal basis. The original
building was constructed 77 years ago but now there is an addition which
functions as a hall (probably not for Anglican bingo). Everything is so well
kept, both inside and out. The lectern
is in use each week and I'm guessing it was dedicated about 1948. I tried to
take pictures of the plaque which is inscribed as follows:
E.A.V. MITCHELL
IN MEMORY OF HIS WIFE
CHARLOTTE EMILY MITCHELL
FOR 42 YEARS SUMMER RESIDENTS AT WHYTEWOLD
LIEUT. W. VAUGHAN MITCHELL AND LIEUT. ERIC L. MITCHELL
BOTH KILLED IN ACTION AT HONG KONG
CHRISTMAS 1941
I find this little bit of
history to be most interesting and because of the thoughtfulness of my
grandfather, the Mitchell family will always have a presence in Whytewold.
Barry Mitchell
August, 2000
Ë Ë Ë
Barry Mitchell asked me to mention that he has new copies
of the Winnipeg Grenadiers Roster, also known as the Honour Roll. They can be
purchased for $15.00---suitable for framing.
He will also have them at the Reunion Dinner.
Ë Ë Ë
Do you know who the author is? - U of M paper entitled "
A Price, A Pride, A Prayer: "Hong
Kong and the Winnipeg Grenadiers"
A copy of a draft paper, prepared by a student at the
University of Manitoba, was found in a printer and sent to our attention. We would like to find the author as we are
most interested in talking with whoever is studying this subject and with their
approval, making this paper available to those who are interested in reading
more about the history of the Winnipeg Grenadiers. Please contact Carol Hadley (837-6754) or Barry Mitchell
(269-1497) if you wrote this essay or know who did.
Ë Ë Ë
HKVCA Website
Hi all. Just wanted to bring everyone an update on
the web page. You can still find us at http://members.xoom.com/hkvca
but hopefully soon we will have a better
internet location. We are currently
looking towards our own domain name, which means in the future, it will be
something like
http://www.hkvca.ca. We will let you know as soon as that is up
and running.
Also, we would love to hear from anyone who
can fill us in on the Gander story (I swear to you all, I do NOT live under a
rock) and if there is anyone who knows
of any pictures that may be of use, please let me know. I understand that there is to be a ceremony
soon, so any pictures or details from that event would also be welcome.
You can
phone me at 905-777-0184 or email me at:
lindaandbillmay@attcanada.ca
Ë Ë Ë
George Peterson passed his copy of the BC newsletter to me for this
information:
Saturday,
October 21st the BC Branches of the HK and the HKVCA are having a
Reunion Luncheon.
Gander, the
Royal Rifles’ mascot, will be receiving the Dickin Medal for Bravery. A British General will becoming to Canada
and the ceremony will take place at the British High Commission in Ottawa from
noon to 3 p.m. on October 27th .
(Well done to all those who gathered the necessary information).
Ë Ë Ë
In the Ontario
newsletter it has been reported that many of the ‘over eighty’ drivers are
having difficulty getting a driver’s licence unless they take a written test
and in some cases a road test as well.
The War Amps have further information if you require it.
Ë Ë Ë
The
Quebec-Maritimes newsletter reports the following information:
- 60th
wedding anniversary for Henry and Isabel Lyons, congratulations!!
- Far East
Pilgrimage - the count is 22 HK Vets and 56 family members on tour. Departure is November 28 from Vancouver and
return December 8 to Vancouver.
- confirmation
that Sheila Rattie will be moving to Calgary and that Marcel Mondou will be
taking over her duties.
Ë Ë Ë
A decision was made to move the
Semi-Annual December meeting up one week to accommodate the holiday. So mark your calendar for December 14th
, 2000 for the meeting at 1:00 p.m. Please
make every effort to attend as we almost missed having a quorum in June.
Ë Ë Ë
Beauty Secrets
For
attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For
lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a
slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For
beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.
For
poise, walk with the knowledge you never walk alone.
We
leave you a tradition of the future.
The
tender loving care of human beings will never become obsolete.
People,
even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed,
redeemed and redeemed and redeemed. Never
throw anyone away.
Remember,
if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.
As you
grow older, you'll discover that you have two hands:
One
for helping yourself, the second for helping others.
You
have great days still ahead of you.
May
there be many of them.
J J J J
I was
on vacation, playing the slot machines.
It was my first time in a casino, and I wasn't sure how the machines
operated.
"Excuse
me." I said to a casino employee.
"How does this work?"
The
worker showed me how to insert a bill, hit the spin button, and operate the
release handle. "And where does
the money come out?" I asked.
He
smiled and motioned to a far wall before saying,
J J J J
A man in a hot air balloon realized he was
lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more
and shouted,
"
Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago,
but I don't know where I am. "
The
woman below replied, " You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately
30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and
between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."
"
You must be an engineer, " said the balloonist.
"
I am, " replied the woman, " How did you know? "
"
Well, " answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is
technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and
the fact is, I am still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help so far. "
The woman below responded, " You must
be a manager. "
" I am, " replied the
balloonist, " but how did you know? "
" Well, " said the woman, "
you don't know where you are or where you are going. You have risen to where
you are due to a large quantity of hot air.
You made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me
to solve your problem. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you
were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault. "
J J J J
Why God Loves
Blondes
A blond woman named Brandi
finds herself in dire trouble. Her business has gone bust and she's in serious
financial trouble. She's so desperate that she decides to ask God for help. She
begins to pray... "God, please
help me. I've lost my business and if I don't get some money, I'm going
to lose my house as well. Please let me win the lotto."
Lotto night comes and somebody
else wins it. Brandi again prays...God, please let me win the lotto! I've lost
my business, my house and I'm going to lose my car as well." Lotto night
comes and Brandi still has no luck.
Once again, she
prays..."My God, why have you forsaken me?? I've lost my business, my
house, and my car. My children are starving. I don't often ask you for help and
I have always been a good servant to you. PLEASE just let me win the lotto this
one time so I can get my life back in order." Suddenly there is a blinding flash of light as the heavens open
and Brandi is confronted by the voice of
God Himself... "Brandi, meet Me halfway on this. Buy a
ticket!"
J J J J
John invited his mother over
for dinner. During the course of the
meal, his mother couldn't help but noticing how beautiful John's roommate
was. She had long been suspicious of a
relationship between Jon and his roommate and this had only made her more
curious. Over the course of the
evening, while watching the two react, she started to wonder if there was more
between Jon and his roommate that met the eye.
Reading his mother's thoughts, John volunteered, "I know what you
must be thinking, but I assure you Julie and I are just roommates."
About a week later, Julie came
to John saying, "ever since you Mother came to dinner, I've been unable to
find the beautiful silver gravy ladle. You don't suppose that your mother took
it, do you?" John said, "Well
I doubt it, but I'll send her a letter just to be sure." So he sat down and
wrote:
Dear Mother.
I'm not saying that 'did' take
the gravy ladle from my house. I'm not
saying that you 'did not' take the gravy ladle. But the fact remains that it has been missing ever since you were
here for dinner."
Several days later, John
received a letter from his mother which read:
Dear Son,
I'm not saying that you 'do'
sleep with Julie, and I'm not saying that you 'do not' sleep with Julie. But the fact remains that if she were
sleeping in her own bed, she would have found the gravy ladle by now....Love
Mom
Lesson of the day......Don't lie to MOM
MONTHLY LUNCHES are held the second Thursday of the month (except June and
December) at Rae & Jerry's Restaurant on Portage Avenue near Polo
Park.
June 15th ,
and December 14th , 2000 - the semi-annual meetings are held at John
Osborn, ANAF on Ellice and Empress at 1:00 p.m.
REUNION - October 21, 2000 -
information has been sent to everyone to come.
NOVEMBER 11,
2000 - Convention Centre
COMMEMORATIVE
MEETINGS - November 7,
2000 & January 16, 2001 at 7:00 p.m. at
John Osborn ANAF on Ellice and Empress.
YOUR BRANCH COUNCIL PHONE NUMBERS - KEEP
THEM HANDY:
George Peterson, President 256-7174
Borge Agerbak, 1st Vice 897-3213
Roy Robinson, 256-3756
Carol Hadley, Secrtry/Newsletter 837-6754
Barry Mitchell, Treasurer/Membership 269-1497
Juliet Lafortune, Social 338-3354
Terence Jackson, Memorials 452-1460
Harold Atkinson,
Nat’l President 1-613-392-8074