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Many celebrations are now taking place since the long dry spell inflicted upon us by Covid has relaxed and unlimited group size gatherings are again permitted. This is the case with the RCAF Gala Ball which was held on June 3rd, 2023, at the Infinity Centre in Ottawa. This Ball was originally planned for 2020, cancelled and rescheduled, cancelled and rescheduled, etc., five times before finally taking place last Saturday night.
As with most affairs of this type, fancy dress was the order of the day, albeit with a nod to the 1920s for some of the ladies who came in period dress. Why period dress? Because the RCAF will celebrate its 100th Anniversary on April 1st, 2024, and people are already in the mood. Historically, the air element that came out of WWI was the Canadian Air Force which was only two squadrons and didn’t survive much past the armistice. In 1920, the Canadian Air Force was re-established as part of the Air Board until in 1924 it was granted a royal title and became the Royal Canadian Air Force.
I must say that decorations for the room were resplendent in their colours and effects. Lots of blue of course, but also reds in the flower arrangements and a rose at every place setting along with a commemorative wine glass. A nice touch with the flower centerpieces was that they were placed high, some on towers and some on pedestals, which allowed the people at the table to see and talk to each other without having to peer around the flowers. In the middle of the towers were models of WWI aircraft wired into position to look like they were flying. Very nice. Unfortunately, most of the guests didn’t get the full effect as when they came in, the lights were all turned down and the richness of the room was lost.
Outside also had events to be taken in. There was a vintage fire truck and ambulance where guests could have pictures taken and a performance by the RCAF Pipes and Drums. There was also a station under the entrance roof where the couples’ pictures were being taken and the line for that wound deep into the parking lot. My feeling is, however, that many people got into that line thinking it was the line to enter the event and stood there for a while before they realized they could just walk into the event using the door to the right or left of the settee.
For this Gala, the organizing committee had a real coupe for a speaker in that Col Jeremy Hansen was the guest of honour. Leading the speakers was the Commander of the RCAF himself, LGen Eric Kenny, and singing the national anthem at the start of the show was internationally known singer and the Honorary Colonel of the RCAF, Ms. Loreena McKennitt. Also in attendance was General (ret’d) Richard Rohmer who, at 99 years of age, is a veteran of D-Day, the Liberation of Holland, and the Battle of Normandy. Another claim to fame for Rohmer is that during a recce mission he spotted what he thought to be a German staff car and radioed in the position. A Spitfire was sent out to take care of the car and the pilot (another Canadian) shot it up. In that car was German General Erwin Rommel.
Alas, at the edge of the dance floor was a small table with three chairs and place settings. This was Table for Missing Aviators. As explained by the RCAF Association website,
“The table is small symbolizing the frailty of our chosen profession; The tablecloth is white symbolizing the purity of our comrades’ intentions when they answered our country’s call to arms; The single rose displayed in the vase reminds us of their families and loved ones; The red ribbon tied so prominently on the vase is symbolic of the blood they have shed so that we may enjoy freedom; The slice of lemon is set on the bread plate to remind us of their bitter fate; The salt upon the bread plate is symbolic of the family’s tears as they wait for someone who will not return; The glass is inverted for they cannot toast with us this evening; Other chairs are drawn away from the table, for they are not here in body but they are with us in spirit”
LGen Kenny addressed the guests and talked about how proud he was of those present as well as their spouses, who have supported their careers often at the expense of their own. LGen Kenny was followed by Col Jeremy Hansen who, as all know, is slated to go into space aboard Artemis II in November, 2024, for a 10 day mission.
Col Hansen started out by recognizing those present as a group with whom he identifies but sometimes has trouble explaining who they are. To others he says,
“This is a group of people who exist for the things that [you] can’t do. The ones that you call on when all of your other support services have been exhausted. … These are the minds that we have trained to create solutions.”
To give some examples of what he meant, he launched (no pun intended) into an anecdote about his training years and the Escape and Evasion exercise he went through where he and his buddy encountered numerous challenges and had to come up with creative solutions to get to the end of the exercise successfully.
He then spoke of the upcoming Artemis II flight and its purpose. He spoke mostly of assessing risk in that the first part is 1.5 hours in which they test the capsule and make a go/no go decision based on how things go. From that point, they move to a higher orbit (60,000 kilometres) for a full day, further testing the vehicle for issues before moving away from their last chance to come home. Finally, they head to the moon for the eight day trip around and back.
He lastly spoke of the new space economy and how the line between military and commercial space use was getting very blurry and his hopes that both military and commercial exploration of space will contribute to the knowledge of each other and for the good of everyone on earth.
With Col. Hansen back at his table, I took my leave prior to the Loyal Toast and dancing so I’m afraid you’ll have to look elsewhere for information on the goings on after 2100 hours.
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