June 2017 �1 The Newsletter of the Venture Association

The Signal is published twice a year by the Venture Association. Send letters, articles, photos, etc., to the Editor and pay dues by cheque payable to the Venture Association, c/o D. G. Longmuir, Editor and Registrar, 903-168 Chadwick Court, North Vancouver, BC V7M 3L4; e-mail dglongmuir@gmail.com. Changes of address and other personal info should be sent to your Class Rep (see p.7) with a copy to the Registrar. Go to our comprehensive website for breaking news: www.hmcsventure.com. and keep Darryl Harden, our webmaster, in the loop: webmaster@hmcsventure.com . And, if you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, contact us by e-mail or Canada Post.

The SignalVENTURE HOMECOMING 65 – PROGRESS REPORT

The Venture Reunion Organizing Committee (VROC) met on 25 April to progress planning for “Homecoming 65”, the national Venture Association Reunion to be held in Victoria, BC 11-14 September, 2019. The attendance intention survey results indicated we could expect 206 members and spouses will be attending and 67 accommodation spaces will be required. These are working numbers and we are “max flex” on attendance. You can show up at the last minute unannounced and you will be registered.

It was decided that the gala dinner on the 13th and probably the “Meet and and Greet” on the 11th will be held in the hotel where accommodations are arranged. The two hotels being considered are the Laurel Point Inn and the Delta Hotel, both 5-star hotels situated on Victroia harbour. Selection will come down to which can give us the best deal. The Venture Gunroom is the fall back location for the “Meet and Greet” should the hotels prove too expensive. However the Gunroom is under the Canex system now and is not the bargain it used to be. Provision will be made to sponsor attendance of guests on an additional cost per person basis. The gala dinner will be a sit down affair with a string quartet from the Naden Band in attendance. Dancing is not planned.

Registration will be a manual system similar to those used before the 2014 reunion. Registration forms will be included in an appropriately timed edition of “The Signal”. When completed they will be mailed in to the co-registrars, Tony Smith and Ken Scotten, with a registration fee. The fee will be refunded should a member not be able to attend. The Activities Committee under Tom Essery and Eric Waal are developing the programmes for Navy/Naval Air Day.

We are in the process of establishing a sponsor in the naval command chain for the reunion events within dockyard and involving operational units. Stan Brygadyr and Russ Rhode are doing the air side and the visit to Pat Bay is pretty straight forward. There will be a Ladies Programme on the 12th but organization is on hold until closer to the event. Harvey Waddell, our nominal chaplain, has the Service of Celebration and Remembrance well in hand. It will be held on the 14th at St. Peter and St. Paul Church, the old Esquimalt Garrison Church just up the hill form the dockyard. The order of service will follow that of the 2009 Reunion held at the Shearwater Chapel.

cont’d on p. 2

June 2017 �2 The Newsletter of the Venture Association

“You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you're going, because you might not get there.”

Last Vestiges of the Original

Venture Come Down A current article in The Lookout covers the demolition of the original Venture barracks block at CFB Esquimalt. That is Ed Vishek, our current President, at the controls of the bulldozer! See the entire article, reproduced with the permission of The Lookout, on our website www.hmcsventure.com

cont’d from p. 1

Support for provided transportation in the survey was sufficient to establish a transportation sub-committee consisting of Graeme Evans and Bill Johnston. We will be diligent in establishing your transportation needs closer to the event. For example, if we schedule a tour of the dockyard, which has changed remarkably since the 2004 reunion, it will be by bus. Pick up and return point will be the accommodation hotel. A legacy presentation to mark the reunion was discussed. What is on the table now is a bronze “Steel” bearing the names of those Ventures killed in the line of duty to be affixed to the base of statue of the Venture Cadet. These gallant Ventures are recorded in the Book of Remembrance in the Welland Room but this is not a permanent memorial. The cost of the “Steel” will be included in the registration fee although separate donations are welcome. We welcome any comments and suggestions and these can be made through you class rep or directly to me (wilflund@telus.net) or the co-chair, Eric Waal (ebwaal@yahoo.com).

Wilf Lund Co-Chair VROC19

Ed. Note: See p. 4 for the “Warning Order re 2019. Class Reps are particularly reminded to get the word out and to report back to the Committee via Wilf or Eric re numbers. Only two years to go, and time flies at our great age!

June 2017 �3 The Newsletter of the Venture Association

The Annual Venture West Coast BBQ will be held on Sunday, 27 August 12:00 –15:00 hrs (Noon to 3 PM) at the Venture Gunroom. Menu is grilled Hamburgers and Chicken burgers with potato chips, salad, desert and beverages. Cost per person is still being worked out but no more than $15. There will be a cash bar.

A tour of the Welland Room will be available. The hosts again are the Classes of 61 and 62. Please transmit your intention to attend, number of guests and meal preference of each for either hamburger or chicken burger to Wilf Lund at wilflund@telus.net or tel# 250-598-5894. Please respond as early as you can so we sort out the logistics and cost. We had a great turn out last year and we look forward to seeing you.

Wilf Lund (61) and Eric Waal (62) Co-Conveners

Ottawa Hooley 2016 For the full story, including Tim Porter’s pitch for the Navy League and the Sea Cadets, visit our website www.hmcsventure.com And please, send us short reports, complete with photos, from upcoming mini-reunions in 2017. These are precious archives.

(Photos courtesy Sharon Porter)

June 2017 �4 The Newsletter of the Venture Association

WARNING ORDER – HMCS VENTURE REUNION 2019 ``Homecoming 65``

The purpose of this message is, first, to provide you with information pertaining to the HMCS Venture National Reunion in 2019, code name “Homecoming 65”celebrating the 65th anniversary of Venture`s establishment. Second, we solicit your early intentions regarding attendance and accommodations requirements, and your preferences regarding navy/naval air day activities. The Reunion will be held in Victoria, BC on 11-14 September, 2019. The schedule is based on our traditional format:

Wednesday, 11 September, 2019 Registration at the hotel (TBA) Meet and Greet 1900-2300 Venue TBA Thursday, 12 September, 2019 Navy/Naval Air Day am-pm Ladies Programme? TBA Class Functions 1800- Friday, 13 September, 2019 Tour of Venture Ship Simulator Trainer, 0930 General Meeting, 1100, Collier Building Auditorium Ladies Coffee Hour, 1100, Venture Gunroom Sandwich Lunch, 1200, Venture Gunroom Dinner Celebrating 65th Anniversary of HMCS Venture, 1800-2300, Venue TBA Saturday, 14 September, 2019 Service of Celebration and Remembrance, 1030, St Peter and St Paul Church (old Esquimalt Garrison Church) Sandwich lunch to follow in the church hall.

Transportation: We are cognizant of mobility issues, and for this reunion we will have a comprehensive transportation plan employing buses to move out of town participants to/from events. Should the Dinner be held at the Wardroom, we will use Venture as a hub where local participants can park and then be transported to the Wardroom. The additional cost of transportation will be shared by all and factored into the event costs.

Your Intentions: We are now in the process of reserving venues and hotel accommodations. Victoria is a key tourist destination any time of the year. The hotels in particular need to know how many rooms to reserve for us. So we need estimates. We are not asking you for a firm commitment now but request that you to advise your Class Representative regarding 2 questions. Your non-binding responses will be collated and passed to Tom Essery, Co-Chair Proramme Sub-Committee: Question 1: Will you be attending the 2019 Venture Reunion? Yes, Probably, Possibly, No. Question 2: Will you require accommodation at the event hotel? Yes or No (Double or Single)

Your Event Preferences: Question 1: If you are a naval aviator, would you like a tour of the new 443 Sqn complex at Pat Bay? The new Cyclone helo may or may not be there. Alternatively, you would participate in the navy programmme or possibly a short cruise in an Orca class training vessel, a tour of HMCS Oriole, or demonstration by the RCN’s Enhanced Boarding Party Unit? Question 2: If accompanied, would your partner be interested in a ladies’ programme? This would be organized by ladies for ladies. Note: There will be no formal organization for golf.

It is requested that you pass the answers to the questions above to your Class Representative. This does not constitute a firm commitment nor is your response considered to bebooking for the reunion. The registration process will not begin until the year before the event, September, 2018. The registration process for this reunion will be manual. You will fill out a registration form published in the Signal and available online at the Venture website. You will check off the events that you wish to attend and mail it to a co- registrar with a cheque covering the total cost for your seIected events. The opportunity to register if you just show up for the reunion will be available. But we are trying in Venture fashion to be as tidy as possible.

Please give this your early attention and your Class Representatives are looking forward to hearing from you. We require returns from the Class Representatives by 31 Dec, 2016.

Yours aye, Wilf Lund, Class of ’61, Co-chair Venture Reunion Organizing Committee (VROC) 2019

June 2017 �5 The Newsletter of the Venture Association

Letters to the Editor

From Ottawa, ON [Ed Note: The following excerpted from a letter to our estimable webmaster from the very active Don Wilson, Class of ’56 — the “computerspeak” is remarkable for one of our generation; I highlight it here because our website rarely gets the praise is so richly deserves]

I, while showing my age, am still hale and hearty, have been dealing with a couple of Joomla sites that have suffered intrusions. I have chosen to move away from Joomla - in fact all cms's.

One of our sons has a Masters in Computer Science and has set up a small hosting service for St. Matthew's Church here in Ottawa - a vpn-accessed site where Quickbooks and Microsoft Office are available for a handful of volunteers. For our collection of sites, Jeff has developed a static website approach that, along with some revolutionary hosting practices, makes hacking an active site virtually impossible. We are hosting several websites including venture56.ca which, unfortunately, is undergoing a translation into static form having been vulnerable as a Joomla site. Our only site currently being hosted that has been converted to static belongs to the Canadian Naval Technical History Association (www.cntha.ca) which I will again be managing when I learn the different editing process.

You will not be surprised that I do visit our VENTURE site from time to time - mainly each time a new Signal appears. With a brother in North Vancouver, I also manage a visit with Gord Longmuir on occasion though it doesn't always work out.

During a recent visit to the site, I happened to have a look at the photos of my class ('56). I noted Stan Rimek's name was misspelled and I thought you might like to know that.

We are indeed fortunate to have what amounts to an archive of the VENTURE Plan participants and it is a good platform for anything new coming down the road like West Coast Bar-BQ's, Ottawa Hooley's and whatever else.

Thanks for your efforts that I know are much-appreciated.

Cheers, Don Wilson, Class of ‘56

From Tweed, ON

Dear Editor,

I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to 're connect' with my Venture roots by including some of my poems in the Signal. I also received an e-mail from Rene [D’Hollander] which was much appreciated...it was as if 60 years ago was yesterday.

If you require some padding for the next addition ..feel free to 'ask'.

Bob Graham, Class of ‘56 ⚓ ⚓ 🍁

[Ed. Note: Many thanks to Bob and others who have contributed so generously to this newsletter; let that please be an example to us all, especially coming from some of our “eldest” members!]

June 2017 �6 The Newsletter of the Venture Association

Register Changes Class of ’56

Jim Todd, 122 Nelson St, Oakville, ON L6L 3H9 Neal Harrington, 100 Burloak Drive, Burlington, ON L7L 6P6 Tel: (905) 636-7672 John McDermott email johnwillmcd@gmail.com

Class of ’57 Ed Lauer, 66 Kinmount Private, Kanata, ON K2T 1K3 Bob Deluca cel: (902) 489 4983

Class of ’58 Norm Davy email ndavy950@hotmail.com

Class of ’59 Dick Waller email hckjrk@eastlink.ca Bob Burney email shoesunderthebed@gmail.com

Class of ’60 Frank J. Feeley, Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0; email feeleyfj@gmail.com

Class of ’62 Bill Yardley email redsoxwilly@gmail.com

Class of ’66 Ross Beck, 1047 Canadian Shield Ave, Kanata, ON; tel (613) 435-3193; cel: (613) 621-0073

Staff John Kinross-Kennedy email kinrosskennedy@gmail.com

In Memoriam

Robin Thoms, Class of ’58 Brian Barclay, Class of ’57

Malcolm (Mac) Wilson, Staff

The President’s Report

All of us should be back from our winter travels — back to unexpected cool, wet weather and, in some places, flooding. We have just had our first 2019 Reunion (now entitled Venture Homecoming 65) committee meeting,. A lot was discussed and planned. Our Chairman has sent out a progress report (see p. 1 above) showing some of the plans. With plenty of time before the event, there is still time for changes or modifications. For example ,when my wife saw that "dancing is not planned" in Wilf's report she was very upset. I think other wives might feel the same. As a point of interest, some local Ventures were invited to visit the old Venture site in Dockyard. The buildings around the parade square (where we used to run laps) are all going to be torn down, starting with the Headquarters building. I had the names of a number of people who were interested, but all cancelled before the "meet at the gate" time. The current Base Commander, Captain Steve Waddell, the Base Construction Officer, the PR Officer, and staff from the Base Paper,”The Lookout” as well as interested others were present. I was asked many questions about our experiences at the “old" Venture" and what the buildings were used for. I was given a white hardhat and a reflective safety vest and helped into the cab of a wrecking vehicle. The old legs are not as limber as they used to be. Photos were taken for an article to be printed in the next copy of the “Lookout" [and repeated, with permission, in our website — www.hmcsventure.com] It has been over twenty years since I was in Dockyard and this was my last view of our beginnings. A lot of memories. I also accompanied my wife to the 60th reunion of her graduating class from Oak Bay High School. There were a lot of people, including girls back then who dated Venture cadets. For your information, Oak Bay High has been torn down and rebuilt all shiny and new. A tour showed us a very modern design and modern classrooms and recreation facilities.. There will be a mini-reunion and West Coast BBQ this coming August, planned and hosted by he classes of 1961 and 1962. Same place as last year: the Venture Gunroom. Details are posted on p. 3 above. Please let Wilf Lund know if you are coming, and we hope to see you there.

Aye, Ed Vishek, Class of ’61, President

⚓ ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ ⚓

June 2017 �7 The Newsletter of the Venture Association

The Executive*

Ed Vishek (’61) - President: (250) 598-9794; ekvishek@telus.net John Westlake (’67) - Past President: (613) 837-0081; westlakejohna@rogers.com Ken Scotten (’61) - Vice President: (250) 472-6187; kscotten@shaw.ca Ron McLean (’65) - Treasurer: (250) 595-5087; ronmclean@shaw.ca Gordon Longmuir (’57) - Registrar and Editor of the Signal: (604) 760-7038; dglongmuir@gmail.com Darryl Harden (’65) - Webmaster: (306) 216-2141; webmaster@hmcsventure.com Matt Durnford (’65) - Director at Large Halifax: (902) 766 4104; cormorant@eastlink.ca

Richard Duffield (’62) - Director at Large Ottawa: (613) 837-1412; duffieldfcga@rogers.com Richard Neveu (’67) - Director at Large Victoria: (250) 360-0019; richorie@yahoo.ca Wilf Lund (’61) - Venture Historian and Chair, 2019 Reunion: (250) 598-5894; wilflund@telus.net

Class Representatives 1956: Bob Lancashire (902) 446-7107; casalanc@eastlink.ca 1957: Doug Henderson (250) 370-0790; e-mail dahenderson@shaw.ca 1958: Tony Smith (250) 479-5676; tony.f.smith@shaw.ca 1959: Tom Essery (250) 477-9321; tessery@shaw.ca 1960: Pierre Yans (250) 592-5997; pjyans@shaw.ca

1961: Wilf Lund (250) 598-5894; wilflund@telus.net 1962: Eric Waal (250) 477-1425; ebwaal@yahoo.com 1963-I: Russ Rhode (250) 642-0086; russal@shaw.ca 1963-II: Tim Kemp (250) 494-5043; timkate@shaw.ca 1964: Gord Oakley (250) 544-1616; gordon_oakley@telus.net 1965: Graeme Evans (250) 361-2646; gnbevans@shaw.ca 1966: Ross Beck (613) 492-0130; patross@rogers.com 1967: Errol Collinson (250) 704-0048; erroni@shaw.ca Staff: Joe Cunningham (250) 360-0450; josephcunningham@telus.net

*NB: Class Reps are members of the Executive

The Editor’s Corner

Spring at last on the West Coast and we enjoyed the cherry blossoms — better late than never. As I prepare this newsletter, I am more than usually bereft of content — bricks without straw. This is your publication, members, and, without your input, there is no Signal . So get with it for our fall edition. In the meantime, there is, here within, an updated, piece by Wilf Lund encouraging those who have not yet decided on attendance at the 2019 Reunion, to do so asap for planning purposes. Perparations are already underway and the lead time for accommodation, event facilities, etc., is long. Please contact your Class Reps with your confirmation or any questions. I had intended to do a lead piece this time out about “mini-reunions” that take place every summer, but I have few reports and fewer photos. Please let me know about Venture-related events between five-yearly Reunions: they are warmly welcomed by the membership and help keep us all in touch as we get “older”. And let me know, for sure, about changes of address, especially e-mail addresses, and, sadly, the passing of old friends and classmates Aye, Gordon Longmuir, Class of ’57,

Registrar and Editor of the Signal Distribution of The Signal As of this edition, 462 copies distributed,: 406 electronically via the website or direct e-mail; 56 by snail mail. To addresses in: Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Thailand, the UK and the USA.

N.B.: If you are receiving the Signal by snail mail and wish to receive it online by or by e-mail, please let me know: dglongmuir@gmail.com

Naughtical Terms

Hawse-holes

The holes in the bows of the ship through which the cables pass. Freshen hawse: veer out more cable. Clap a service in the hawse: put something around the cable in the hawse hole to prevent its chafing. To clear hawse: untwist the cables where the ship is moored and has got a foul hawse. Athwart hawse is to be across or before another ship’s head.

*Courtesy of our esteemed former President, Joe Cunningham

June 2017 �8 The Newsletter of the Venture Association

Visit Canada’s Naval and Military

MuseumsEsquimalt Naval & Military Museum, CFB Esquimalt (Naden) Victoria, BC V9A 7N2 Telephone: (604) 363-4312 www.navalandmilitarymuseum.org

Vancouver Naval Museum, HMCS Discovery, P.O. Box 43595 RPO Alberni, Vancouver, BC V6G 3E2; Telephone (604) 837-6691

The Naval Museum of Alberta, HMCS Tecumseh, 1820 - 24th Street S.W., Calgary, AB . T2T 0G6Telephone: (403) 242 - 0002

The Naval Museum of Manitoba HMCS Chippawa, 1 Navy Way Winnipeg, MB R3C 4J7

HMCS Haida National Historic Site, Pier 9, HMCS Star, 658 Catherine St, Hamilton, ON L8L 8K4 Telephone (905) 526-6742; www.pc.gc.ca/eng/hn-nhs/on/haida/index.aspx

Musée Naval de Québec, 170 rue Dalhousie, Québec, QC G1K 8M7; Tele-phone: (418) 694-5387

Shearwater Aviation Museum,54 Bonaventure St, Shearwater, NS B0J 3A0 www.shearwateraviationmuseum.ns.ca

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, 1675 Lower Water Street, Halifax, NS B3J 1S3; Telephone (902) 424-7490; www.maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca

The Canadian War Museum, 1Vimy Place, Ottawa, ON K1R 1C2; Tel: 1-800- 555-5621 www.warmuseum.ca

The Canadian Aviation and Space Museum, 11 Aviation Parkway, Ottawa, ON K1K 2X5; Telephone (613) 993-2010 www.casmuseum.techno-science.ca

HMCS Sackville—Canadian Naval Memorial Trust, PO Box 99000, Stn Forces Halifax, NS B3K 5X5; Telephone (902) 444-3773 www.hmcssackville-cnmt.ns.ca

Maritime Command Museum, 2729 Gottingen St, Halifax, NS B3K 5X5; Telephone (902) 721 -8250 www.psphalifax.ca

Malcolm McCulloch, Class of ’61, has published a unique memoir that will interest many

Ventures. If you wish to receive a FREE copy, please e-mail Malcolm directly at

malcolmmcculloch999@gmail.com>

Buggins and Mrs Buggins were at home watching TV.Buggins had the remote and was switching back and forth between a fishing channel and the porn channel. The Mrs became more and more annoyed and finally said,"For God's sake Buggins,… leave it on the porn channel You know how to fish!"

Buggins