Yesterday, Ma and I attended the Kangaroo reunion here in Toronto. For me, this has been an annual occasion for a few years now, and it was personally gratifying to once again have a few precious hours to spend with men who have over time become friends. As per Mark's comments in the other thread, I know Ma enjoyed herself too, and I KNOW the fellas enjoyed her!
We took with us a few small contributions to bring some colour to the event: Rupert, my Armoured Corps captain replete with black beret and Kangaroo badge; 22 copies of Mark's new book, generously donated by Hanno and Clive; and 16 pages of outstanding then-and-now pictures of other Kangaroos which Bill Miller has compiled and sent to me in a PDF file for printing, along with a letter of intent for distribution to all indicating his current project of assembling the most complete history of the Kangaroos - both Canadian and British - in existence.
Mark and his wife Denise drove up from London to sign these books and meet the lads. I think the Kangaroos were duly impressed.
In addition to the 16 or 17 Kangaroos in attendance, there was also a Dutchman (now resident in Canada) who had been liberated by them; a CBC producer who's been there before; Col. Peter Turner, Colonel-Commandant of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps; Mike Shultz, retired military himself whose father was Tpr Shultz of 1CACR; several sons of attending and past Kangaroos, and a few others who have associations in one way or another.
Two of the Kangaroos are in their ninties now, the rest being mid to late eighties.
What astounded me was not only the size of the turn-out - the largest I've seen - but the fact that most were there a good hour before the official start-time; last year I arrived at 1130 and was the second one present. This year we arrived at 1100 and was one of the
last ones there...
The meeting was called to order after the last of them - 94 year-old Ken Ramsden, late Lt. Ramsden of HQ Coy - arrived from his place outside Peterborough via Wheel Trans. It began with the playing of The Last Post followed by two minutes' silence and Reveille. The Tpr Art Bell was called to the floor and read a travelogue of his trip to Holland last May with Tprs Sawchuk and Miller and Bill Miller Jr. (It should be noted, and was at the meeting, that Hanno Spoelstra rented a nine-person van for the event and was - as usual - an exemplary host. His contributions to the legacy of the Kangaroos have been, and remain, outstanding. Thank you, Hanno.)
Mark Falls, son of Tpr Bill Falls (also in attendance) gave a video show of his tour of the new War Museum along with verbal commentary. It was then Mike Shultz's turn.
Mike had long thought the plaque at the Kangaroo Monument at Mill, Holland wasn't going to last as long as the tank itself, and commissioned a permanent bronze plaque be cast and installed on a 1,000 pound block of granite from the Canadian Shield. He raised the money from a number of sources, coordinated the project's development and the eventual unveiling in Holland, which was filmed. He played the video for us, and it represents what was truly a moving ceremony put on by the Dutch on our behalf. I will shortly have a copy of that video and will pass along more once I get a chance to watch it on my own TV rather than from an oblique angle on a fuzzy projector.
In short, he did an outstanding job, both then and yesterday.
I was called upon to address the men (as I do every year) and first passed along greetings from Kangaroos and related individuals who couldn't make it this year; then I indicated Hanno's and Clive's contribution of the books, which allowed me to introduce Mark Tonner as the author along with Denise and of course, Ma, with a bit of background relating to her research on her uncles. Bill Miller's excellent pictures were explained and later passed around. One of them liked them so much he took them home with him!
Through all this, in the interim several others spoke briefly as well, then we broke for a lunch which was supplied along with free coffee and beer! The lads went through about 2 1/2 pitchers by the time things wound down...
The next hour or so was spent in myriad conversations with a variety of individuals, each bouncing around from guest to guest as their questions and interests evolved.
What struck me was the comradery. I shall quote something I wrote to Mike Shultz this morning:
...Every year I attend this reunion I watch their faces; they may be old men with a shared experience most of us can just imagine, but they're not there to relive the past, only to acknowledge the impact its existence has had upon their lives. And when they're together again, for a brief few hours, the old men become the boys they once were. For those of us who have been accepted by them, it is truly a privilege to be allowed to be a part of that.
Hanno, Clive and Bill, thank you for your help in bringing this together - it was truly appreciated. Mark, thank you for attending and making this that much more interesting for the old fellows. I think you got something out of it too...
Certainly, MLU and 1CACR.org are solidly on the map with these chaps, and for their appreciation of what we do I am profoundly grateful.
The them and all of you:
