RMC Cadet & Staff Visit to Calgary, Big Success
cont'd

Friday was a particularly busy one for all the visitors. The Commandant, BGen Jean Leclerc, and his cadet ADC, 13335 OCdt  David Jones, started with ex cadets at 0730 hrs on Friday , then newly accepted candidates and their parents. The Principal, Dr Cowan, met with U of C’s Centre for Military and Strategic Studies. The Director of Cadets, Col Bill Peters, and 23170 OCdt Maciej Hatta, did a Global TV interview, and then visited two schools with other cadets. 

Meanwhile, other cadets, with their hosts, visited six other Calgary area schools. The Commandant and his ADC then had a radio interview and a visit with the Calgary Herald Editorial Board; the Principal spoke to a Calgary Rotary Club luncheon and there was considerable coverage of the visit by band members and others to Juno Beach Academy in the afternoon.

Two excellent back-to-back CTV regional pieces resulted. 

Of course, the evening, with the theme “A Celebration of Leadership”, was designed as a “friend raising” dinner. Its purpose was to introduce the College to the Calgary area business and political community, as well as refresh the memories and the focus of ex-cadets and others somewhat familiar with the College. It is news to a lot of people that the College has one of the best student-teacher ratios in the country, a very vigorous research program and a cadet population of over 900 cadets, approximately 800 graduate students and 3,000 correspondence students.

The evening events began at 1730 with a small Birchall Leadership Award pre-reception hosted by 10080 Bob Booth to enable Mrs Kay Birchall and Mr Art Smith to meet senior members of the RMC delegation from the College, the Club, and the Foundation. 

At 1800, guests began to arrive in the CPR Pavilion attached to the Palliser Hotel. The room was nearly full when the Pipes, Drums and Dancers entered and delivered a fine performance. For dinner, cadets and staff were distributed among the tables. After the head table was piped in, the HMCS Tecumseh band took over and provided excellent music, including Precision and a range of other marches. On each table was a miniature RMC flag and a superb 16-page program prepared and sponsored by 9660 Cameron Diggon and his wife Sharon. A number of recently accepted candidates and their parents attended the dinner. 

As the Commandant pointed out, the idea for the dinner had emerged during discussions at last fall’s ex-cadet weekend. Cameron Diggon had carried the idea back to Calgary – and delivered. Throughout a long planning and preparation process, Cameron was the Godfather of the overall event and Bob Booth was the originator of the Birchall Award. Cameron shared MC duties with  15052 Mike Vernon. 

During the dinner, after the Commandant’s remarks, Dr Cowan provided a brief biography of A/C Len Birchall. Premier Ralph Klein who was obviously very pleased to be making the presentation to his old friend, Art Smith, presented the Award. The Premier, who has always been a fine supporter of Canada’s forces, reminded everyone that the highest he had risen in the Air Force was to LAC during training at St Jean, Quebec. Art Smith reminded the Premier that he was an honorary

 Colonel and the Premier better start calling him ‘sir’. Mrs Birchall was in excellent form throughout the evening, especially with media and with her dinner companion, the Premier. 

9413  MGen (ret’d) Cameron Ross was the keynote speaker and was more than up to the task. He spoke eloquently about the College and leadership, addressing himself mainly to the cadets and new recruits in the room.   

Largely unseen, but of critical importance to the success of the evening were two factors. One, of course, was the yeoman efforts of the rest of the Calgary Branch committee, including 10682 Larry Glenesk, 10121 Brian Hook, 3626 John Ink and his daughter 20767 Andrea, on the registration table; A126 Glenn MacDonald, 5948 Ken Sivertsen, 8198 Rick Wright and 5675 Dennis Apedaile, and with some assistance from 7830 John Wood. 

The other factor was the degree of sponsorship support obtained from the Calgary Community: almost 30 different contributors, both in direct sponsorship funds and in the purchase of corporate tables – as well as support from the RMC Foundation and sponsorship of a cadet by the Nova Scotia Branch of the RMC Club – thank you Nova Scotia. 

So, in this Year of the Veteran, 60 years after the end of World War II, an excellent wave of the flag has been done in Calgary. May it help ensure that any new federal government holds firm to the long overdue commitment to provide and sustain adequate support for our Armed Forces, Canada’s backbone in the world. 

The RMC contingent returned to Kingston and other points East on Saturday. Mission Accomplished!

5675.

Community leader honoured

By TODD SAELHOF, CALGARY SUN -
Sat, May 14, 2005

Art Smith was on Cloud 9 last night -- happy to reach rare heights alongside fellow air-force legend Len Birchall with whom the renowned Calgarian was being compared.

Smith, a community kingpin for more than 50 years, was honoured by the Royal Military College's Club of Canada with the first Birchall Leadership Award.

"It's no effort for me to work within this city that I greatly appreciate, but the distinction of being the first Birchall honouree is very important to me," said Smith, 85, of the award presented to him by Alberta Premier Ralph Klein at the Fairmont Palliser Hotel.

Smith was a committed MP, a dedicated UN delegate and a successful businessman.

Smith, who's beaten cancer and 36 operations, is perhaps best known for the creation of the $30-million Calgary Homeless Foundation -- an effort of which Birchall's wife Kathleen is most fond.