"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Friday 6 March 2015

Pomp and Circumstance

I 'm looking at a picture on page 7 of  this week's Auroran .

Lieutenanant Governor Dorothy Dowdeswell  is receiving a 200 year old sword at a ceremony in Fort York Armouries in Toronto.

The lady is wearing a uniform she was coerced into having made for her. No matter  how well -meaning and how privileged she feels in her association with the Rangers, it was a mistake to allow herself to be so coerced.

Former Councillor, now MLA Ballard was at the ceremony along with several members of the local cadet corp.

Brock Weir wrote a full account of the ceremony and the speech.

 Queen 's York Rangers have never indulged in so much promotion.

The  information I received may be right and the fight is not to make people aware of their glorious history as it is for  current survival. The Federal Government is said to be planning to shut them down.

The Town of Aurora has  certainly made its contribution .  $10 million property handed to them with a thirty year lease that includes  town maintenance of the property.

It looks as good on Aurora as the uniform looks on the little round bundled up ,beret wearing  figure of Lieutenant Governor Dorothy Dowdeswell.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wonder if she gets to keep the sword ?
We had an Irish sword in the family that got handed down to the eldest male which was not me.

Anonymous said...

"The information I received may be right and the fight is not to make people aware of their glorious history as it is for current survival. The Federal Government is said to be planning to shut them down."

I really wish you would stop posting conjecture about what you have been told the Federal Government is going to do. If anything the reserves are being re-inforced.

As a private individual, you should verify your sources.

Anonymous said...

The poor woman probably had to wear gloves & look very impressed when all she really wanted was a good stiff drink.

Anonymous said...

You civilians will never understand the symbolism of these types of events.

History plays a big part in the day to day events of a military unit.

You should not put down something that you know nothing about. Just be lucky they are there.

Anonymous said...

It will be interesting to watch Ms Dowdeswell chart her own course. She may not be so enthused by such events and could spend her time in different way for different causes.

Anonymous said...


Military liaisons are well and good and in the past have served a purpose. They have, on occasion, been deployed as fighting troops.

But instead of all these social/historical events they should also be undergoing regular training, with current model weapons, not the old Lee-Enfields that were de rigeur for almost a century.

A little field training would also be advantageous, so in the event they were ever called to serve they would be better prepared.

MPP Ballard could use some of the latter.

Anonymous said...

15:01
" You civilians "
Really ? You sound like Cllr Thompson when he launches an opinion with " in the corporate world ".
Do you believe we are incapable of understanding military symbolism ?
The good and the bad of it historically ?

Anonymous said...

@15:01
You are entitled to your opinion but here you are just another anonymous commenter. We are not required to award any brownie points because we have absolutely no idea about your identity or experience. Good grief, you could be Mr Ballard playing soldiers !

Anonymous said...

"History plays a big part in the day to day events of a military unit". How I hope you're wrong.

Anonymous said...

15:44

You show your ignorance right away. The Lee Enfield has not been used for years. In fact the FN semi-auto rifle used in the '70s has been replaced by a weapon similar to the US's AIR 17.

22:27

Why do you hope he's wrong? history and tradtion is in constant display and use in the military.