Gander Heritage Memorial Park

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Monday, August 10, 2015

A new monument is unveiled at The Park

Saturday, August 8, 2015 saw a new monument unveiled at the Gander Heritage Memorial Park. This stone marker was unveiled to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada in Newfoundland during World War 2 on Saturday, August 10, 1940. They arrived by ship into the Port of Botwood on that same day, some stayed in Botwood and the remainder moved on to Gander by train. Their mission was the defense of Newfoundland by providing security for both strategic airfields at Botwood and Gander.

This commemorative event was organized by The Maritimes Newfoundland Branch of the QORC. A similar stone marker was unveiled in Botwood the next day Sunday, August 9. I understand that the QORC got much needed help from 91 Construction Engineering Flight of 9 Wing Gander with both stone markers. 9 Wing Gander also provided the public address system and the music for the singing of "O Canada" and "God Save the Queen" for Friday's ceremonies in Gander.

The ceremonies started with the parade of veterans led by the QORC including a drummer and bugler. Dignitaries who spoke represented the Veterans, the Royal Canadian Legion, the QORC, 9 Wing Gander and the Town of Gander. Once the speeches were completed the official unveiling of the commemorative stone marker took place. After the unveiling the bugler and drummer played Last Post followed by 2 minutes of silence and then the bugler and drummer played Reveille. The parade was dismissed after a wreath was laid to remember fallen comrades. Veterans in attendance came from as far away as Victoria BC for this weekend's events and many lingered after the ceremonies to have their photos taken posing with the "Winged Victory". "Sgt. Gander", the QORC's "commemorative stone marker", the "Airmen's Memorial Wall" and the "Poppy Memorial Monument" on display at The Park for the afternoon (see below).



BACKGROUND
(from the unveiling ceremonies' program)

Today we are gathered to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada having been garrisoned in Newfoundland on August 10th, 1940.

The Regiment's first assignment was the Defense of Newfoundland. The Queen's Own Rifles battalion on arrival in Botwwod, was split between Botwood and Gander.

The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada is Canada's oldest serving Regiment having formed in Toronto in 1860 making the Regiment Canada's oldest continuously serving Infantry unit. Two of its Regular Arm Battalions were stationed in Victoria, BC during the Cold War, the 2nd Battalion returned from Korea in 1955 and departed to Germany in 1957. The 1st Battalion returned from Nato duty in Germany in 1963 and were at Work Point Barracks, Victoria, BC until re-designated Third Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in 1970.

The Queen's Own Rifles have a long and proud record of service to Canada, fighting its first engagement in 1866 near Ridgeway, Ontario against Fenian Raiders from the United States. The deaths of 9 soldiers at that time heralded sacrifices in campaigns throughout the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. The QOR served in the North West Rebellion, Boer War, First and Second World War, Korea, Nato duty, Cyprus and other Peacekeeping Operations including Afghanistan.

Every year there are untold numbers of Veterans and their children and grandchildren touring the country to visit wartime sites to review and research history of how they and their forefathers lived during these times.

These Stone Markers being unveiled today symbolizes the dedication and sacrifices of soldiers of the Regiment in War and Peace. It also reflects the affection, admiration and appreciation of all Rifleman of The Queen's Own for their service to the Regiment and to Canada.





Photos of the day (courtesy of Gerard McCarthy) ...


Parade of Veterans




The Veterans




Commemorative Stone Marker before the unveiling
Queen's Own Rifles of Canada
2nd Battalion
"In Pace Paratus - In Peace Prepared"




Rev. Wes Oake leading the parade in prayer
WW2 Veteran, retired United Church minister and Honourary Patron of The Park




The official unveiling party with honour guards




Commemorative Stone Marker
The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada
2nd Battalion
"In Pace Paratus - In Peace Prepared"
IN COMMEMORATION OF
THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF
THE QUEEN'S OWN RIFLES OF CANADA
GARRISONED IN NEWFOUNDLAND
AT GANDER AND BOTWOOD IN 1940




Last Post, 2 minutes of silence and Reveille




Commemorative Stone Marker and Wreath




Programme ...


Programme Page 1



Programme Page 2



Programme Page 3



Programme Page 4






The Poppy Memorial Monument

Before, during and after the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada ceremonies at The Park the Poppy Memorial Monument to remember the Canadian Forces members who lost their lives in Afghanistan was on display along with the Book of Condolences. The Book of Condolences has a page for every Canadian killed in Afghanistan. I had a chance to talk to all 4 Canadian Forces members who traveled with the monument to Gander for this occasion. They drove from Kingston ON to be in Gander for the QORC's ceremonies on Friday, went to Botwood on Saturday for the ceremonies there and started their long drive back to Kingston today Monday.

Photos of the day (courtesy of Gerard McCarthy) ...


The Poppy Memorial Monument




The Book of Condolences
A page for every Canadian killed in Afghanistan




The Poppy Memorial Monument
You will notice that the 2 handles are different, the intact one on the right represents a Canadian soldier before going to Afghanistan and the broken one on the left represents the soldier who came home alive but maimed in some way or suffering from PTSD




Presented to: Poppy Memorial Outreach Program
From: 1 Combat Engineer Regiment
CHIMO




Related Links ...





Gerard McCarthy, Webmaster / August 10, 2015

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Thank you. Gerard
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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

The Park at Night in Photos

As I am in Gander I thought I would visit The Park tonight and take some photos. At 10pm the temperature was 22C and the air was ever so still.































Gerard McCarthy, Webmaster / August 4, 2015

NOTE*** Your comments are welcomed!
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Thank you. Gerard
Posted by at 11:26 PM 2 comments (Post)
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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Aliant Utility Box

We are extremely pleased with the graphic images covering the Aliant Utility Box on the outskirts of the Park. You will recall that in June 2014 we issued a "Call to Artists" to submit proposals for the painting of the box, but after attempting relentlessly for six months, we were unable to get any artist to commit. We then looked at the approach of having a graphic attached to it and we are so thankful that Greg Seaward offered to draft a graphic design for us. After hundreds of hours, Greg submitted his final concept and the Committee were in awe of how he captured all the aspects of the Park and thus the printing and application began.


In his presentation Greg describes how he interprets the artwork: In terms of symbolism, the front image (above) represents wartime service, featuring a young pilot wearing a traditional sheepskin jacket, leather cap and goggles, as Hudson bombers pass overhead; the Lee-Enfield rifle and Brodie-style helmet represent those killed in action, and these elements are presented against a background of the Union Jack, the flag which Newfoundlanders fought under at the time.


Facing the park (above), the same symbols are presented in their contemporary forms, from the perspective of remembrance: the pilot is replaced by an aging veteran and the aircraft have become CF-18s; the temporary grave marker has given way to the Cross of Sacrifice from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery and the background has become the Canadian flag.

It should be noted that in this interpretation, these are simply symbols of the overall theme of the Heritage Memorial Park, and are in no way intended to represent or exclude any specific people or events. For example, the Lee-Enfield and Brodie helmet may also be associated with the First World War, but less so the Korean Conflict; it simply represents the fallen on the figurative 'field of battle', and not a specific conflict or branch of service. Likewise, I chose the Cross of Sacrifice more because of the permanence of stone, juxtaposed against the makeshift rifle/helmet, rather than, say, a poppy to signify remembrance.

We gratefully thank Greg Seaward for the design, Aliant and the Town of Gander for their donations to make this transition from a utility box to a wonderful enhancement to the Park!

Greg Seaward is a former Gander Beacon reporter and now Media Coordinator for the Town of Gander.



Maxine Smith, Committee Member / July 29, 2015
The photos are courtesy of Gerard McCarthy. They were taken on July 25th, 2015

NOTE*** Your comments are welcomed!
However, all comments will be queued for review before being published and name=anonymous will be deleted unless your name is included at the end of your comment! This is to prevent spam, etc.
Before you click Publish your Comment please click on Name/URL and enter your full name. Don't forget you have to prove that you are not a robot - this is so automated spams cannot be dumped here!
Thank you. Gerard
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Saturday, July 25, 2015

"Donations" page update as of July 23, 2015

Each and every member of the Committee wishes to pass on their sincere appreciation to these contributors for their kind consideration and support of the Park.




Gerald Saunders of the Gander Co-op 50/50 Committee presents Joy Janes with a cheque for $30,000!



Jean Edwards Stacey presents Maxine Smith with a cheque for $1,500 representing a portion of the sales from her book, "Voices in the Wind – A History of Gander".



Carol Walsh, Committee Member / July 23, 2015

We now have an updated Donations page and an updated Donations Progress Bar with an updated Ticker on the right. As of July 23 2015 we have achieved 89.8% of our target which amounts to $484,638 of our target total of $540,000. Thank you to all who have donated your time or financial aid ... much appreciated!

On the Donations page I updated the Small Business Donors section!

to jump to the updated Donations page to view all updated sections.

Gerard McCarthy / July 23, 2015

PLEASE NOTE***

  • We now acknowledge donations made In memory of. The committee is looking at some type of acknowledgement at the Gander Heritage Memorial Park. Both PayPal and the Town of Gander have no means of recording the donation made In memory of. If you want your name to appear as a donor In memory of on this website please email our Site Administrator Gerard at gerard.mccarthy.99@gmail.com or Committee Member Maxine at maxine@briggsaero.com and your donation will be recorded as such and will be shown as In memory of.
  • If you don't want your name to appear as a donor on this website please email our Site Administrator Gerard at gerard.mccarthy.99@gmail.com or Committee Member Maxine at maxine@briggsaero.com and your donation will be shown as anonymous.
  • You may purchase plaza stones by simply making your donation in the same manner as detailed on this website and then send a short email to Maxine maxine@briggsaero.com denoting that the donation is for the "purchase of paving stone(s)".
  • Receipts for income tax purposes will be issued by the Town of Gander.

NOTE*** Your comments are welcomed!
However, all comments will be queued for review before being published and name=anonymous will be deleted unless your name is included at the end of your comment! This is to prevent spam, etc.
Before you click Publish your Comment please click on Name/URL and enter your full name. Don't forget the scrambled words - this is so automated spams cannot be dumped here!
Thank you. Gerard
Posted by at 1:10 PM 0 comments (Post)
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Saturday, July 18, 2015

The Park is Waiting for its Official Opening








Gander Heritage Memorial Park

The Ceremony of Re-Dedication of War Memorials
and Unveiling of Sgt. Gander & Soldier Statues
 will take place Thursday, July 23, 2015, beginning at 2:00 p.m.
at the Gander Heritage Memorial Park, corner of Lindbergh Road & Airport Boulevard


The Lieutenant Governor, the Town Mayor, Royal Canadian Legionnaires, representatives of the Provincial and Federal Governments, military personnel, clergy as well as other dignitaries will be participating in the ceremonies. We are expecting the attendance of two Prisoner of War veterans who survived the Japanese war camps and regard Sgt. Gander as one of their comrades.

Mark your calendar for Thursday, July 23, 2015, 2 p.m. and why not join us.


This advertisement will be in the July 16th edition of the Gander Beacon



You can view this advertisement PDF in a new window by clicking on this pop-out icon or on the same icon in the upper right hand corner of the above preview.



Carol Walsh / July 12, 2015



These photos are courtesy of the Park's committee member Carol Walsh. They were taken on July 11th at dusk and show the Park in all its splendor!





























These photos are courtesy of the Park's committee member Carol Walsh. They were taken on June 13th!































These photos are courtesy of the Park's committee member Carol Walsh. They were taken on July 17th. How about this for a telephone utility box? Thanks to Bell Aliant, Designer Greg Seward and Maxine Smith for getting this done!









What a splendid job by the Committee and all involved!


NOTE*** Your comments are welcomed!
However, all comments will be queued for review before being published and name=anonymous will be deleted unless your name is included at the end of your comment! This is to prevent spam, etc.
Before you click Publish your Comment please click on Name/URL and enter your full name. Don't forget the scrambled words - this is so automated spams cannot be dumped here!
Thank you. Gerard
Posted by at 8:00 AM 12 comments (Post)
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