Remembrance Day at Centennial Hall

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Manager Maya poses with the display before heading back outside for the ceremony at the Cenotaph.  November 11, 2015

Remembrance Day, and the days leading up to and following it, is probably the busiest time for us.  You'll find us attending events locally and outside the region, giving talks, offering outreach and tours.  Of course, we do this year-round.  Remembrance, for us, isn't simply a day in November, nor a few timely events linked to anniversaries, but it is for many others, and we understand that.

Yesterday was Remembrance Day and as usual, we were busy.  Manager Maya and Volunteer Bethany set up the booth early at the Remember November 11 Association's reception and luncheon, held annually at Centennial Hall.  They headed to the ceremony at the Cenotaph, and then promptly when it ended, trotted back up the street to meet and greet visitors to the reception.  They met many people, civilians, veterans, cadets, enlisted, and talked about the our role in preserving the history of Canadians on radar.

One particular moment stood out amongst all the conversations and faces.  A veteran of the Second World War strode up to the table and presented his tie, which had a pattern of De Havilland Mosquitoes on it, explained he used to fly them.  Then he said something quite unique.

"I want to thank you."  His jocular manner became more serious.  "I want to thank you, your folks, for bringing me home.  I used to fly Pathfinders.  More than once we had nothing but radar to get us home again.  Without it... well.  Thank you."

At Radar, we usually do the thanking.  Thanking veterans for their service.  Thanking visitors for their donations.  Thanking volunteers for their time.  Yesterday, on behalf of all our radar operators and mechanics, we received the thanks of one grateful bomber crewman.  It was deeply touching and came as such a surprise, Manager Maya completely forgot to get his name or a photograph.

So, to the mystery Mosquito veteran, thank YOU for making our day.  And if you happen to see this post, please tell us your name.

Thank you Volunteers and Staff!

On August 29th, we celebrated our marvellous Volunteers and Staff and were astounded by the amazing turn-out.  Sometimes we forget how many of us are invested in the life of this museum and it's important to recognise everyone who makes an impact.

Many thanks to the incomparable Brenna Ardiel, our phenomenal summer Museum Assistant and Interpreter, for planning and organising our first Volunteer and Staff Appreciation Luncheon. Thank you to everyone who helped out with the barbecues (Corbin and Don) and side dishes, to Kathy for assisting with the decorations, and to everyone who came out. Brenna's experience with us was made possible by Canada Summer Jobs in Heritage.

Many thanks to Evelyn Hayes, our Summer Experience Program student, who has worked on creating a new vision for our old exhibits. Next time you're in, check out her Teletype Machine display and activity.

We're delighted to announce our Summer Volunteer of Note is Sunny Kim, who has put in an enormous amount of time and effort into digging into the collection backlog.

Below are some photos from the event, courtesy of Kathy Kozell.