HASTINGS & PRINCE EDWARD REGIMENTAL ASSOCIATION
65th ANNUAL REUNION 2010
Belleville, Ontario

The Reunion Banquet will be held at the Ramada Inn again this year. The executive entertained the idea of having the reunion banquet on the main floor of the Armoury but it was decided to return to the Ramada Inn.

The cost of the dinner will remain the same as last year, however we have to pay for the meals in advance based on our confirmed numbers so it is important that we have your remittances by the September 24th deadline.

Please do not email or phone asking to reserve a place at the banquet or a place on the bus. The return of the registration form along with your remittance by the September 24,2010 will be the only RSVP accepted. I am sure you understand the reasoning behind this decision.

The Ramada Inn has reserved a block of rooms at a rate $107.00 per night. (This rate includes breakfast for 2) This block of rooms will be held until Sept 2, 2010 Call Hotel Direct at 613-968-3411 and tell then you are with the Hasty "P" reunion group. Don't book on line or use the 800 number as you will not get the rate.

The Comfort Inn has reserved a block of rooms at a rate of $92.00 per night. (Continental Breakfast Included) This block of rooms will be held until Sept 20, 2010.

It is your responsibility to book your own accommodation(s). The back of the registration form has a list of other hotels in the area.

This year the Regimental Association has arranged a Prince Edward County Mini Wine Tour at a cost of $5.00 per person. (Light lunch is included) We have reserved a bus so those interested in taking the tour should indicate that on the registration form and return it along with the appropriate funds as soon as possible to guarantee a seat.

Register Early- Your receipt and Registration Package will be available upon your arrival. Request your reply by September 24,2010

PETERBOROUGH MILITARIA SHOW AND SALE

The annual fundraiser for the Regiment, the Militaria Show and Sale, will take place at the Peterborough Armoury on Saturday, August 28th from 9 am till 2 pm. Just about everything that has ever had anything to do with soldiering, from bayonet's to medals, books and boots will be on display for show and sale. Proceeds are used by the Regiment to support its activities.

NEW BELLEVILLE BRIDGE TO BE NAMED IN HONOUR OF VETERANS

A new multi million dollar bridge over the Moira River in Belleville will be named in honour of Belleville's veterans. A motion made by His Worship, Mayor Neil Ellis met with Belleville City Council approval to name the new bridge The Veteran's Memorial Bridge. Mayor Ellis stated, "We will have a big day that day and hopefully everybody here will attend and we'll walk those veterans across that bridge and they'll be the first to go across." The dedication ceremony is set for Wednesday September 8, 2010. As part of the Belleville Veteran's Council, The Regiment is involved in the planning currently underway. The Veteran's Memorial Bridge will be a "showcase" piece of infrastructure, says Mayor Neil Ellis. The Mayor said invitations have been sent to federal and political politicians, numerous bands and veterans across the city.

The opening ceremonies will also feature a fly-over and a service recognizing the sacrifice of veterans. While the bridge's opening will honour the veterans, the bridge itself and landscaping in the area will have permanent fixtures letting people know who the bridge is recognizing. "When you're approaching the bridge from the west we're going to have a big planter box and in that box we'll have a stainless steel monument saying Veteran's Memorial Bridge and it'll have the city crest," Ellis said. "When you go over the bridge there's, I believe, eight lamp posts and each post there's a bracket made up with a poppy and it'll have the Belleville Veteran Councils' crest on it as well." Landscaping changes on the east side of the park will also honour veterans. Four pillars with crests and a large flower box with another stainless steel monument will be erected there so people passing through the park will see who the bridge honours. Ellis said it only seemed appropriate to have details on the bridge and along the park to remind people of what veterans did for Belleville, Canada and the globe. "As council as a whole we thought it was time to recognize the veterans and, besides the cenotaph, they don't have any real recognition in the city that is quite this huge," the mayor said. "Veterans are responsible for the way we live today and this has been a long time coming."

The Belleville Veterans Council hereby cordially extends an invitation to all Veterans from your organization to attend a "Veterans Appreciation Luncheon" Which the City of will hold in conjunction with the opening and dedication Belleville of the new Veterans Memorial Bridge. Tentative schedule is as follows:

PETERBOROUGH WALL OF HONOUR

By one estimate, 350 members of the Regiment, almost 10%, came from Peterborough during World War II. To honour them, and the approximately 11,500 other men and women who volunteered for service in the Great War, World War II, and Korea from the city and county of Peterborough, the city is building a Wall of Honour that will list their names and service (see artist’s rendition above). Etched in black granite, the twelve boulders will partially encircle the Allward cenotaph, which rightly is the centre of the civic square.

The Wall of Honour will be unveiled on Thanksgiving Weekend with details still to be announced.  It is hoped that as many veterans and their families as possible will attend.

Donations are still being sought to complete the fundraising for the Wall.  Persons interested can donate on line at www.peterborough.ca  or by cheque payable to the City of Peterborough and marked for the Wall of Honour.

PROMISE TO CITIZENS OF ASSORO IS A REALITY

Major Dave Evans and former RSM Chris Radway have just returned from their Sicilian Pilgrimage where they presented 500 copies of the book, Battle of Assoro which we recently translated into Italian. The town of Assoro has decided to erect a permanent flag pole atop mount Assoro and on the 20th of July now and ever more will fly the Canadian Flag over our plaque and a second Canadian flag in replacement of the EU flag on the same day in recognition of the unit and our Veterans efforts and the mutual friendship between the town and the Regiment. The Mayor of Pachino has promised that the unit plaque in recognition of the units landing will be moved back to the sea shore location by years end.

The new Mayor of Assoro is Mr. Capizzi, many of you will remember the former mayor during our visit in 2005, Mr. Assennato. We exchanged our speeches pledging friendship and a continued relationship.  Major Evans and RSM Radway presented all the officials with a copy of the book. They are going to read their copies and in the fall hold a gathering of the senior students of Assoro (grade 8) and do a proper presentation to the students. They should have enough books for three to five years.  They have expressed an interest in learning more about the Regimental history and asked if they made a journey to Canada would we host them. We agreed and suggested 10 July 2011, to participate as our honored guests at landing in Sicily day. We went to lunch and explained the toast to the white Battalion and they rose and joined us in the toast to start the lunch.  Our Italian friends were very moved.

We placed a Canadian flag at all Hasty P headstones at Agira and the RSM took a picture of each grave site. We will shortly have for the web site a complete registry of all Hasty P's at Agira and the Moro complete with a picture and text from the war graves commission. The top picture is the Mayor of Assoro Mr. Capizzi. Note the Regimental painting of the Assault on Assoro to his right. The second picture is the council chambers in Assoro

ARMOURIES PRINT AVAILABLE

As part of our 100th Anniversary celebrations of the Belleville Armouries in 2009, the Anniversary Committee commissioned a local artist to produce a pen and ink sketch of the Belleville Armouries. These beautiful pen and ink sketches are available in several sizes for matting and framing and are available by contacting Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired) John Sherry at (613) 962-4904.

ODE TO THE STAFF OFFICER (THE POWERPOINT RANGER)

One always felt for Jack Nicholson as a US Marine Corps battalion commander speaking to Tom Cruise, a Lt from JAG Branch in the movie A Few Good Men. Here is a modified version of what he had to say had he been in an army staff job.

Son, we live in a world that has PowerPoint. And those slides need to be produced by men with bars. Who's gonna do it? You? You with an oak Leaf? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for my briefings and you curse my formatting. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that while my briefings, while drawn out, probably save lives. . . You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at meetings, you want my presentations. You need my presentations. We use words like diagram gallery, paste special, clipboard . . . we use these words as the backbone of a job spent briefing something. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain why I formatted an object to a man who briefs and gets promoted by the very presentation I make, then questions the way in which I format it! I'd rather you just said Thank You and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you make your own slide, and give a briefing. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think the slide should say.