MINUTES OF THE ZONE MEETING HELD AT

BRANCH 003 IN GEILENKIRCHEN

ON SATURDAY 28 JULY 2007

In Attendance:

Zone                                      Zone Commander                                          Reg Bonnar

                                             Sgt-at-Arms                                                  Josh Gelinas

Branch 001                                                                                                 Absent

Branch 002                            V/President                                                   Ken Gardiner

Branch 003                            President                                                       Brian Burchart

                                             Past President                                               Val Laucke

                                             1^st Vice President                                          Karl Wild

                                             2^nd Vice President                                          Carlene Wild

                                             Secretary                                                      Greg Johnson          

                                             Sgt-at-Arms                                                  Dan Saulnier

Branch 004                            Member                                                        Stephanie Politano

Branch 005                            President                                                       Ben Zonnnberg

                                             Sgt-at-Arms                                                  Hendrik Kuiper

Observer Members in Attendance:

Branch 002                            Member                                                        Daniel Van Landschoot

                                             Member                                                        Hans Von Jutrzenka

Branch 003                            Member                                                        Elisabeth Hine

                                             Member                                                        Val Corbeil

Branch 004                            Member                                                        Iris Van Landschoot

                                             Member                                                        Rod Almrud

Item                                                               Description

Prior to the commencement of the meeting the Zone Commander distributed to each Branch an information folder. The contents of the folder will be listed as Annex A.

1.     The Zone Commander opened the meeting at 1400 hours by welcoming all in attendance. The Zone Commander congratulated Comrade Liz Hine who celebrated her birthday yesterday and for her dedication and years of support to Branch 003 for which she has been awarded a Life Membership in the Royal Canadian Legion. Continuing his opening remarks the Zone Commander gave an update on the condition of our two remaining War Veterans in the Lahr area:

George MacMullen; George continues to do very well he is up and around and seems quite happy with his arrangements. The only negative point I could get out of him is that it gets a little boring at times! I am pleased with the way he is being cared for in this facility.

Thomas J Andrews; Andy is not doing so well I have been unable to speak with him for some time during my visits. I did catch him awake on one of my recent visits but I am not sure if he actually knew I was there but his daughter Kate said he is recovering slowly.

2.       The Zone Commander read the minutes of the last Zone Meeting held on 28 April, at Branch 001 in Söllingen. There being no observation of errors or omissions the minutes were adopted as presented by Comrade Brian Burchart and was seconded by Comrade Josh Gelinas.

Motion Carried

3.       The financial statement was presented and there being no observations raised the financial statement was adopted as presented by Comrade Dan Saulnier and was seconded by Comrade Val Laucke.

Motion Carried

Old Business

4.   3-5 May Liberation of the Netherlands Ceremonies

The Zone Commander thanked Branch 005 for their hospitality and efforts in preparations for the events that took place during our stay in the Netherlands . On Friday 04 May at the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, the Netherlands a large crowd had gathered to honour and remember the 1,394 servicemen who paid the supreme sacrifice during the liberation of the Netherlands and the advance across the Rhine into Germany . The ceremony commenced at 1100 hours under sunny skies. The Royal Canadian Legion Colour Party was provided by the Liberation of the Netherlands Branch 005. We were especially honoured to have a large group of Veterans from across Canada present at this ceremony.

The highlight of the ceremony was the involvement of the young people from local schools that read poems and placed flower arrangements on each grave in the cemetery. A wreath was laid on behalf of the Royal Canadian Legion by the Zone Commander and the President of Branch 005 Ben Zonnenberg.

Following the ceremony in Holten members were invited to the Restaurant Mondani in the town of Lochem where the owners, Yvonne and Berry Swarthoff and family, have provided a home for Branch 005. Here we had lunch and later in the afternoon the Zone Commander had the honour of initiating two new members to Branch 005. At approximately 1600 hours we moved on to the town of Wilp where the PPCLI re-enactment group hold there liberation event of keeping alive the battles which the PPCLI had in clearing the area and getting across the Ijssel River on their way north to Groningen. To finish the day we proceeded to Apeldoorn and by invitation from the Mayor took part in the Silent March and wreath laying ceremony in the city park. After attending a short reception we returned to Ede .

Saturday morning dawned warm and sunny as we headed to Wageningen for the annual National Commemoration Capitulations 1945 Ceremony. The event this year was bigger than ever with groups from the Royal British Legion, Dutch Military, Bands, Military Vehicles of all kinds and description and the attendance of the local Dutch population was tremendous. In addition this year we were honoured to have with us the Canadian War Veterans. In previous years there were always veterans in the Netherlands at this time but for some reason they got carted off to a ceremony in Amsterdam and missed out on this ceremony. We had hopped to get some of the veterans to march with our Colours but wisely (given the distance of the march) they elected to ride in the many war time vehicles. None the less it was great to have them take part in the ceremony and between the times we spent together in Holten and Wageningen we met many of them and had a super time together.

5.   6 May ceremony at Oudenaarde , Belgium

On 6 May 2007 the town of Oudenaarde had a special ceremony to honour their war dead and the military members that were involved in their liberation.

In addition to the soldiers that were honoured there was the crew members of a Hedley Page Halifax Bomber that crashed and are buried in the town’s local cemetery. It was in the middle of the night on 2 May 1944 when the doomed aircraft was about to crash into the town. The pilot at the last minute was somehow able to manoeuvre the plane from crashing into the town and ditched into a nearby field thus avoiding many civilian casualties as a result of his courage’s act.

This was a very special ceremony because the pilot, Leslie Stuart Mackenzie, of the Royal Canadian Air Force survived the ordeal and with his wife was brought over from Canada as honoured guests. A plaque was dedicated to the crew by the children of Oudenaarde in memory of their sacrifice.

F/O MacKenzie was born in Winnipeg on 21 February 1924 . He joined the RCAF in March of 1942 and went overseas in July where he earned his wings in May 1943. He along with many of his fellow fliers took on assume responsibility at a very young age. Mr. MacKenzie gave a very touching speech describing his personal challenge to attend the ceremony. He honoured the memory of his crew members, gave thanks to the Belgium people who gave him refuge during this very difficult time and the efforts of the Belgium underground who were successful in getting him back to England in September of 1944. Following the war he flew for Air Canada and after retirement lives on Vancouver Island .

The crew members that paid the supreme sacrifice:

In total there are 24 commonwealth burials in this cemetery. Four additional RAF Flyers, twelve British soldiers and two Australian soldiers. During the floral tribute the Zone Commander laid a wreath on behalf of the Royal Canadian Legion. The ceremony ended with a fly past by the Belgium Air Force.

Following this tribute the delegation marched to the towns War Memorials where a floral tribute was given for the towns liberators. The mayor invited all to the town hall for refreshments and gifts were exchanged. Mr. & Mrs. MacKenzie were in great demand by the dignitaries present and the local press but we did have the opportunity to meet them and have a short chat.

Not to detract from the ceremony that we were invited to attend the Zone Commander on completion of the proceedings gathered the Legionnaires together and with permission from the mayor and in the presences of Mr. MacKenzie awarded a Life Membership to one of our Belgium members Comrade Frank Verhulst. The Zone Commander explained that normally this award is presented by his Branch President at the Branch in the presence of his fellow Comrades, however, Frank who is a very highly decorated war veteran it seems appropriate that the award be presented in the field. Frank on completion of the presentation received a very warm ovation and congratulations from all who were present. Frank who is a very emotional and modest man said that we made him a very happy and proud person today and one he will no forget.

New Business

6.       24-27 May Dominion Command Visit to Europe

The Zone Commander apologized on behalf of the Dominion President and the Dominion Secretary to Branch 001 and Branch 004 for the inconvenience caused by last minute changes in the itinerary of their visit but they were pleased that members from these Branches were present during the visit to Branch 002.

The Zone Commander extended his appreciation to Branch 002 for the excellent job they done in hosting our visitors at their Branch. The decision to have a “Typical German Meal” rather than a BBQ went over very well. The entire evening was very successful as our guests had the opportunity to communicate with all the members present during the evening. Following the meal the Dominion President addressed the members, extended his appreciation and presented a plaque to the President of the Branch Alfons Deguire.

The Zone Commander said the visit from a Zone point of view was very successful as they were able to discuss many issues that through correspondence would be impossible.

7.   1 July Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Service

The ceremony was again very successful with our Colour Party being a significant part of the ceremony. Also present this year was a contingent of Newfoundland Legion Members and youth representation. We were honoured to have Comrade Larry Mooney from Branch 56 out of St Johns join our Colour Party and carry the Newfoundland flag.

At the reception following the ceremony the comradeship of the visiting members from Newfoundland was exceptional and enjoyed by all. The director of Beaumont-Hamel Ms. Arlene King also extended her appreciation for our attendance.

8.   17-21 Aug 2007 65^th Anniversary of the Dieppe Raid Ceremony

The Zone Commander presented the Itinerary for Dieppe as follows:

Fri 17 Aug                                                 Travel to Dieppe

Sat 18 Aug                       1030 hrs           Ceremony at The Royal Regiment of Canada

                                                                 Monument, Puys

                                       2130 hrs            Vigil of Remembrance at Cimetière des Vertus,

                                                                 Hautot-sur-Mer ( Canadian War Cemetery )

Sun 19 Aug                      0900 hrs           Vigil of Remembrance at Cimetière desVertus,

                                                                 Hautot-sur-Mer ( Canadian War Cemetery )

                                       1030 hrs              Ceremony at Square du Canada, Dieppe

                                       1100 hrs              Mass held at L’Esplanade, Dieppe

                                       1230 hrs              Reception hosted by the Town of Dieppe ,

                                                                 Town Hall, Dieppe

Mon 20 Aug                     1030 hrs          Ceremony of Remembrance at Pourville

                                                                 Memorial, Pourville

Tue 21 Aug                      Return Home

9.   07-10 Sep 2007 Liberation of Belgium Ceremonies

The Zone Commander received the official invitation for the Liberation of Belgium Ceremony. In preparation for the ceremonies in Belgium in September a list of members interested in attending is required by mid August for accommodation purposes. The Zone Commander set the deadline for names to be forwarded to him not later than Friday 10 August. To date the itinerary is as follows:

Fri 07 Sep travel to Belgium

Sat 08 Sep Moerbrugge Commemorative Ceremony

Sun 09 Sep Ceremony at the Canadian War Cemetery in Adegem

Mon 10 Sep travel home. More information will be posted as received.

10. 07 Oct 2007 RAALTE, the Netherlands Ceremony

In past years following our Zone Meeting in the Netherlands we would attend the Royal British Legion 450 Ceremony, however, the RBL have been experiencing difficulty in organizing the event recently so as we did last year Branch 005 will organize a ceremony in Raalte and invite members of the RBL that may wish to attend. The RBL have also requested that we do not refer to our ceremony as the “450 Ceremony” so we will simply call it the Raalte Commemorative Ceremony of Remembrance in concurrence with their request.

Raalte is a town 20 kilometres south-east of Zwolle . The cemetery is about 2 kilometres south of Raalte, on the western side of the road to Deventer . There are 23 allied burials in this cemetery all Air Force personnel, 16 Royal Air Force, 6 from the Royal Canadian Air Force and 1 from the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Details of the event will be forwarded to the Branches when completed.

Branch Presidents are again reminded for security purposes names of members that will attend the Zone Meeting and this ceremony are to be forwarded on a timely basis.

11.  Correspondence

Letter from Steve Douglas of the Maple Leaf Legacy Project - In Ypres there is not only a Remembrance Service on 11 November but in fact there is a Remembrance Service every day of the year as people gather at the Menin Gates at 8PM. Comrade Iris Van Landschoot came up with the idea of putting a poppy tray there, Steve agreed and with permission from his boss placed a tray in a book store in Ypres where he works. In the past couple of months Steve has collected in excess of €230,00. These funds will be forwarded to Branch 003 to be included and accounted for with their poppy fund account.

Letter from Comrade Larry Mooney from Branch 56 out of St Johns , Newfoundland - Larry sent some pictures and thanked us for allowing him to be part of our Colour Party which he said was the highlight of his trip and he hopes to see us again in the future.

Correspondence that is important to the Branches is included in the handout.

12.  Poppy Fund

Since Branch 003 have established a poppy campaign based on outlying military establishments donations received from other sources will be transferred to Branch 003 for accountability purposes.

Branches that have a poppy trust fund are requested to forward a copy of the Branch Status Report to the Zone Commander. This report is mandatory and a sample of the report form can be viewed on page 37 of the puppy manual.

13. Membership

The Zone Commander said he certainly does not have to emphasize the importance of recruiting new members but it is equally as important to look after the members you already have. Check your membership list often and update them when necessary. Also send application forms often to Dominion Command don’t wait until you have several before sending. The Zone Commander said he has received letters from members who still did not receive their membership card for this year.

Report by Branches.

14.  Branch 001; Due to last minute work commitments the Branch was unable to send a representative to this meeting.

15.  Branch 002; Vice President Ken Gardiner reported that the President Alfons Deguire is on holidays in Canada and regrets he is unable to attend the meeting. The 1^st Vice Bill Fairley has undergone a couple of operations recently and is presently taking daily radiation treatments and can not attend the meeting today but send greeting to all. On 30 May the Branch hosted the Dominion President and the Dominion Secretary accompanied by their wives. A good turn out of members was present including representation from other Branches. A good time was had by all in attendance. Bingo will continue every second Sunday without a summer break. The Branch supported the Beaumont-Hamel Ceremony on 1 July with the President Alfons Deguire, Zone Commander Reg Bonnar, Members Lucien Perraut, Hans Von Jutrzenka and Daniel Van Landschoot in attendance. The ceremony was very nice and we enjoyed the company of our fellow comrades that were present from Newfoundland . The Branch had planned a BBQ for the June/July period but the weather among other things failed to cooperate. This event will hopefully take place in early September.

16. Branch 03; The President Brian Burchart welcomed all present to the Branch and reported that the Branch is starting to regain members following the rotation this summer and at present has 102 members. The two main functions of the Branch that remains successful is the Wing Night held on the first Friday of the month and Poker Night held every second Saturday of the month. The Branch has just formed a housing committee that will look into the matter of renewing the lease on the clubs premises or look for another suitable location for the branch. The Branch did three ceremonies recently in Belgium . Hotton, St. Vith and Samere and wreaths were laid on behalf of the Royal Canadian Legion.

17. Branch 004; Member Stephanie Politano on behalf of the President Geatan Bienvenue reported that the Branch is doing very well the annual horse shoe tournament on 26 May was a lot of fun and of course the Flammenkuchen prepared by Hubert was excellent. The event was considered successful. The Werl Ceremony on 16-17 June was as usual was very good with a good turn out. Wreaths were also laid at the Canadian Memorials in Iserlohn and Neheim-Hüsten. Prayers were also done at the grave of Mr. & Mrs. Delisle’s son who passed away this year with cancer. The President extends his appreciation to Comrade Flo Laugel who conducted the ceremony on his behalf since it was just too emotional for him after just loosing his daughter. Canada Day on the 1^st of July was a great success with in excess of 100 people in attendance everyone enjoyed the day and asked to do the same next year. The ceremony in Choloy , France in November in the past was done by Branch 001 however last year only two members from the Branch 001 came consequently Branch 004 did the ceremony. Branch 001 is to let Branch 004 know ASAP if they should be prepared to do it again this year. Finally the Branch is doing better than ever. The new executive has been able to clear the debt to Zone and for the first time we can say that any money generated by the Branch will be our own money.

18. Branch 005; The President Ben Zonnenberg reported that the Branch is doing well the only down side is that our membership is spread all over the country which make it difficult to have our members enjoy each others comradeship but we will continue to work on this situation. Again this year the Branch provided a Colour Party for the Canadian Forces Contingent that took part in the Nijmegen March and Ceremony at Groesbeek. It was a very moving scene to see the soldiers walking silently through the rows of graves with visible tears in their eyes. The Branch laid a wreath at this ceremony on behalf of the Royal Canadian Legion. The President expressed his thanks to Comrade Danny Murphy who preformed the duties of the Sgt-at-Arms for the ceremony since our Branch Sgt-at-Arms did the march. On 19 July we met with members of the Dominion Command Pilgrimage of Remembrance group at the Apeldoorn City Hall also present was Lord Mayor Fred de Geraff who also welcomed them and refreshments was provided by the city of Apeldoorn. One point of interest at the city hall was the recently unveiled window with the crests of the Canadian Regiments that was involved with the Liberation of Apeldoorn. In close consultation with the Zone Commander we have decided to organize a ceremony of remembrance on Sunday 7 Oct following the Zone meeting on Saturday in the town of Raalte . Appreciation is extended to a very highly decorated Dutch Veteran Hank Schottert who mediated with the town authorities in this request. I can tell you that the town and the mayor are very enthusiastic regarding this event. It is hoped that many members from our other Branches will attend this event. The Branch is busy working on 11^th November Remembrance Ceremony in previous years this ceremony was organized by the Foundation Liberation 45 Organization and we just did our part of the ceremony now and in the future we will be responsible for the entire ceremony. To date we have a big Military Band together with the City of Apeldoorn Pipes & Drums, the children from two schools so things are progressing. Preparations are in the planning for the poppy campaign and Branch Elections next year. In closing our website seems to be getting quite popular with some 9000 hits mostly from Canada , the US and of course the Netherlands .

Open Discussion

19.  The Zone Commander asked if the transfer of the Clue family members from Branch 002 to Branch 003 had been done. Apparently this has no been done to date. The Zone Commander said the Clue family from Belgium have forwarded a request that all family members belong to the same Branch. The family wishes to belong to Branch 003 in Geilenkirchen since they attend the remembrance ceremony each year in Groesbeek and visit the branch. In honouring their request the Zone Commander requested that Branch 003 initiate the transfer of 10017413 Christine and 10017391 Martin Clue from Branch 002. 10017412 Ernie Clue was also a member of Branch 002 in 2006 but apparently has not renewed his membership.

20.  The president of Branch 003 Brian Burchart gave a report on new regulations regarding the future of postal services at the NATO Base in Geilenkirchen. Canada Post is a private corporation to which DND pay for services rendered and mail service will be available for service personnel only. This new policy will eliminate services to civilian employees and also to the Royal Canadian Legion who until now have been privileged to have a post office box on the base. This policy is scheduled to go in effect at the end of October 2007.  

Meeting Adjournment

21.  There being no further business to discuss a motion was made by Comrade Dan Saulnier and seconded by Comrade Ken Gardiner that the meeting be adjourned. The meeting was adjourned at 1710 hours.

Note: The next Zone Meeting will be hosted by Branch 005 and will be held on Saturday 06 October at 1400 hours in Lochem, the Netherlands .

Annex A to the

Minutes of the Zone Meeting

Held on 28 July 2007

Contents of the Folder,

• Itinerary for the Zone Meeting

• Minutes of last Zone Meeting held at Branch 001 on 28 April 2007
• Financial Statement covering period 26 April 2007 to 26 July 2007
• Correspondence
• Branch Contribution to Ceremonial Fund