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With Pride My mother full of pride and trepidation saw four men off my father two brothers and I By air land and sea our country proud doing what we could restoring peace ensuring a future my father two brothers and I My mother full of pride and trepidation saw three men back my father one brother and I Generations to come would I send my children to do their part restoring peace ensuring a future Yes myself full of pride and trepidation by Allison Clark ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION LEGION REMEMBRANCE DAY CEREMONY ADSS AUDITORIUM Following the ADSS Auditorium Ceremony, Services will be held at: The Field of Honour Greenwood Cemetery honouring World War & Vietnam Veterans. The Native Cemetery honouring World War Veterans. The Harbour Quay Cenotaph honouring the Merchant Navy Veterans. The Schan Family Memorial ALBERNI VALLEY FRIDAY NOVEMBER 11 TH , 10:30 am (Please be seated by 10:15 am) LEST WE FORGET LEST WE FORGET REMEMBRANCE DAY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011 | ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES | 1C This supplement was made possible thanks to the participation of the students in the social justice 12 class at Alberni District Secondary School and members of the Alberni Valley Royal Canadian Legion Branch 293. The veterans told their stories to the youth, and now the students are sharing those memories with the community.
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Page 1: Remembrance Day

With Pride

My motherfull of prideand trepidationsaw four men offmy fathertwo brothers and I

By airland and seaour country prouddoing what we couldrestoring peaceensuring a futuremy fathertwo brothers and I

My motherfull of prideand trepidationsaw three men backmy fatherone brother and I

Generations to comewould Isend my childrento do their partrestoring peaceensuring a future

Yesmyselffull of prideand trepidation

by Allison Clark

ROYAL CANADIAN LEGIONLEGION REMEMBRANCE DAY CEREMONY

ADSS AUDITORIUM

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH, 10:30 am(Please be seated by 10:15 am)

Following the ADSS Auditorium Ceremony, Services will be held at:The Field of Honour Greenwood Cemetery honouring World War & Vietnam Veterans.

The Native Cemetery honouring World War Veterans.The Harbour Quay Cenotaph honouring the Merchant Navy Veterans.

The Schan Family Memorial

ALBERNI VALLEY

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 11TH, 10:30 am(Please be seated by 10:15 am)

LEST WE FORGETLEST WE FORGET

REMEMBRANCE DAY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011 | ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES | 1C

This supplement was made possible thanks

to the participation of the students in the

social justice 12 class at Alberni District

Secondary School and members of the Alberni

Valley Royal Canadian Legion Branch 293.

The veterans told their stories to the youth,

and now the students are sharing those

memories with the community.

Page 2: Remembrance Day

TOM EDMONDSON

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Thank YouThank You Veterans!Veterans!

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Served1942-1946

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d e s i g n t e a mWE COME, NOTWE COME, NOTTO MOURN OURTO MOURN OURDEAD SOLDIERS,DEAD SOLDIERS,BUT TO PRAISEBUT TO PRAISE

THEM.THEM.~FRANCIS A.~FRANCIS A. WALKERWALKER

IT’S TIMETO REMEMBER

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2C | ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011 REMEMBRANCEDAY

Tom Edmondson has been retired for 28 years now and just celebrated his 65th wedding anniversary with his wife that he met at a dance in Nova Scotia in 1945, and married in 1946.

He has five children and many grandchildren. Now, being 88, he has lived a long life but still remembers so much such as a bottle of beer was 10 cents and life was a lot simpler back then.

Tom was born in Winnipeg and left home when he was 17 to work for The Hudson Bay Company, and two years later he joined the air force.

At age 20, he officially became a pilot and was in the air force for three years. Tom felt that joining the Canadian Army was his own

choice, but also his duty to serve and protect his country, just like his father and two brothers. On his aircraft there were eight men in total, he said that for him “it was very different in the air than on the ground.” Since he didn’t really have to see any “trauma-tizing” things.

Tom now lives a relaxing life in the town of Port Alberni and has a big family, who he deeply cares about and would not change any-thing that has happened in his lifetime.

To me, Tom is a very interest-ing and amazing man, and I am grateful that I had the honour to talk to him.

by Emilie Herrling

88-year-old Valley resident remembers

CARL TEICHMAN

Emilie Herrling, left, and Allison Clark are writing about the experiences of veteran Tom

Edmondson. The poem on the front cover was written by Clark and is a reflection of her

interview with Edmondson. [JULIA CARANCI, TIMES]

Alberni District Secondary School students Brook Schwartz, left, and Danika Geddes, learn more about a decorated veteran, Carl Teichman. [JULIA CARANCI, TIMES]

Carl Teichman was 21 years old when he went to war in Japan in 1942.

Carl grew up in Prince George. He had to go to the hospital because a bomb hit him in the leg.

He was in the hospital from October until January. As Carl said, “I was hit by a mortar fire.” When he was in the hospital, he said “it was like heaven and all the nurses were angels to him.”

The whole time Carl was in the war, he had this prayer book, that he got from his church before he went to the war. He had it in his pocket for four years. He went to war in 1942 and his prayer book stayed in his front, left pocket throughout the whole time he was in war.

Carl was one of the people who volunteered to go to war. He didn’t graduate from school, so he didn’t get the spot that he wanted to do when he was at war. He applied for “flight forest,” and the only reason he didn’t get it is because he didn’t graduate from school. So, he just went to regular war.

He also went to two wars in his life, the Japanese War and the Second World War. Also, throughout the years he was in war, they all had to wear a dog tag. The dog tag had a code. They had to wear that tag so people can identify them if they died, and they couldn’t tell exact-ly who they were.

After he was done with war,

he came to Port Alberni in 1947 to be a carpenter. He also helped build Alberni District Secondary School. He also has a granddaughter that goes to this school, and she is in Grade 11, which I think is really interesting.

Throughout the whole time talking to Carl Teichman, he told his life story to us and it meant a lot that he could trust us and tell us what he had to live with.

As Carl Teichman would say, “There is no glory in war, it is stupid, horrible and a curse on mankind, which neither side is a winner.”

by Brook Schwartz

‘There is no glory in war’

“Back in the 40s, there was nothing to do once you finished school,” said Second World War veteran Carl Teichman. “So, once we were all of age we joined the army.”

On Oct. 12, during the Second World War, Carl’s parents were dreading that the boy on the bike would stop at their door-step and drop off a telegram stating that their son had been wounded or dead.

But it happened. The telegram said that Carl had been hurt and was currently hospitalized but his parents, didn’t know whether he was alive or dead.

They waited another long sus-penseful week, and, yet again, the boy on the bike stopped at their house. They found out Carl was OK, but he had been hit by mortar fire and brutally hurt his left calf.

“The war was pure hell every-day,” he said, and “being in the hospital was the best thing that could have happened to him.”

Carl explained that his time in the hospital “was like being in heaven, and I called the nurses Angels of Mercy.”

He stated this because the winter of 1944 was one of the coldest winters during his time at battle and getting to spend it in the hospital was amazing.

He spent from the day he was wounded until January in “heaven.”

Carl felt like he couldn’t have had better luck because right after he was released from the hospital, the war was over.

However, his wound didn’t stop him from going back to serve in the army. After he was released, Carl spent two months retraining. Shortly after that he went back to com-bat in the Japanese Theatre War.

By this time, Carl was only 21, and he felt invincible, there was nothing stopping him from serving in the army, but now Carl feels differently.

After all that he went through he says that, “War is stupid and there are no winners.”

by Danika Geddes

Being hospitalized during war was like being in ‘heaven’

Page 3: Remembrance Day

TONY WEDAM

It’s a day to honour those men and women who gave of themselves,their time and their diligence in the service of their country.

Their courage and personal sacrifi ce demand our never-failing homage.

REMEMBRANCEVETERANS DAY, NOVEMBER 11.

Please RememberPlease RememberAll Quality Foods Stores Will Be Closed

Friday, November 11thto honour those who gave their service,

their futures and their lives so that we may all live in peace.

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3308 Kingsway Ave. 250-720-0011

We Honour andRemember our Veterans

Lest We

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Alberni ValleyTherapeutics

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John Paul II Catholic School4006 - 8th Avenue 250-723-0637

We Honour OurVeterans & all those serving our country

5344 Argyle St. 250-723-0966

Remembrance Day ‘11

I would like to thank each and every veteran for their courage andI would like to thank each and every veteran for their courage and bravery “God Bless you All”. And to all the members of the Canadianbravery “God Bless you All”. And to all the members of the Canadian Forces out there today,Forces out there today, “You have our love and support.”“You have our love and support.”

“Come Home Safe.”“Come Home Safe.”

Bookkeeping PlusBookkeeping PlusShannon Doré

2617 10th AvenuePort Alberni, BC V9Y 2P2 Tel./Fax: 250-724-1513

With gratitude

and deep respect

for those who

fought for our

beloved country

Val’s Garden Gals 250•720•6433

REMEMBRANCEDAY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011 | ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES | 3C

Tony shares his story

Damascus, Syria 1986

“Hey, honey, how are you?”I whispered to my handheld

radio,My hand clasping it so tightAs I closed my eyesRefraining from the eruption of

emotion,Yet to comeI looked over the darkened townAs I anticipated a responseCrouching in the shadows,Attempting to stay balanced on

those roof tilesMy stomach gnarled,Contorting as the static went

onThe tension grew as I struggled,When the static stopped …“Oh, my love, how I’ve missed

you.”

by Dayle Carter

I have always heard stories of brave and courageous men and women who have fought and in a lot of cases died for our country, but I have never had the honour of speaking to a veteran of war face to face.

I had the honour and privilege to talk to a brave veteran named Tony Nedam. Tony enrolled in the military in 1979 and com-pleted several tours oversea in conflict-torn countries such as Israel, Afghanistan, Syria and Bosnia. Tony has made a differ-ence in thousands of people’s lives worldwide and helped rebuild communities which have been affected by war.

I am happy and feel safe to know that people like Tony are taking care of Canada and trying to deliver peace in countries that

desperately need it. Tony explained to me that the

majority of people in other coun-tries feel safe around the Can-adian Armed Forces and enjoy their efforts in trying to make countries a better and safer place to live. Tony does not regret join-ing the military and is quoted as saying, “I would do it all over again.”

I found it awesome how Tony interacted with the community whenever he could and still stays in touch with people he has met while on tour. Social media sites such as Facebook have helped him to do this. Tony explained how much he missed his wife and family, especially when he took nine-month tours.

by Cody Hamelin

Dayle Carter and Cody Hamelin with MWO Tony Wedam. [HEATHER THOMSON, TIMES]

War veteran still in touch with other vets

TIM MURPHY

Sharing stories about wartime were, left to right, Slade Scarlong, Brittany Pettigrew and Tim Murphy. [JULIA CARANCI, TIMES]

Page 4: Remembrance Day

JOE TRAIL

4487 Gertrude St.4487 Gertrude St. Hol & Sun 12-11pm; Mon-Thurs 11am-Midnight; Fri & Sat. 11am-1amHol & Sun 12-11pm; Mon-Thurs 11am-Midnight; Fri & Sat. 11am-1am

310-0001310-0001

4573 Merrifield St., Port Alberni 250-724-2021

Thank youto the

Veterans

Yates Funeral andCrematorium Service

250-723-5859Quinn Edwards, FUNERAL DIRECTOR

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Call 250-724 -ROCK (7625) or visit us online at www.chances.ca

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We WillRemember Them

Pacific Rim Shopping Centre #311-3555 Johnston Rd., Port Alberni, BC V9Y 8K2Tel: 250 723 2918 Fax: 250 723 1716 www.cccu.ca Toll Free: 1 877 392 4400

11-11-11

To all our men and women who

have fought & given their lives for our

freedom, and to all those courageous Canadian

Forces’ Members who are still doing so today, please

know how very thankful we are; and that we honour you all and your families, for the hardships

that you endure, both at home and on foreign soil. “Thank you” will never be

enough; we owe you so much!

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4C | ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011 REMEMBRANCEDAY

Interpreted through a poem I wrote after meeting Joe Trail

You can say I have no regret of joining,

If I had the choice to go back,I would to fight with the Navy

for our country,I saw things I hope you never

have to see,Saw a plane crash in my front

yard,A train that flipped over with a

burning man on top of it,I am against war, you should

never have to see or experience it,

War shall not be something to be glorified, our world needs

peace,Today we remember those who

risked their lives,They tried and succeeded in

helping our country,We shall wear the poppy over

our hearts,To remember

those who fought for us,Those who risked their lives,For the ones who came home and the ones that did not,

I am grateful I fought for our country; I am glad I came back; glad I got the chance to share

with you today,I got this honour to share my

story,To share my history through

the wise man’s eyes

I am humbled by the quiet strength in this wise veteran. I am proud that people like him represented Canada and what we stand for. I have learned so much in our time together.

I do not take our freedom for granted. I know brave people like Joe Trail risked their lives so I could experience freedom today.

I am forever in debt for these b r a v e , humble, selfless

people who fought for all of us Canadians.

Thank you so much Joe Trail, who is 86 years old. Thank you from the bottom of my youthful heart.

by OliviaShewish

Veteran Joe Trail shares a story with ADSS students, left to right, Olivia Shewish, Keanna Hamilton, Natasha Cook. [JULIA CARANCI, TIMES]

History through a wise man’s eyes

Here I pause by this window, Not to gaze through

That lucid glass upon the wares within, nay!

But upon what I long to see a piercing

Ray, a semblance of a former self only

Masked by the confines of a present mental

Being. To you, the stranger, and all who pass

By me see little but an empty shell from which

The life has fled. The image you see in this

Pane, and come here too, ‘tis only flesh and blood.

You are too young to have seen the dark clouds of

Despair; the only clouds you know are the lambs of

The sky which one might admire on a summer’s

Afternoon. Born too late were you to see the billows roll

Towards your lines to split the lungs of one’s own

Men: the vile gas that burns and kills. In that game

We were but pawns disposable, and disposed

Of to arrest the looming check-mate. The knights

Took pawns, the pawns took bishops. And kings fell but No one could take the queen.

We won the match at Ypres, Somme, Vimy but were

stalemate in the game. Say callous fools it was good

luck that drew me From the front that day those

wretched clouds rolled in.

It was not fortune for one who knows but

That he could have called “retreat!” And spared the lives

Of those in his command- if only he were there.

So from that removed vantage point I saw the

Chlorine drift. Oh yes, “good fortune” spared my

Life but what is life after allow-ing death?

But come along, my dear; let us walk, for these

Rueful words are not fathomed by your small ears-

The flower of youth within you has not been

Wilted by the grievous burdens of regret.

by Erin Shankie, 16 years old

Always take time to remember

Page 5: Remembrance Day

WINIFRED KOAL

We will always remember

A L B E R N I A U T O G R O U P

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2011

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Honouringour

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REMEMBRANCE DAYWe wear a poppyOn Remembrance Day,And at elevenWe stand and pray.Wreaths are putUpon a grave.As we rememberOur soldiers brave.

REMEMBRANCEDAY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011 | ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES | 5C

Imagine being of German des-cent during the Second World War in Canada.

As a child, Winifred Koal was constantly discriminated against for her German ancestry. Grow-ing up was definitely not a simple task. Winifred was a first genera-tion Canadian born in Saskatch-ewan in 1934. Shortly after being born, she moved to Port Alberni. As a child, there was fear that the Second World War would be brought to Canada. The Second World War was her main motiva-tion for joining the army.

At age 18, Winifred joined the Air Force through recommenda-tion of her school counsellor. She started basic training in 1952 in St. James, Que. She had more schooling to become an FCO in

Clinton, Ont. Winifred eventu-ally settled in St. Margarets, N.B., at her main station.

On the assumption of a Hun-garian uprising, she was trans-ferred to No. 4 fighter wing in Germany. Her time in Europe gives her the most vivid mem-ories. She was under American command and worked seven days on and seven off.

Winifred’s first check was $98. On her days off, with a permis-

sion slip from the government, she travelled all over Europe. Her favourite places to visit were the Scandanavian countries.

After her time in Germany, Winifred got married and was forced to quit the army. Winifred’s husband was sta-tioned in Winnipeg. When the

Cuban crisis occurred, her hus-band was moved to Barrington, N.S. Winifred and her four girls remained in Winnipeg. These times were full of terror and anticipation.

When her husband was out of the army in December of 1966, they returned to Port Alberni to be with family. Winifred had never lived off a base and took time adjusting to her new environment.

Winifred doesn’t regret a thing she did and would do it over again. She had a lot of fun times and travelled to many new places. The army helped her break out of her shell and become outgoing and confident.

by Nic Waddell

Winifred Koal was born in 1934 in Saskatchewan, and moved to Port

Alberni with her family when she was three.

She grew up during the Sec-ond World War, and her family was discriminated against a lot because they were of German descent.

When Winifred was 18, she joined the Air Force under the recommendation of her high school counsellor, who joined later herself. She was part of the FCO department, where she was taught how to read maps, plot aircraft courses and determine whether incoming planes were friendly or not.

Winifred spoke German, so eventually she was transferred to the bilingual unit.

Her favourite experience was going oversees for three years.

As Winifred said, “I thought I knew German, then I went on the switchboards and there’s all these different dialects.” How-ever, she stated that catching on to the dialects wasn’t very hard.

While she was in Germany, they used American money on base, and German marks every-where else. They had to plan out their paycheques, and they got them in American and German currency.

Winifred says she does not regret her involvement with the military, and says she would do it over again if she could go back. Overall, she is happy with her experience.

by Jessica Langille

Jessica Langille, Nic Waddell, Winifred Koal and Britnee Oldfield, left to right, take a moment

after hearing Koal’s tales about her experiences in wartime. [JULIA CARANCI, TIMES]

Signing up to serve homeland

No regrets with decisions made

War is over. Crying’s done.Bombs have fallen; cities gone.

Sun is shining, through my tears.

Solitude, will calm my fears.

Emotions rampant, as I lay my wreath,

To ‘see’ our people, lost to grief.Memories steadfast in my

heart,

Allowing me to do my part;

Remembering, as I stand tall at attention,

Recalling all the sacrifices made for us;

The freedoms protected; given usBy those who died, were lost,

and gone.

Taps has sounded. Day is done.

by William A. Frew

This came to mind while recall-ing the importance of those who served our nation during times of world strife, and I felt the need to say “thank you” to all those still with us, and those who have passed before by giving us their supreme sacrifice.

Remembrance Day

Page 6: Remembrance Day

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6C | ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011 REMEMBRANCEDAY

BERNICE COLLINS

by Ashlan Thomas-Ermter

Alberni District Secondary School students, left to right, Skyler Chartrand, Danielle Tolfo and

Ashlan Thomas-Carter with Bernice Collins. [HEATHER THOMSON, TIMES]

by Skyler Chartrand

Korea There is blood on the hills of

Korea ’Tis the blood of the brave

and true Where the 25th brigade

battled together Under the banner of the red,

white and blue As they marched over the

fields of korea To the hills where the

enemy lay, They remembered the briga-

dier’s orders: “These hills must be taken

today’’ Forward they marched into

battle With faces unsmiling and

stern, They knew as they charged

the hillside That some would never

return. Some thought of their wives

and mothers, Some thought of their sweethearts so fair,

And some as they plodded and stumbled,

Were reverently whispering a prayer.

There is blood on the hills of Korea,

It is the gift of freedom they love,

May their names live in glory forever,

And their souls rest in heav-en above.

This poem was written on May 29, 1951 by Patrick J. O’Connor.

He was a stretcher beared in the Royal Canadian Army in Korea.

He was killed in action May 30, 1951, while assisting some wounded comrades. The poem was found in his personal effects the next day. He had been in Korea a month. It was his 5th day of action.

In Flanders

FieldsIn Flanders Fields the pop-

pies blowBetween the crosses, row on

row,That mark our place; and in

the skyThe larks, still bravely sing-

ing, flyScarce heard amid the guns

below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sun-set glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

by John McCrae

Page 7: Remembrance Day

3550 Johnston Road • 250-720-0085Locally owned & operated by J&K Oliver Enterprises IncMon - Fri 8am-8pm; Sat 8am-7pm; Sun 9am-5pm

PORT ALBERNI

We salute those who have served!

They Served for us!They Served for us!

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WeRemember

Remember Our VeteransNovember 11th

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Thanks to all of our Veterans for their service andThanks to all of our Veterans for their service and

for making Canada the great country that it is.for making Canada the great country that it is.

2530 Timberland Road 250-723-7713

Junction Self StorageThank you to all of those

who fought for our country, for the freedom we have today!

REMEMBRANCEDAY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011 | ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES | 7C

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock,I’ve seen it all,

Men in muddy trenchesSilently shivering, teeth

chattering,Struggling to be brave.

Three generations have sat in these trenches

I have accompanied them all.“Synchronize watches!”

This is my job,

I must tell the men when to attack.

1400 hours hits, the whistle blows And gun shots are fired.

Soldiers drop to the cold, hard ground.

The others pause for a moment to grieve

But they must keep fighting for their country.

The smell of fear falls upon the

battlefield.Going home is always

emotionalGood memories are shared,Bad memories kept secret.

I have been used for show-and-tell on many occasions

Because…I have watched it all.

by Talea Forbes

In the First World War, crisis was everywhere, and synchron-izing was absolute key in every

aspect of battle. Soldiers would head out to their

point of station, whether it was in the trenches or other various locations, to set up in prepara-tion for attack. Conditions were very harsh with excessive rain and mud, yet the soldiers always kept their heads up to fight for the peace and freedom which we now have today.

All in battle were equipped with much-needed tools. Along with grenades and other tools of battle, soldiers held a whistle and gun, yet the most important tool needed was the pocket watch. Only commanders had the right and responsibility of having the pocket watch, and having the important job of keeping everything on time.

Everything anyone in the war knew was based around timing,

synchronizing, and winding the watch to keep it dynamic and effective. They would find their time of attack, and at that time the commander would yell out to his squad, and the attack would begin. As you can imagine, this would be a very hard task to accomplish given the conditions they were in.

Veteran and Alberni Valley resi-dent Brian Thorburn once said, “This proves God is a woman. If he was a man, he would have made us with three hands,” referring to one hand for the pocket watch, one for the whistle, and another for the gun.

But, as that is next to impossible, having three hands, the soldiers came up with other resources to satisfy their “three-handed-needs.” The brilliant idea came about to tie your pocket watch around your wrist with a string.

Once word got around about this

magnificent and efficient idea, factories were mass producing them for soldiers at war and for sales across the globe. The idea of pocket watches then lessened as wrist watches took over. By 1923, wrist watches were now auto-matic; no longer did the user need to wind it every so often to keep it functioning.

Now, when you look at a pocket watch, do you still picture in your head a man with glasses holding it in the late 1800s? Do you see an important step to the creation of wrist watches? Or do you see the courage, strength and struggle the commanders wearing the pocket watches on their wrists to keep the synchronizing for the end result of peace and freedom?

I bet now you have a different outlook and respect for a little gadget we take for granted.

by Caitlin Royendyk

The Journey

I recall my childhoodGrowing up on a farm

Gazing through the frost-bitten windowsTowards a land

Shaped by our broken backs

The distance we travelledThe relentless shivers

Towards a placeNever again, I was toldIt’s a long trudge ahead

I revisit the warMy brother came home

Application in handWe went together

But our paths dividedTo the sky he wentI could not follow

Repairing and renewingHudsons to LiberatorsWill I see him again?

I remember the pastFor some, nightmares

recurringMemories created

Honour and freedomCrying and despair

Seem equalFor the price we paidI recall my childhood

I revisit the warI remember the past

Never again

by Eric Wu and Cortland Thibodeau

GLENN SIMPSON

Learning more about the past from veteran Glenn Simpson are, left to right, Cortland Thibodeau, Eric Wu and John Dube. [JULIA CARANCI, TIMES]

by John Dube

The importance of synchronizing

BRIAN THORBURN

Pocket watch

Photos tell stories, as veteran Brian Thorburn explained to ADSS students Caitlin Royendyk, centre, and Talea Forbes. [JULIA CARANCI, TIMES]

Dearest Mother,

The war that apparently I am part of is not at all what I had imagined when I joined the military.

Even though I have yet to be a part of any combat, I see those who have, those who are broken inside or maimed on the outside, the many who leave and the few return.

These things frighten me. What could possibly cause all this death and destruction? So much harm,

what would drive people to this? I think it’s best to keep these thoughts out of my head, though they still pes-

ter me, many of the others say that I shouldn’t think, ‘just do,’ the meaning of which eludes me.

I’m sure I’ll find out soon though, as we’re shipping out soon. Wish me luck.– Your son, Keith

Page 8: Remembrance Day

HEATHER THOMSON ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES

Last month, students and veter-ans sat down in a high school class-room to get to know each other and listen to stories of years gone by.

The students are part of the social justice class 12 class, and the goal was to bring the groups together to learn from each other and share the experience with Alberni Valley Times readers.

Their teacher, Kama Money, believes the students took a lot away from the interaction they had with the veterans.

“This inter-generational dia-logue is integral to the effect-iveness of our program, as it provides students with the oppor-tunity for vicarious first-hand experience through the memories of local veterans,” she said. “I real-ize that not many of my lessons will stick with the students for the rest of their lives, but, it’s safe to say, that this one definitely will.”

Legion representative Gra-ham Fox agreed it was a unique experience.

“The historical connotation of the event at the high school is big,” explained Fox, who was instrumen-tal in bringing the students and veterans together. “The vets enjoy it and they know there is a limited time for them to relay their mes-sage and share their stories.”

He added that it is also a chance for the students to hear about a time and event that, “hope-fully, they will never have to experience.”

He said at first the veterans were dubious, but once they arrived all of that disappeared and they were at ease almost immediately.

“You could feel the emotion

almost immediately,” he said. Kama Money teaches the stu-

dents, and she was pleased with the whole experience.

“In social justice, we learn about both historical and contempor-ary examples of discrimination, genocide and abuses of power,” she said.

“We also discuss ways that nor-mal people have gathered their courage and resources to stand up against injustice.”

She said it was an honor to have our community’s veterans, repre-senting a range of Canadian and British conflicts, take the time to share their experiences with our next generation of leaders.

“None glorified the experiences

of war. It’s unfortunately a neces-sary evil that they participated in to retain the peace we all enjoy today,” she said. “We can never forget their sacrifices or take our quality of life for granted.”

After talking to the veterans in groups, each student composed something, in their own style, that reflected what they heard. These stories, poems and artworks are featured in this special Remem-brance Day section.

The staff at the Times would like to thank Money, her stu-dents and Legion members for their hard work and passion for this project.

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Veterans gather at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 293 and invite people to come out and join them on Remembrance Day at Alberni District Secondary School on Friday. [GRAHAM FOX, FOR THE TIMES]

LEGION 293 VETERANS

ANDREW MORRICE

Vets pass stories on to eager class

Family shares stories from their grandfatherThese are a few stories shared

with us by our grandfather Andrew Morrice, who left

for the Second World War in April 1940, and returned home to Scot-land in March 1945. He was on the River Rhine in Germany when the war ended.

His was in a wine cellar that he and his comrades had found that was full of wine. They all starting drinking the wine. Then someone entered and told them the war was over they told him he was full of garbage and con-tinued drinking their wine and stayed for two days, not knowing that the war was really over.

Andrew’s wife Margaret was home in Scotland with their two small children when one night she saw a flare. She knew it was the Germans so she ran to get her children. She went to her son first and lucky for that, as she turned with him the window blew in the glass was every-where. The ceiling fell in and landed on his bed.

Their daughter fell through her crib to the floor with the weight of the ceiling, Margaret found her in the dark, she put one child under each arm and started to shimmy down the stairs when she realized that the ladder used to run to the attic to throw sand on the bombs had fallen off the wall and she caught her under-wear on it.

She had two young boys help her retrieve her stroller, which was covered in debris; with the two children safe in the stroller. She went to meet her mother and

younger sister. They all made it safely to the bomb shelter.

That day, nine people who lived behind, in front of and to the sides of their flat were killed. On a happy note, when Andrew went to the airport in France to go home he bumped into someone. When he turned to say sorry, he found it was his brother who he had not seen since the war started.

Andrew, his wife Margaret and their two children came to Canada, where they both worked and raised their children, later retiring to Victoria and then Port Alberni. Andrew passed away in March 2007.

Margaret still resides in Port Alberni.

by Andrew’s granddaughters

ANDREW MORRICE