Our meetings are held at the Royal Canadian Legion Br. #263 at 1025 Ridgeway in Coquitlam -- 8pm. For the Coquitlam-challenged that would be one block North of Austin and one block East of Blue Mountain.

A great time had by all on Freedom Route 4! Most of our arrangements went off without a hitch, though some people got some unexpected driver training heading down the long hill into Trail (this is why we have brakes *and* gears!) and we got shoehorned into one campground as it was more or less full of local mill employees calling it home.

The Legions, as always, made us welcome, and a couple put on a great spread for us including the Osoyoos Legion who really outdid themselves with the best spaghetti I've ever had and a full breakfast the following morning. Salmo Legion also put on a dinner for us and a large number of their own members (thanks to members Drew and Tammy Swan for helping make that happen.) Campground (empty) was right next door too, so we didn't have much of a walk. Thanks to all the Legions and the Ladies Auxiliary who fed all of us along the way!

A couple of Legions were closed as we went by (Okanagan Falls comes to mind), but a couple opened up specifically for us. In Greenwood (where they filmed "Snow Falling on Cedars" with Ethan Hawke in the 90s), the convoy had already pulled out homeward bound save for a couple of us lingering behind, and the past president opened it up specifically so we could have a look (by then only myself, Ian Newby and Fred Robson.) The Greenwood Legion was once the town Opera House and then became a mercantile, and inside still boasts the tall ceilings and turn-of-the-century ceiling ornamentation and every bit of it seems very, very old.

Prior to the Penticton parade we picked up an additional vehicle in the form of a Russian Dnepr and sidecar accessorized and painted appropriately to represent a vehicle of the 9th SS Panzer. The owner/ driver, 'Doc', joined our display out back of the Legion at Keremeos, and hooked up with us the following day for the Penticton parade (though wearing full 1st Can Para uniform and kit vs. the 9th SS uniform which undoubtedly wouldn't have endeared him to the vets! ) Penticton parade was short (we arrived a couple of hours early) but well received by all the locals and such shoulder-season tourists as were there. We set up in the Convention Centre parking lot and spent a couple of hours answering all the usual questions and talking to a few vets. We had roughly the same setup at most of the Legions save the one in Nelson where parking was non-existent, leaving us to fend for ourselves using metered street parking right in front of the Police station!

On the return swing we visited a Treatment Center at Keremeos after being invited to stop by and show off our vehicles etc. to give the kids at the center a bit of a break from the daily routine. We entertained many questions and a few of us shared some stories with the group of residents there, and it all seemed well-received by all. WCMVHS member Cary Price recalled being at that very location as a cadet when it was used to run what later became the "Outward Bound" courses, and the cabins used at that time were still there (in rough shape) whereas the Treatment Center buildings were all beautiful a-frame affairs you'd find at better holiday destinations.

Weather was sunny or partly sunny for a couple of days but never really got up to full Okanagan summer weight, though it only miserably rained one day and a few thundershowers here and there a couple of the other days. Those of us in open jeeps (yours truly, Bill McLean from the Interior and Grant from the Interior primarily) stopped to put up tops and side curtains and/or woolies and rain gear - but it was a minor hiccup in an otherwise great trip. At least it was nice and warm for the wine tasting and tour at the Hester Creek Winery around Oliver, B.C. That was a lot of fun, and we made it worth their while as Chuck Ingram and John Hawthorne both snapped up a couple of cases of B.C.s finest vino while the rest of us grabbed a bottle or two each as well.

For some of us it perhaps *wasn't* as smooth sailing, however, with breakdowns taking John Hawthorne's 1941 Chevrolet K18 radio van out of action with a bad piston/ rod on the way home through Manning Park; Walde Libera's FAT and Limber digesting bits of its transmission after completing most of the trip (he towed it with his pickup and trailer for the rest of the trip - brought along just in case something went wrong) - and Don Robson's M38 which didn't survive the initial climb out of Hope on the way to meet up with us (blown head gasket - son Fred came in his Ford pickup afterwards.) Fortunately none of the breakdowns prevented vehicles from completing the trip via one method or another save for Don's M38. There were some nuisance flat tires on Harry Moon's CMP and Cary Price's M43 ambulance - but par for the course on a long trip for any vehicle.

Participants/ Vehicles:

Walde Libera and Bruce -- 1944 Chevrolet CMP Field Artillery Tractor (FAT) and 25 pdr Limber
Harry Moon and Tom Houghton -- 194? Chevrolet CMP 15 cwt
John Hawthorne - 1941 Chevrolet K18 Radio Van
Chuck Ingram - 1992 Leyland DAF 3 ton Cargo Truck
Carmen Ingram - 1971 Ford M151A2 and M416 cargo trailer (owned by Chuck Ingram)
Bill McLean - 1952 Ford M38CDN (was wearing a GPW grille which I didn't even know you could do!)
Grant Johnson - WWII Canadian 1943 MB/ GPW
David Beale - 1985 Chevrolet M1009 Blazer
Ian Newby - 1989 Reynolds Boughton RB44
Andy Hill - 1974 M151A2CDN
Cary Price and his brother co-pilot -- 1955 Dodge M43CDN Ambulance
David Good (all the way from Alberta) -- 1971 AM General M35A2C 2-1/2 Ton Troop Truck "Deuce-and-a-Half"
Daryl 'Doc' Rose - 1980s Russian Dnepr and Sidecar (Keremeos/ Penticton section)
Drew and Tammy Swan - 1968 (?) Land Rover Series II Ambulance (ex- Ian MacArthur)
Kevin and Jennifer (last name?) - usually have an Iltis but met us in Penticton sans vehicle
Fred Robson - Ford civvy pickup

Better late than never - I'd like to introduce you to our new Executive !

President: Ian Newby
Vice-President: David Beale
Secretary: Thomas Houghton
Treasurer: Dean Wilcox
Newsletter Editor: Vacant
Webmaster: Nearly Vacant (okay - periodically vacant - I've been a busy guy.)

Past President Harry Moon declined the nomination and so was not in the running. David Beale and Ian Newby were the only ones nominated (who did not decline their nomination) and were therefore installed by acclamation. Twas a mighty quick election! Ian is a long-time member of Western Command and has both organized and help organize many events in the past, and though David Beale is a comparitively new member, he brings to the vice-presidency the enthusiasm necessary to 'make it happen'. Congratulations to the outgoing executive for a job well done - and best wishes to the current slate for the upcoming year.

John Hawthorne forwarded me the information, convoy timings and joining instructions for the upcoming Arlington Airshow event which you can download by clicking the link immediately below (Microsoft Word format as I my Adobe creator is on the blink at the moment.)



For those few of us who haven't made it out to this event it's just amazing, and a great many collectors from Puget Sound chapter and all over come on out. Last year we had something like 100 or more military vehicles between us including an Austin Champ, a Vietnam PBR river patrol boat (think "Apocalypse Now") and some very, very rare aircraft from WWI right up through the WWII bombers and carrier planes and on into the 70s.

I will soon add a permanent link button to the menu on the left of this page, but for now you can click the heading above to go straight to the photo section on the photo-sharing site Flickr, or click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/westerncommand and add it to your bookmarks. If you know how to use Flickr and want to be able to upload your own event pictures into an event-specific folder, just email me at the address on the 'Contact Us' page and I'll hook you up with the access information. Ideally we'd appoint someone to take care of the photo section as I don't have the time to process all the pictures people send me, but failing that I'll do what I can when I can. At the moment all the recent Freedom Route pictures are up, along with a short iPhone video I shot during the parade in Penticton. See 'Recent Events' below for a link to pictures of the Engineers 100th Anniversary which recently took place.

Most of us are members of Steelsoldiers and G503, but now we have a place to discuss our own events etc. and just generally interact when we're not at meetings or events thanks to WCMVHS member Ian Price.

I'll soon have a button on the front page here to take you directly to the forums, but in the meantime you can visit the bulletin-board and forum by going to:

http://the-hole.com/WCMVHS/4um/

And you can register yourself here:

http://the-hole.com/WCMVHS/4um/register.php

You will be emailed a password to allow login to the forum so make sure you enter a valid email address and check your email! If you haven't received your email and are sure you did everything correctly - check out your email's SPAM folder in case your emailprog dumped it in there by mistake (best to check that folder regularly anyway - once a week , I'd suggest - as things get mistakenly sent there all the time by overeager spamfilters.)

NOTE: As of October 2010, automatic registrations have been suspended due to the proliferaton of false signups/ spammers. Please contact the Forum administrator rather than myself if you're having problems with registration, address changes, posting and so forth.

Arlington Airshow, July 6th through 10th, Arlington Fly-In, Arlington Airport, Arlington WA.
"Rambo - First Blood: The Last Take", Kawkawa Lk. Bridge, 10 am (removal of the old bridge used in the famous movie) Contact: Ian Newby, ims@telus.net
Aldergrove Days and Aldergrove Fair "Show and Shine". Free entry, camping on site, and fuel reimbursements for pre-registered entries, July 22nd,
contact Ian Newby ims@telus.net for details. The Aldergrove Fair Parade and Display runs Sat. July 23rd through 24th. Setup 10 am, event runs 11 am through 2 pm both days.
Abbotsford International Airshow, August 12th through 14th, 2011, contact person Ian Newby (ims@telus.net)
Port Coquitlam Car Show, August 21st, 0700 - 1700 hrs. Crowd of around 60,000 expected so great visibility for your vehicle. Contact Ian Newby (ims@telus.net)
Chilliwack Airport Fly-in Event/ Airshow: TBD

A REALLY BIG DEAL! Club expedition to the WWII coastal gun, searchlight emplacments and gun camp at Yorke Island. If you've read Peter N. Moogk's book "Vancouver Defended", no explanation is necessary - for the rest of us, Yorke Island is a small island in Johnstone Strait which is only accessible in kinder seas by a boat with a shallow enough draught to get you near the beach, as the dock has long since been destroyed. Due to the remoteness of the Island, the heavy vandalism and land pressures which have taken their toll on the remnants of the Vancouver defenses do not apply, so there's much left to explore up there. Ian Newby's been working on the logistics and so far we have a landing barge lined up, and will send over an advance party to set things up for the main body of arrivals a day or so later. This will take place Sept. 9, 10,11 and is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Costs are expected to be around $50 per person and we'll work out some communal mode of transportation for pers attending and kit, or cut it down to as few personal vehicles as possible to save some money. In the interim, look up "Yorke Island" on Google and Youtube and/or scare up a copy of Moogk's book. Please let Ian Newby (ims@telus.net) know if you're planning on coming, as the barge/boat has to be booked based on the number of people expected as soon as possible. Watch this space for a handout including maps and further details!

George Derby Center Salute the Veterans Event, Sept. 17th (contact person Guy Black)

Busy May with the 100th Anniversary of the Engineers celebration; the Fort Rodd Hill living history event; the Hyack Parade, and the Costco M*A*S*H-themed charity event all occurring within days of one another. I have a few albums' worth of pics thanks to a number of contributors which I'll put up on Flickr when I get a minute (links will be posted here.) Thanks to all who attended and photographed our participation!

Engineers 100th Anniversary Photos here: http://tinyurl.com/Engineer-Centennial courtesy of Guy Black!

Left Picture : One of the vets strolling down the line of vehicles in the parking-lot of the Pentiction Convention Center on the occasion of the Royal Canadian Legion's Zone Convention. We'd pulled into the lot just after the parade and set up for a couple of hours before moving on to our next stop. (click the picture for a larger version)

Right Picture: Maj. Ian D. Newby (CF Ret.) and Capt. John Hawthorne (CF Ret.) both ex-15 Fd Arty stand beside Walde Libera's beautiful 1944 Chevrolet CMP Field Artillery Tractor. The FAT was probably the major hit of the tour, as Walde had laminated photos etc. to help people visualize what it all looked like hooked up to the 25 pdr field gun (and God...wouldn't *that* have been a treat to follow up Okanagan mountains!) More photos just uploaded to the Club Flickr site (link near the top of this page.)

If you haven't been receiving your newsletters don't panic, as there just haven't been any to send. The lot of a humble newsletter editor isn't necessarily an easy one, and like everything hobby-related, is hard to dedicate a lot of time to if you are in fact working for a living in our wonderful economy. So, the call goes out yet again for someone to step up and take over production of the Club newsletter. This would suit someone with both the drive and time to take it on - probably someone retired or semi-retired - or simply someone who doesn't have to work 90 hrs a week to make ends meet:) Most of the problem has been content, as production of the newsletter is really supposed to be more about formatting and editing member submissions as opposed to trying to come up with the entire newsletter's content oneself, but over the years there's been a slow decline in material being submitted for publication *by* our members, which has made the newsletter editor's job at least onerous if not downright impossible in the recent past. It's *your* newsletter, fellow Members. Submit whatever you'd like to see, or what you think would spark the interest of other members. We have an incredible knowledgebase resident within our own particular chapter of the MVPA and knowledge is meant to be shared. That's what the hobby is all about.

If anyone wishes to put this or her hand up to volunteer to be our newsletter editor, just email me at the address found on the "Contact Us" page and I'll pass it on to the executive, or just volunteer at our next meeting! (See top of this page for date and place.) New members are more than welcome to have a go, as that's what it's all about too.