Reminder: Air Canada and Westjet Baggage Policy for serving and retired military personnel

For Air Canada

A reminder that eligible active and retired members of the Canadian and U.S. military are entitled up to three pieces of checked baggage, each weighing up to 32 kg (70 lb) each, free of charge, whenever they travel on a flight operated by Air Canada, Air Canada rouge or Air Canada Express.

For details please go to the following sites:

• http://www.aircanada.com/en/news/140529.html, accessed 2015 Dec
• http://www.aircanada.com/en/agents_na/policies/documents/military_baggage_policy.pdf, accessed 2015 Dec

For Westjet 

WestJet waives baggage fees up to a maximum of four bags on WestJet flights and a maximum of three bags on WestJet Encore flights for active and retired Canadian military personnel as well as active military personnel from other countries. In order to qualify for this exemption, military identification must be shown.

For full details pleae go to:  http://www.westjet.com/en-ca/travel-info/baggage/checked-excess, accessed 2016 July

Bon Voyaging !

Club End-of-Year Luncheon at Royal Roads University: THURSDAY June 1st, 2017

Ex-Cadets! Accompanied by your spouse, partner, or other guests, as you may choose, you are invited to join your colleagues at the End-of-Year Club Luncheon at Royal Roads University (in stead of the usual Monthly Luncheon at the CFB Esquimalt Wardroom). Festivities will commence at 1130 Thursday, June 1st in the Drawing Room of Hatley Castle at Royal Roads University (https://goo.gl/maps/hEzPxv8W72D2). Lunch will begin about 1230.

[NOTA BENE!: This event has previously been advertised, including on our blog calendar here, as occurring on another date (which shall not be named in an attempt to avoid any further confusion!). The date posted above is correct. The VIECC End-of-Year Luncheon will take place in Hatley Castle at RRU on THURSDAY 01 Jun 2017, REPEAT, THURSDAY 01 Jun 2017.]

Cost: $25.00 per person and there will be a cash bar. Payment may be made by cash or cheque to the Treasurer, Don Lovell (or his representative), in advance or at the door.

Reservations: Required for this event. Contact Willy Anderson at eventcoordviecc@gmail.com or by phone 250-370-1590 to register yourself and your guests.

Cancellation Policy: Should you withdraw your reservation after 1300 PDT, Tuesday, 30 May, you may be requested to remit the cost of your meals to avoid the Club incurring a loss on the event. Extenuating circumstances will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Executive.

Parking: Thursday is a normal working day for Royal Roads University so pay parking will be in effect.

Accessibility: Special parking arrangements close to the Castle can be made for those who have a requirement, by including a request in your reservation.

Name Tags: Members are encouraged to wear your Club name tag. If you wish to procure one please contact the Club Secretary, Tony Brooks, at viexcadetclub@gmail.com.

Menu: Soup-of-the-day and gourmet sandwiches; followed by dessert bars, squares and cookies; all accompanied by Level Ground direct fair trade dark roast coffee and Numi organic teas. Please advise Willy of any food allergies when you submit your subscription.
********************************

This event will draw a close to our formal 2016–2017 social season. The Executive is considering an informal barbeque event for August–stay tuned here for further announcements on this. We will recommence the regular Monthly Luncheons on Thursday, 07 Sep 17, at a venue to be announced (probably the CFB Esquimalt Wardroom).

Passing of Dave Rutherford – RRMC Head Gardener; Friend of Hatley Park

We have been informed that Dave Rutherford, former Head Gardener of RRMC, passed away 10 May 2017.

Don Lovell, our Treasurer wrote this short memorial:

“Dave started work at Royal Roads Military College in 1970 as a Gardener. He was Head Gardener in 1995 at the closing of Roads. Dave was made Manager of Grounds and Gardens for Royal Roads University and retired in 2010. Dave served as a Director for RRU and was a long serving member, Director and Treasurer of The Friends of Hatley Park.

Over the past few months I was able to visit Dave in his beautiful home in Sooke which he built. The attention to detail, the Arts & Crafts design with some references to Hatley Castle were evident throughout. I will remember Dave as a devoted family man, of keen intelligence with a caring and gentle approach to life.”

Dave’s obituary is here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/timescolonist/obituary.aspx?n=dave-rutherford&pid=185480141

Reminder: Celebration of Life, 5516 Hank Schaumburg

The Celebration of Life for our Old Brigade compatriot, 5516 Hank Schaumburg, will be held tomorrow at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club from 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm.

Fair Winds and Following Seas

Final Reminder (& New Note): North of the Malahat Meet’n’Greet: Wayward Distillation House, Courtenay, 19:00H PDT, Saturday May 13th 2017

[See new note in “Car Pooling” section, below.]

As announced at the AGM, The Vancouver Island Ex-Cadet Club will host a Meet & Greet in Courtenay featuring a Dessert and Spirit Pairing at the Wayward Distillation House.

Tria Fine Catering and Gourmet Eats will provide the desserts.

The event is being held to continue the momentum of the Cherry Point Winery luncheon of May 2016, and to foster camaraderie between Victoria area Ex-cadets and those club members who reside North of the Malahat. It is intended to be an informal, fun occasion held at a time and venue convenient for participation by as many Ex-Cadets and club members as possible, accompanied by their partner, spouse and, or, guest(s).

Date/Time: Saturday May 13th, 19:00H.

Cost: The cost of the event will be $10 per person (cash), payable at the door. Kevin Macdonald will collect the tariff at the event. (To ensure the “Prix Fix” for the event, the Club has authorized a modest subsidization if required.)

The products of the distillery will be available for purchase separately. (see accompanying photo)

INTENTION TO ATTEND: Members are requested to subscribe as early as possible for this event, but in any case NO LATER THAN 12:00PDT Wednesday May 10 to the Club Event Coordinator, 6216 Willy Anderson, who can be contacted either at eventcoordviecc@gmail.com or by phone at +1(250)370.1590.

This event requires a minimum participation of 20 persons in advance.

Accommodation: For those wishing to stay in the Courtenay area for this event, Andrew Gower, our lead organizer, has arranged preferential rates at:

The Old House Hotel and Spa

1730 Riverside Lane

Courtenay, BC V9N 8C7

Toll Free: 1(888)703-0202

http://www.oldhousehotel.com or http://www.ohspa.ca https://vimeo.com/195063342 .

The Studio rate is $124.95, River View Studio rate is $139.95, the 1 Bedroom Suite is $154.95, and the River View 1 Bedroom Suite $169.95 .

Order of Dress: Casual.

Car Pooling: All participants are encouraged to be environmentally friendly by organizing car-pooling arrangements among themselves. [Late-breaking New Note!: John Tyrell has generously offered to drive a few folks from the Nanaimo area to the event if they don’t have a ride. If you don’t have John’s contact information, query Willy or Tony.]

Location: The distillery features prominently on Google Maps at:

https://goo.gl/maps/8pwE1KtjtWt (Directions from Mile Zero Terry Fox Memorial)

or

https://g.co/kgs/lL5J1L (Web browser locator)

From downtown Victoria, the trip to Courtenay should take approximately 3 to 3 ½ hours.

Address:

Wayward Distillation House

2931 Moray Ave.

Courtenay, BC. V9N 7S7

(250)218-2363

Tria Fine Catering & Gourmet Eats, (Email: info@triafinecatering.ca), Telephone: (250) 871-8716

The Vancouver Island Ex-Cadet Club wishes to thank Andrew Gower and David Brimacombe for arranging this event, and Mallory Whitmell for her enthusiastic assistance.

6216 Willy Anderson, Club Event Coordinator.

eminder: North of the Malahat Meet’n’Greet: Wayward Distillation House, Courtenay, 19:00H PDT, Saturday May 13th 2017

As announced at the AGM, The Vancouver Island Ex-Cadet Club will host a Meet & Greet in Courtenay featuring a Dessert and Spirit Pairing at the Wayward Distillation House.

Tria Fine Catering and Gourmet Eats will provide the desserts.

The event is being held to continue the momentum of the Cherry Point Winery luncheon of May 2016, and to foster camaraderie between Victoria area Ex-cadets and those club members who reside North of the Malahat. It is intended to be an informal, fun occasion held at a time and venue convenient for participation by as many Ex-Cadets and club members as possible, accompanied by their partner, spouse and, or, guest(s).

Date/Time: Saturday May 13th, 19:00H.

Cost: The cost of the event will be $10 per person (cash), payable at the door. Kevin Macdonald will collect the tariff at the event. (To ensure the “Prix Fix” for the event, the Club has authorized a modest subsidization if required.)

The products of the distillery will be available for purchase separately. (see accompanying photo)

INTENTION TO ATTEND: Members are requested to subscribe as early as possible for this event, but in any case NO LATER THAN 12:00PDT Wednesday May 10 to the Club Event Coordinator, 6216 Willy Anderson, who can be contacted either at eventcoordviecc@gmail.com or by phone at +1(250)370.1590.

This event requires a minimum participation of 20 persons in advance.

Accommodation: For those wishing to stay in the Courtenay area for this event, Andrew Gower, our lead organizer, has arranged preferential rates at:

The Old House Hotel and Spa

1730 Riverside Lane

Courtenay, BC V9N 8C7

Toll Free: 1(888)703-0202

http://www.oldhousehotel.com or http://www.ohspa.ca https://vimeo.com/195063342 .

The Studio rate is $124.95, River View Studio rate is $139.95, the 1 Bedroom Suite is $154.95, and the River View 1 Bedroom Suite $169.95 .

Order of Dress: Casual.

Car Pooling: All participants are encouraged to be environmentally friendly by organizing car-pooling arrangements among themselves.

Location: The distillery features prominently on Google Maps at:

https://goo.gl/maps/8pwE1KtjtWt (Directions from Mile Zero Terry Fox Memorial)

or

https://g.co/kgs/lL5J1L (Web browser locator)

From downtown Victoria, the trip to Courtenay should take approximately 3 to 3 ½ hours.

Address:

Wayward Distillation House

2931 Moray Ave.

Courtenay, BC. V9N 7S7

(250)218-2363

Tria Fine Catering & Gourmet Eats, (Email: info@triafinecatering.ca), Telephone: (250) 871-8716

The Vancouver Island Ex-Cadet Club wishes to thank Andrew Gower and David Brimacombe for arranging this event, and Mallory Whitmell for her enthusiastic assistance.

6216 Willy Anderson, Club Event Coordinator.

Fwd: Ministry of Education Engineering Opportunity

Jim Alkins, CD, PEng (RMC 74) has informed our Treasurer, Don Lovell, of a job posting….

“Please share with others in Victoria; I think a MILE officer civil engineer could be a good fit if they want to do other than detail design work…:

Hello all.

I wanted to draw your attention to an employment opportunity as a Manager, Engineering within the Capital Division at the BC Ministry of Education found at https://www.apeg.bc.ca/Careers/Career-Listings/Job-Postings/Job-Details?JobId=v328q3r5pperfcrr

Given your areas of expertise, position and relationship to the Ministry’s Seismic Mitigation Program, I thought you could forward this opportunity to your network to identify individuals who may be interested in this employment opportunity.

The competition closes May 10th.

Regards.
 
 
Michael Nyikes

Director, Standards & Construction Branch
Capital Division
Ministry of Education

ph: (250)893-6268

 

— 

Jim Alkins P.Eng.

Alkins Project Services Inc.

1-604-991-0486″

Obituary: SMITH, Colonel (Retired) Arthur Harcourt Carington “Harky, ” MMM, SBStJ, CD, D.ScMil

We have received notification of the loss of Colonel “Harky”  Smith, former Director of Administration at RMCC, 1983–1986, on April 24, 2017.

The obituary has been carried in several Canadian newspapers. Here it is at the Ottawa Citizen portion of Legacy.com:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ottawacitizen/obituary.aspx?pid=185243868

Reminder: Monthly Luncheon Thursday, 04 May 2017; 1130 for 1230

The regular monthly Members’ luncheon of the Vancouver Island Ex-Cadet Club will be held Thursday, 04 May 2017 at the CFB Esquimalt Wardroom.  Ex-Cadets and Club Members are invited to attend and may be accompanied by their guest(s), spouse or partner. We gather in the main lounge at about 11:30 for the customary beer and banter before proceeding to lunch at 12:30.

Cost: $15.00 per attendee to be paid in cash at the event.

Intention to attend: Members are requested to respond with their intentions for this event as early as possible, but NO LATER THAN 1700 Tues 02 May to the Club Event Coordinator so that he can provide an accurate attendance number to the galley. Willy Anderson can be contacted either at eventcoordviecc@gmail.com or by phone at +1(250)370-1590.

Name Tags: Members are requested to wear their name tags. If you wish to procure one please contact the Club Treasurer at viexcadetclub@gmail.com .

Bon appétit!
6216 Willy Anderson
Club Event Coordinator.

Last Chance: Wounded Warriors Canada WW1 Battlefield Bike Tour 2017

From Ex-Cadet 16570 Warren McCall

  

If you enjoy bicycling and history then you can help support wounded CAF members, veterans and their families. Join me Warren, and my wife Wanda, on the WW1 Battlefield Bike Ride June 9 – 17, 2017. We will be meeting in England and then riding across to France. We will be visiting many sites such as Ypres, Passchendaele, Tyne Cot, Sanctuary Wood, the Somme, Flanders, Vimy.

The goal is to remember and honour the nearly 61,000 Canadians who gave their lives and the over 170,000 wounded during the First World War, and, to raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Canada mission, “To honour and support Canada’s ill and injured Canadian Armed Forces members, Veterans, First Responders and their families.”
We are looking forward to putting together a large contingent of Ex-Cadets as well as RMCC alumni and staff on this ride!

An overview of the 2017 ride can be found here: http://woundedwarriors.ca/battlefield-bike-ride-2017/home/

Full details on the ride can be found here:  http://woundedwarriors.ca/fileadmin/pdf/BBR17-Information-Booklet.pdf

For those who may wish to join our team, they can do so here: https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/ReturningRegistrantOption.aspx?eventid=204333&langpref=en-CA&TeamID=715905&Referrer=https%3a%2f%2fsecure.e2rm.com%2fregistrant%2fTeamFundraisingPage.aspx%3fteamID%3d715905

For those who may wish to donate to my ride you can do so here: https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=3517152&langPref=en-CA#&panel1-2

Visit the Battlefield Bike Ride facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/wwcbbr.