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Topic: $240,000 from the Province of Ontario (Read 703 times)
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Regt Adjt
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The RCR Museum Capital Campaign
Provincial Donation Presented by Deb Matthews MPP
12 May 2007
"Building for the Future"
On 12 May 2007, The RCR Museum "Building for the Future" Capital Campaign was presented with a generous gift from the Province of Ontario Ministry of Culture. On behalf of the Province and the Minister of Culture, London North Centre MPP Deb Matthews presented a cheque for $240,000 to BGen Phil Spencer (ret'd), the Chairman of the Museum Board. Other distinguished guests in attendance included London West MPP Chris Bentley, London-Fanshawe MPP Khalil Ramal, and Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Steve Peters. Among those present on behalf of the Regiment were Maj Oscar Lambert (ret'd) (Chairman of The RCR Association), Claus Breede (Director/Curator The RCR Museum), Gregory Treehuba (Director of Fund Development), and Sgt Abraham van Veen (ret'd) (President London, Home Station and District Branch of the RCR Association).
More photos posted at: http://thercr.ca/gallery/capital_campaign_12may2007.htm
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BJ MacLean
B.J. / Rusty
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WOW
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B.J. MacLean
35 Yrs
Always a Proud Royal
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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'We must preserve our heritage'
Ontario cash will help the Royal Canadian Regiment expand its museum and preserve its storied history.
By NORMAN DE BONO, SUN MEDIA
'We must preserve our heritage'
Josh Rose, 5, checks out a vintage cannon yesterday at the Royal Canadian Regiment Museum at Wolseley Barracks , where area MPP Deb Matthews announced a $240,000 provincial grant to restore and expand the museum. Josh is the son of Sgt. Lamont Rose, who's with 1RCR at CFB Petawawa. (Sue Reeve, Sun Media)
The London-headquartered Royal Canadian Regiment has won 24 battle honours, dating back 122 years.
From sending soldiers to put down the Northwest Rebellion of 1885, to fighting in Canada's mission against the Taliban in Afghanistan, the regiment has a long and storied military history.
Yesterday, it stepped up its campaign to win a different honour -- an expanded regimental museum.
The Ontario government gave $240,000 to the Royal Canadian Regiment Museum building campaign, which aims to raise $2.3 million by 2008.
"It's a fantastic start to the funding for our Building For The Future campaign. It's a significant donation," said Brig.-Gen. Philip Spencer of the RCR. "This bodes very well for the campaign."
The expansion will add about 6,000 square feet to the museum at Wolseley Barracks, near Oxford and Adelaide streets. New display space will be added to show more museum artifacts now kept in storage.
"We believe in investing in culture and history and we think this will also attract people from all over. It's a terrific draw, a destination museum," said MPP Deb Matthews (L -- London-North-Centre).
The display space also will include a current campaign exhibit, showcasing information on military campaigns in which the RCR is engaged, including the war in Afghanistan.
"They made a compelling case and we were in a position to step up and support them in a significant way," said Matthews.
A new entrance will be built off Elizabeth Street, replacing the fenced entrance at the building's north end.
"It is very exciting. We will see more exhibits from the Northwest Rebellion in 1885, to young soldiers sacrificing their lives now in Afghanistan," added Spencer.
"We will see a full spectrum of history of this regiment, and we will see it in a national historic site."
The regiment now will try to lobby the federal government for building funds, while continuing its local fundraising efforts.
Ontario Labour Minister Steve Peters (L -- Elgin-Middlesex-London) also attended yesterday's ceremony. A historian by training, he spoke about the museum's importance to London and the region.
"This is not just important to the RCR, but it is a Canadian historic site," Peters said. "We must preserve our heritage."
The campaign to rebuild the museum, which dates to 1888, now has raised more than $300,000.
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THE ROYAL CANADIAN REGIMENT
- Canada's longest-serving infantry regiment, headquartered in London, it has served in every major Canadian military conflict from the Boer War to Afghanistan.
- Formed in 1883, it has garrisoned communities from Halifax to Victoria.
- The regiment's active or serving components consist of regimental headquarters and the 4th Battalion at Wolseley Barracks in London, with other battalions in Petawawa, Victoria and Gagetown, N.B.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Jim Hickson
CWO H.J. Hickson, MMM, CD. (Retd)
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Hi Mike
What unit of the RCR is in Victoria?
Jim
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1961-Depot San Lenorado
1962-1st Bn RCR Ex Gagetown
1962-JR NCO Course Grad 19 Oct
1962-1965 Germany B-C-D-A Coy (Revecated Nov 64)
1965-1967 Sigs Pl Cyprus Prom CPL 'til xmas and C of Drums
1967-1973 Cpl, MCpl, Sgt, Sigs, D Coy
1973-1977 CFOCS Chilliwack Prom WO
1977-1982 UEO, Sigs, Pl WO RECCE, CSM B&A Coy,
1982-1984 SIT School
1984-1988 Career Manager (Prom CWO 1986)
1988-1990 RSM 1RCR
1991-1995 CWO Adm(Per) - C Of S
1995-1999 Base CWO Wainwright
1999-Retired
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Regt Adjt
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I'm not sure where the reporter picked up the idea that the Regiment is currently in Victoria, we haven't had a garrison of the Regiment there since 1917. "L" Coy of the Regiment was established at Equimault in 1914, and closed down in late 1917.
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Jim Hickson
CWO H.J. Hickson, MMM, CD. (Retd)
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Hi Adjt
I know we don't have a Unit in Victoria!! I was just having fun with Mike lololololol
Jim
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1961-Depot San Lenorado
1962-1st Bn RCR Ex Gagetown
1962-JR NCO Course Grad 19 Oct
1962-1965 Germany B-C-D-A Coy (Revecated Nov 64)
1965-1967 Sigs Pl Cyprus Prom CPL 'til xmas and C of Drums
1967-1973 Cpl, MCpl, Sgt, Sigs, D Coy
1973-1977 CFOCS Chilliwack Prom WO
1977-1982 UEO, Sigs, Pl WO RECCE, CSM B&A Coy,
1982-1984 SIT School
1984-1988 Career Manager (Prom CWO 1986)
1988-1990 RSM 1RCR
1991-1995 CWO Adm(Per) - C Of S
1995-1999 Base CWO Wainwright
1999-Retired
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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Whoooeee, great news and thanks much to them for the generosity....that should really give the campaign a real kickoff.....ranrad
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RCAF,CAF, converted RCR?,1RCR 74-77 CD: SSM (Nato);CPSM,;UN-Cyp.; UN- Golan
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george burrows
redpatch43
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WOW IS RIGHT! Well the regiment has earned it the HARD WAY and really deserves it too.
I wish the regiment the very best in raising the balance of funds required to complete the plan.
Pro Patria.
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Well, Jim. Someone had to show them Patricias how to fight! nyuck nyuck nyuck....
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Dave Warriner
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I'm impressed with those types of funds. Thank you thank you.
The Regiment has only been serving in Ont for how many years now and the province has stepped up as our soldiers have.
Well done.
We may not have not have any part of the Regiment in Victoria, but boy are there ever alot of retirees out here in BC.
Just to name two in Kamloops; Myself and Kevin"Ducky" Mallard.
We may just start our own association here as we have two soldiers in the Regiment now.
I'm sure there are more.
Dave
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Jim Hickson
CWO H.J. Hickson, MMM, CD. (Retd)
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Hi Mike and Dave
There hasn't been anybody in The Reg Force to teach PPCLI since I retired from Wainwright in 99. It's funny how the RSM of the PPCLI Battle School, was me a lonely RCR. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
Jim
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1961-Depot San Lenorado
1962-1st Bn RCR Ex Gagetown
1962-JR NCO Course Grad 19 Oct
1962-1965 Germany B-C-D-A Coy (Revecated Nov 64)
1965-1967 Sigs Pl Cyprus Prom CPL 'til xmas and C of Drums
1967-1973 Cpl, MCpl, Sgt, Sigs, D Coy
1973-1977 CFOCS Chilliwack Prom WO
1977-1982 UEO, Sigs, Pl WO RECCE, CSM B&A Coy,
1982-1984 SIT School
1984-1988 Career Manager (Prom CWO 1986)
1988-1990 RSM 1RCR
1991-1995 CWO Adm(Per) - C Of S
1995-1999 Base CWO Wainwright
1999-Retired
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
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Posts: 3368
A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Speaking of Wainwright....
Camouflaged Alberta an alien battlefield
To hone our troops' fighting edge, mock `Kandahar' operations all too real, Bruce Campion-Smith finds
May 14, 2007 04:30 AM
CFB WAINWRIGHT, Alta.– The startling crump of a bomb blast leaves the LAV-III armoured vehicle crippled in its tracks.
Machine gunfire crackles as bearded "insurgents" rise from the bushes along the dirt road and take aim at the Canadian convoy.
Two Canadian soldiers are dead in the blast and the others are fighting for their lives in the barrage of enemy fire.
A test, but for Quebec-based troops preparing to deploy to Kandahar, the scenario is an all-too-real taste of what they could be hit with in just a few months time.
"We're looking at their command and control: how they can evacuate the injured, how the (quick reaction force) provides security around the site," said Maj. Louis Lapointe, one of several observers evaluating soldiers' response to the attack. "The scenario is the closest to real life as it can get."
Orders are barked – in French – as the soldiers seek out the "Taliban insurgents" sniping at them from the tree line. Other soldiers render first aid to wounded colleagues lying sheltered behind the LAV-III.
Smoke grenades are tossed to provide cover. A G-wagon jeep surges towards the attackers' position as a soldier sprays the area with the vehicle's turret-mounted machine gun.
When the shooting stops and the wounded are "evacuated" back to base, Lapointe nods his approval of troop reactions.
"The casualty evacuation was done quite fast. They pushed into the woods to get the attacker," he said. "They've been doing a lot of rehearsals. It's paid off."
Ambushes, roadside bombs and other "insurgent" activity are coming fast and furious this month as more than 2,000 troops from CFB Valcartier, just north of Quebec City, are put through the paces in preparation for their summer deployment to southern Afghanistan.
Before deploying to Afghanistan, troops come to this sprawling military base in eastern Alberta and the army's Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre for final evaluation.
In the words of one officer, this base has become a "centre of excellence" in getting officers and soldiers prepared.
"We're going to `Afghanistan'," chuckles Capt. Eric Chamberland, as he escorts a Star reporter and photographer down a dusty dirt road and into the heart of the main base, named "KAF," or Kandahar Airfield, after its namesake in Afghanistan.
Organizers of this month-long exercise have gone to elaborate lengths to bring Afghanistan to eastern Alberta.
Across the base, mock Afghan villages have been fashioned from plywood and shipping containers, with fruit markets, homes and even mosques.
Real Afghan citizens were hired to be village mullahs, Kandahar governor, tribal leaders and locals. Journalism students act as embedded reporters.
Leopard tanks churn across the terrain, fighter jets slice the skies and helicopters land in a cloud of dust to evacuate the "wounded."
A cagey enemy (of Canadian soldiers) mimics Taliban insurgents and stages daily attacks.
"For the soldiers ... instead of being exposed for the first time once they arrive there and the stress level is pretty high, they conquered some of their fear here that they're at least able to do the job," said Lt.-Col. Alain Gauthier, commander of the battle group about to deploy.
Lt.-Col. Omer Lavoie, commander of the 1st battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment, brought his troops to CFB Wainwright a year ago before their Kandahar deployment. He's here this week to pass along the lessons of his tour.
Soldiers practise battle tactics but are rehearsing outreach, too. With translators, army officers have visited the base's "Afghan" villages for discussions with residents and leaders.
This chance to learn cultural dos and don'ts and rehearse overtures to local citizens proved valuable, Lavoie said.
"You want the soldiers to ... get used to the fact that the vast majority are certainly not the enemy. They're the people you're there to work with and they're happy to have you there."
But security is the main mission. Behind each exercise here is a lesson troops learned firsthand in Afghanistan, some with tragic consequences.
The military passes along those lessons fast. Its "lessons learned" Kandahar group ensures doctrine and training keep pace with what's happening on the ground. After a major incident, they poke at wreckage and talk to survivors to glean what went wrong and what went right.
"As soon as we find a pattern, it changes our way of doing things within days," Gauthier said. "Our ability to survive and do well in theatre is closely linked to our capacity to adapt ... to always stay ahead."
Gauthier said his troops are keen to learn those lessons and he's seeing daily improvements.
"We do one operation, take a quick break, talk about it, look at what could be improved, what went well and then build up on these experiences," he said.
Daily Alberta drills do more than hone fighting skills. They build confidence.
Pte. Adam Hughes, of Montreal's Le Régiment de Maisonneuve, "survived" a bombing and ambush on his resupply convoy. The mock outcome buoys him, although he'll be under the gun for real in Kandahar.
"We identified the enemy position ...won the exchange of fire ... treated the wounded," said the reservist, 23, who dropped out of political science and history studies at Concordia University for this deployment. "We're doing a good job and we're on the ball."
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
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Posts: 3368
A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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RCR Museum a part of Canada
It is a true gem. A unique landmark in the heart of London far too few have visited, and many aren't even aware of.
It is part of a national historic site, but it is also a reflection of our local history.
The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum at Wolseley Barracks on Oxford Street is considered one of the finest military museums in Canada.
And now it needs the help of all Londoners. Indeed, all Canadians.
In order to remain relevant and attractive, meet modern museum standards, upgrade lighting and climate-control systems and modernize facilities to better preserve and display priceless artifacts, the museum has launched a capital campaign.
Last week, it got a needed jump start from the province: Queen's Park gave $240,000 to the building campaign, which aims to raise $2.3 million by 2008.
Here's why it's important:
The Royal Canadian Regiment, established in 1883, is one of the oldest in Canada and the longest serving infantry regiments.
The history of the RCR is really the history of Canada at war: the regiment was dispatched to the Riel Rebellion, to the Boer War, both world wars, Korea and the Persian Gulf War. Battalions of the regiment have served as part of NATO in Europe and with UN operations in Cyprus, Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo and Afghanistan.
Wolseley Hall, which houses the museum, was the first purpose-built Canadian military building in Canada. It opened in 1888, when the regiment moved from Victoria Park. Today, the hall is the only building of its kind in Canada, one of the reasons it was declared a national historic site in 1970.
It is still the headquarters for the RCR, and there are still hundreds of people on the former base.
The federal government pays the rent and utilities, but there is no other federal funding. The last federal money came in 1983 for renovations, but the museum doesn't qualify for most other grants because it's a federal building.
The museum, which started out as a few artifacts displayed on tables in the basement of a barrack block in Camp Petawawa, moved to London in 1954 and has been growing ever since.
Today, thousands of students and tourists pass through it each year, learning about Canada's military heritage, getting a better understanding of the regiment and the role the military has played in Canada's history.
But more than that, it's one of the best reminders in the country of the contribution of the RCR to Canada's well-being, growth and current prosperity.
It's something we can't allow London, or Canada, to forget.
Paul Berton,
pberton@sunmedia.ca
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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I cant agree more Mike , and this money should not be that hard to raise...a good start is already there , we now need to see some in put from other senior levels of gov. and then of course there are old Royals whom i am sure will put in what they can to help ensure this Museum goes on for other generatioms to learn about Canada, as you say here , The RCR is really a history of , or one of the books of, Canada itself...this ,to me is the single most important event now happening in our country... this museum must be saved and upgraded tolast for all time and people... ranrad
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RCAF,CAF, converted RCR?,1RCR 74-77 CD: SSM (Nato);CPSM,;UN-Cyp.; UN- Golan
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Jim Hickson
CWO H.J. Hickson, MMM, CD. (Retd)
Ultimate 2000+ Member
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Hi Mike & Ron
I can't agree more with you......
Jim
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1961-Depot San Lenorado
1962-1st Bn RCR Ex Gagetown
1962-JR NCO Course Grad 19 Oct
1962-1965 Germany B-C-D-A Coy (Revecated Nov 64)
1965-1967 Sigs Pl Cyprus Prom CPL 'til xmas and C of Drums
1967-1973 Cpl, MCpl, Sgt, Sigs, D Coy
1973-1977 CFOCS Chilliwack Prom WO
1977-1982 UEO, Sigs, Pl WO RECCE, CSM B&A Coy,
1982-1984 SIT School
1984-1988 Career Manager (Prom CWO 1986)
1988-1990 RSM 1RCR
1991-1995 CWO Adm(Per) - C Of S
1995-1999 Base CWO Wainwright
1999-Retired
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