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#1
09-07-09, 01:03
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The Warriors Day parade in Coe Hill on the Labour Day weekend is in need of funds for this year. Wouldn't it have been nice if the Feds just gave us $4,000.00. They must feel that the gay community needs to celebrate their lifestyle, but don't give a cent for us to commemorate the soldiers who fought to give them these rights.
 Barry
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Every twenty minute job is one broken bolt away from a three day ordeal. 
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#2
09-07-09, 16:35
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Quote:
Wed Jul 8, 6:09 PM By John Cotter, The Canadian Press Red tape in Ottawa has volunteers scrambling to raise more money to pay for a memorial designed to honour Canadians who fought in the Battle of Hong Kong during the Second World War and then languished for years in brutal Japanese prison camps. The cost of the memorial, to be unveiled Aug. 15, doubled to $300,000 after the National Capital Commission requested design changes to make it a better fit with the city's landscape. The requirement has put unwelcome pressure on the Hong Kong Veteran's Commemorative Association, which is funding the project with private donations. "With these changes we were expecting some cost increases; however, we were shocked to see how much," reads an association newsletter sent to members. "We have to deal with NCC-approved companies and we are building in prime time, so the cost was a huge difference." The association is asking families of the veterans to donate more cash. Corporations and Royal Canadian Legion branches have also been approached. The capital commission said the design changes were necessary to make the memorial and the landscaping around it complement its prestigious Sussex Drive location - an area that includes Rideau Hall and the prime minister's residence. Spokesman Jean Wolff said the commission wants to ensure the memorial is appreciated by Canadians for years to come. "We understand that for people who are building their first monument the cost is a surprise and what the project entails is a surprise," Wolff said. "A monument there has to fit the area and must also do justice to the history of these veterans." Brian Forbes, secretary-general of the National Council of Veterans, said the former soldiers deserve better after their torturous experiences during the Second World War. "If there was ever a group that deserved more sympathy, the Hong Kong veterans shouldn't have been put through this process." Canada sent 1,975 raw troops - the Winnipeg Grenadiers, the Royal Rifles of Canada and support units - to bolster Hong Kong's defences in November 1941, only weeks before the Japanese attack. After a 17-day battle, the survivors surrendered. More than 290 Canadians were killed in battle or died of their wounds. Another 267 died in prison camps, where they were forced to provide slave labour. Phil Doddridge is one of the few remaining 82 survivors who is healthy enough to attend the unveiling of the memorial, which is being engraved with the names of all the troops. He was a strapping 19-year-old when the Japanese attacked, but by the time he was liberated in 1945 he had withered away to a sickly 104 pounds. When it comes to the Second World War, the news media tend to focus on D-Day, Doddridge said from his home in New Richmond, Que. The memorial will ensure that the sacrifice of the Hong Kong veterans will be remembered. "I want to see all those names carved in stone," said Doddridge, 87. "We sort of feel that we have been forgotten. " "A friend of mine who lives in the Toronto area recently suffered a stroke and he can't go now, and he was determined to go. I am afraid that there won't be too many of us there." The children and grandchildren of the veterans will outnumber the surviving soldiers at the event. In a sense, the granite wall will be a memorial to them as well. Some of the soldiers suffered serious physical and emotional problems when they came home because of their harrowing ordeal in the camps, including beatings, overwork and starvation. Some died within a few years of returning to Canada, their bodies and minds too ravaged to heal. For those who survived, the pain never went away. "Our wives and families, too, suffered a lot because there was alcoholism and suicides and nightmares," said Doddridge. "We all had nightmares and I still do. I am sure that the periods of despondency that I showed had an adverse effect on my family." Mae Bolger of Medicine Hat, Alta., is flying to Ottawa for the unveiling with her sister. Her father, John Doiron, died a few years ago after suffering from alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder. Bolger said he never talked about his war experiences. Speaking with the surviving veterans helps her remember her father. "They tell us stories about our dad," she said. "We all had that kind of dysfunction in our homes, but we forgave our fathers because of what happened to them." Despite the money woes, the commemorative association said the monument will be unveiled on schedule. Paying the bills may take more time. "It has been a struggle," said Carol Hadley, whose father and two uncles fought with the Winnipeg Grenadiers. "We are getting a bit of a response, but certainly not the deep pockets that we need to put it up. Maybe the nickels and dimes are going to do it." ... I really think that the talking heads in Ottawa have forgotten the price that has been paid over the years by Canadians who have served this country both in Peace and War ...  Lest We Forget 
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Mark
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#3
10-07-09, 00:22
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Do you have an address to donate?
Mark or any one else
If you can find the official address for Hong Kong Veteran's Commemorative Association or if they have a web site could you post it? Cheers Phil
__________________
Phil Waterman `41 C60L Pattern 12 `42 C60S Radio Pattern 13 `45 HUP http://canadianmilitarypattern.com/ New e-mail Philip@canadianmilitarypattern.com
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#4
10-07-09, 02:06
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Quote:
Their Corporate Address is: Hong Kong Veteran's Commemorative Association Suite 164 1 Stafford Road Nepean, Onatrio K2H 1B9, Canada and the website for the Hong Kong Veteran's Commemorative Association is located here: http://www.hkvca.ca/index.htm Cheers
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Mark
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#5
10-07-09, 02:37
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That, or
Quote:
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#6
10-07-09, 03:11
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Today I turned the tables
Today I got another one of the gazillion phone calls from people looking for money. This time it was the University of Toronto and the small advertisement was only $ 250.00. I explained that I had just used my meager budget for the Warriors Day parade in Coe Hill. There was a pregnant pause and she replied "Coe Hill". I said "yes, have you heard of it?" Well it seems her cottage is in Coe Hill. What a coincidence. After a pleasant conversation I agreed to put an ad in their publication if the U of T would donate $500.00 to the parade. The U of T has a proud history of alumni who served in both wars. She says she will get back to me but I am not holding out much hope. It felt good though to be able to turn things around for these people asking for money. She agreed that my cause for the veterans was more worthy than hers but in the end she will probable raise lots more $$$.
Barry
__________________
Every twenty minute job is one broken bolt away from a three day ordeal.
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#7
19-08-09, 13:51
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National Pride
In Australia I have seen a bumper sticker on the back of motorists vehicles that has a picture of the Australian Flag and underneath it reads.
If you don't love it leave. The other one that illustrates a valid point is "I am fed up with being told to be tolerant of your intolerances" In the case of 'New Australians' (for goodness sake don't use the word 'immigrant') having prejudices against others of different race or creed in their home country...and then continuing to maintain the rage in Australia. Mind you, the Cronulla riots weren't the answer either.
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Pax Vobiscum.......may you eat three meals a day & have regular bowel movements.
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