Operations Order for Class of '63 2009 Reunion
Hi to all members of the Class of 1963.
Our 2009 Reunion promises to be our best ever, with many of our lost classmates reconnecting with the Class and the College. Of course, entering the Old Brigade (did we think we would ever make it, looking at those old codgers, during our Recruit Year?) and dedicating our Class’s Wall of Honour (see details at http://www.rmc.ca/cam/wh-mh/index-eng.asp ) will be only two of the weekend’s many highlights.
This is the penultimate operations order for our 2009 Class Reunion. Please order tickets for the Legacy Dinner, Old Brigade Dinner and Saturday (not Sunday) lunch through Panet House. 613-541-6000 or 1-888-386-3762, fax: 613-542-7824. Advise Barry Winfield if you are attending the Friday evening Class party and the Sunday brunch at his home: barry.winfield@sympatico.ca , 613-547-3167.
1. RMC Class of ’63 Wall of Honour. Please give generously. This is our Class gift and initiative. The Wall of Honour is an imaginative, historic and inspiring concept. The College and the Commandant, BGen Tom Lawson, are confident that our Wall of Honour will eventually be second in importance and significance only to the Memorial Arch. To find out who the Class leader is for your area, please contact Mike Morres mfmorres@telus.net , Dennis Apedaile mdapedaile@shaw.ca or Tom Gee tomgee@persona.ca . You are encouraged to donate this calendar year and subsequent years (to cover ongoing administrative costs) to take advantage of the tax benefits. Don’t forget that you can donate in many ways – for instance, stocks and bonds, insurance policies, gifts in kind and bequests. Art Hunter arthunter@gmail.com is in charge of the digital Wall of Honour.
2. Classmates Missing in Action. Please contact and remind all those who entered one of the three Military Colleges with us that they are full-fledged Ex-Cadets. We would be delighted to have them participate in the 2009 and subsequent Reunion Weekends, and to enter the Old Brigade with us.
3. Widows. Widows inherit their spouses’ College Numbers with a prefix “W.” Let’s invite and host all of these “classmates” who wish to attend.
4. Schedule. Go to http://www.rmcclub.ca/PDFs/2009KinstonReunionSchedule.pdf for all timings and locations.
a. Thursday, October 1st.
· Garry King is organizing a forty-person “Sky King Golf Tournament,” starting at 9:30 am, with those arriving later in Kingston teeing off last. Prizes for all participants. For those who wish to participate, contact Garry at Garry.King@kos.net .
· The RMC Club Foundation Legacy Dinner. This is a co-ed dinner. At present, we have over forty attending from our Class. We will all be seated together in tables of eight or ten (depending on the venue), near the head table. At one point, all Class members will gather before the multitude to present a large foam-core cheque that represents the grand total of all Class donations since 1963. That may be in the $500,000 range. Minimum order of dress is blazer and Old Brigade ties. However, many of those attending each year wear black tie. You must order your tickets via http://www.rmcclubfoundation.ca/ , by e-mail via rmcclubfoundation@rmc.ca , or call them at 613-541-6000 (Ext. 6850), toll Free: 1-888-386-3762. Tickets are $150 each, with a charitable tax receipt for approximately $100, depending on the cost of food and wine, which must be subtracted from the cost of the ticket, for tax purposes.
b. Friday, October 2nd.
· Recruit Obstacle Course, 1415 to 1700 hrs. If you have not seen the new version of the Obstacle Course, I strongly recommend it. They now run it in Squadron teams. The cadets' spirit and teamwork is inspirational and reassuring that all is still well with the Cadet Wing and their spirit. At the end of the Course (on the parade square), our Class will hand out the College coins to the First Year - as they are known after the Obstacle Course. We need at least 16 Class members for this function. Please wear red to show your support both for the College and for our service men and women (Red Fridays).
· Class party, 1800 hrs in the Senior Staff Mess (south of Panet House - the old Staff Adjutant's quarters). Cost not yet fixed, since that will depend on the numbers of Class members and spice/significant others/friends, etc. attending. There will be a sit-down dinner. Dress is smart casual - no shorts, T-shirts or jeans. There will be a DJ playing 50s and 60s music. This will be in a separate room so that those who want to converse may do so at normal volumes - turn up the hearing aids.
c. Saturday, October 3rd. This is a jam-packed day, starting at 8:00 am, with the Club and Foundation Annual General Meetings in Currie Hall. Again, refer to the timings shown at http://www.rmcclub.ca/PDFs/2009KinstonReunionSchedule.pdf .
· I urge you to show up early for the Cadet Wing parade - starting at 10:00 am, wearing Old Brigade garb, and carrying blankets, rain gear and brollies. There is special seating for the Old Brigade, but it fills up quickly, given the size of the OB now, and the fact that two Classes - ours and 1964 - are entering this year. Tea, coffee and stickies will be available, starting at about 9:00 am, tentatively in the Senior Staff Mess. That location may be changed, however, to Birchall Hall, up the stairs from Currie Hall, in Mackenzie Building.
· Luncheon in the New Gym and Cadet Dining Hall, immediately after the parade. Please buy your tickets at Panet House. There is not enough time to for our Class to have lunch downtown and get back for the
· Wall of Honour Dedication, 1400 hrs. Obviously, this is a three-line whip function for our Class. Excused parade is cancelled for the sick, lame and lazy.
· Sports all afternoon. You can still join after the Wall dedication.
· Old Brigade Dinner at Zorbas Banquet Hall, 1474 Bath Road - west end of Kingston. 1800 for 1900 hrs. This is about a fifteen-minute drive from downtown. Dress is blazer and tie minimum, although once again there will be many in black tie. $65.00 per person for Club members, $80.00 for non-members. Order through and pick up your tickets at Panet House. To allow Zorbas to prepare food and lay on staff, purchases of tickets for this dinner will close three days in advance. Our Class will have assigned seating. Small tables (8 to 10). Wine included. Our Class will be singing an Old Brigade recruit-Class entry song. Doug Sinclair will conduct a rehearsal at our Friday Class party.
d. Sunday, October 4th. Please note that our Class will not be attending the Sunday luncheon in the Senior Staff Mess. Panet House is asking those who phone them to buy a ticket for that luncheon. However, if you are dealing with Mary Darlington, the Kit Shop Manager, she knows about our Sunday brunch at Barry Winfield’s home, immediately after the March to the Arch.
· Inter-faith Church Service, Currie Hall, 0900 to 0930 hrs.
· Pre-parade beverages in front of the Senior Staff Mess, 0930 hrs.
· March to the Arch. Dress blazers and Old Brigade gear, including beret and College cap badge. Fall in at 1015.
· Class luncheon at Barry Winfield's home, 1685 South Blvd, on Treasure Island (causeway to the Island), eight kms East of the College off Highway 2. (613) 547-3167. Any dress you want. Canoeing and sailing will be available from Barry's dock. Even if you cannot stay for food, please drop in to say your farewells to classmates.
5. Accommodation.
· Best Western Peachtree Inn, about $110. These are the best rates in Kingston at this time of year, but it is 12 kms from the College. Details at www.peachtreeinn.net
1187PrincessStreet
Kingston,ON,K7M3E1
(800)706-0698
Get directions· Erin Finucan
Senior Sales Manager
Ambassador Conference Resort, $142, with two queen beds.
1550 Princess Street, Kingston, ON, K7M 9E3
613-541-4681, sales@ambassadorhotel.com
613-561-6679, cell phone
· Greenwoods B&B on Highway 15, four kms north of the College at http://www.greenwoods-inn.ca/Accommodation.htm, Phone (613) 544 1922 ~ Toll Free 1 866 878 1884. They have only the Linden Room, with two singles, at $159.
· I have booked thirty rooms at the Radisson Hotel, (613) 549-8100, 1 Johnson Street, for the period 1-4 October 2009. The rate for an Executive King is, unfortunately, $199 per night. I am trying to get another less expensive hotel; however, the period of our RMC Reunion is still high season in Kingston. The hotels can sell every room and will not give competitive rates.
· The Frontenac Club Inn, 225 King Street East, 613.547.6167 (Susan or Beare) www.frontenacclub.com . At the moment they are full, but you may wish to put your name on a waiting list in case of a cancellation. Their rooms are terrific, breakfast is included and we have the whole place for the Class. This Inn is three blocks south of City Hall and the Radisson. Since we have the whole Inn booked, we can set up a bar, music, etc, for informal get-togethers.
· The Four Points Sheraton, 285 King Street East (two doors from the Kingston Brew Pub), 888-478-4333. Rates are two Queen-size beds for $220, King for $230 and Junior Suite (two couples) $250
6. Old Brigade Biography Project. Go to our Class website for Tom Gee’s letter of instruction at http://www.rmc63.ca/BioProj/letter.pdf . There is no template. If you grovel, Fred Carpenter may still let you submit your bio, preferably in Word, direct to him. Please advise Fred Carpenter carpenteres@rogers.com and/or Jim McNeill jmcneill@datalogics.com when you have entered your copy, and they will format the text and picture(s) that you have submitted. The tentative title of our book is The RMC Class of ’63 Old Brigade Biographies, a Half-Century of Experience.
If you have any questions, please direct them to the Reunion Committee: Mike Morres, Rob Gray, Ted King and me.
Version française à suivre.
TDV/VDV,
5851 Barry Winfield
1682 South Blvd
Kingston, Ontario
K7L 4V1
(613) 547-3167
Fax (613) 547-4398