House guests and museums

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

What is a little annoying is the Canadian Government's presence at the site where HMCS Haida now rests. It's everywhere and leaves the visitor with the impression that it was they who saved Haida. What bunk. It was only the hard fought intervention by navy veterans that saved her in the first place. It was volunteers who did the work to preverve her almost exclusively with donated money. Then, when she was so rotten around the waterline that the upper works were about to collapse into the hull, their advice was to scrap her. It was only when they discovered that it was cheaper to fix her than clean up the lead, oil and asbestos that would result from wrecking her, that they agreed to patch her up and move her. Now, the federal Government and one particular Hamilton area ex-MP is taking credit. Sheesh.

Still, Haida is now at a Naval station with some dignity rather that amongst the kiddie paddle boats in Toronto.