Cindy and I - Maple Ridge - June 2003
The Big 40th.... August 2002
Cindy and I went gliding this spring - a Valentines Day present. Photos were taken at the Vancouver Gliding Club
situated in Hope BC which is about 90 minutes from Maple Ridge. All went well but we did fly pretty close to the mountains
which is a bit disconcerting.
Cindy and I at the annual Vancouver Police
Ball.
A good shot of the Vancouver Police Pipe Band (ranks 1 through 3 from left) and
Calgary Police Service Pipe Band (ranks 4 through 6 from left) during afternoon dress rehearsal. I can be found in the front
left rank - as Acting P/M - in Ian's absence.
Another good shot of the combined bands during dress rehearsal in conjunction
with the Amethyst Highland Dancers of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The finale with all bands present and accounted for.
The entrance to the Canadian War Memorial in Bergen Op Zoom.
There are almost 1000 Canadians buried at this site. Both bands performed a Ceremony
of Remembrance this rainy August morning - to honour all those that are buried here. The combined bands'
performance was initiated by two brothers in the Calgary Police Band (Pipe Major
Steve Patterson and Side Drummer Garth Patterson) whose Uncle is buried among
the many here. As an
interesting historical note - the gentleman who taught me how to play the
bagpipes (Pipe Major Bill MacLeod) played here in the same cemetery during World
War II when the Cameron Highlanders of Canada were burying some of their fallen
comrades.
A photo of the Bergen Op Zoom Canadian War Cemetary that tries to convey the many graves located here.
An interesting side note to our
performance arose when we could not locate a musician to perform the Last Post
as part our Ceremony. Our colleagues down the hall in the Woensdrecht Barracks
were part of the Tattoo as well and were a German Army Band from Hanover.
After some very sincere discussions - that ruffled a few diplomatic feathers - a
member of their band offered to locate the music for the Last Post, learn it,
and perform as part of our Remembrance Ceremony. His performance was
sincere and perfect down to the last note. DrumM Major Bruce Eburne
presented him with a band plaque at the end of the Ceremony. Bergen Op
Zoom.
(Left) Myself at the Dutch National War Museum – beside a small statue of a Canadian
Soldier from a Canadian Scottish Regiment with a little Dutch girl giving him some Tulips.
(Right) Scott Valance, Garth Patterson and I outside our barracks at the Dutch
Air Force Base in Woensdrecht. Rumour has it we were not the Base
Commander's favourite group.
Our two Dutch Air Force Liaison
Officers - Joyce and Gertrude - who did an admirable job under the circumstances
of getting us to and from Breda each day.
Jurassic Piping
Four of the older guys in our band –
Ian Munro, George Martin, Andy Perrie, Jim McWilliams enjoying a cold Belgian
beer after one of our Tattoo performances. Andy joined the band in 1951, ran the
band as Pipe Major for 17 yearws, and continues playing to this day.
The band recently celebrated his 50 years of non-stop service.
Rachel and I at the Amsterdam Airport - August 2001