Commandants Corner…
An Amazing Week(end)
One of the greatest postings in the Canadian Forces is that of Commandant of RMCC – rich in history, the College carries such a long tradition of excellence and success across all four components of the program. This week, the College again shone in so many areas. Local readers read about the tremendous accomplishments and international recognition of the RMCC faculty in their various fields of Research while other professors were approached for their expertise and advice on areas of the globe where unrest continues to grow. At the same time, the Cadet Wing demonstrated incredible leadership and professionalism in a range of activities. Throughout the second Military Training weekend of the year, the Wing, under the leadership of their CWC, NCdt Chong, trained hard and represented the College with pride on parade this morning. MGen Dave Fraser, Comd 1 Cdn Div and LFTDS, the Reviewing Officer, noted that he was incredibly impressed by the high standard of drill, dress and deportment displayed by the Cadets while also highlighting that the Band, and Pipes and Drums, were “amongst the very best he’s ever heard”.
Meanwhile, the athletic program enjoyed one of its most successful weekends that any can remember in a long time. Backed by great support and spirit from the Cadet Wing, the College staff and many Ex-Cadets, the RMCC Men’s Hockey team won back to back games over Ryerson and Toronto while the Ladies Volleyball team appears to have clinched a playoff spot with wins over Queens and Toronto – one could feel the energy, confidence and pride spread across the Cadet Wing and the Alumni in attendance. Well done to the Athletes, Coaches and all the incredible members of the Athletic Department for their commitment, hard work and dedication. Many thanks also to the RMCC Foundation and Club for the outstanding support that they provide to the various athletic teams, band and so many other activities at the College – without this support, and that of the Alumni, much of this could not be done and the Cadets would not enjoy the Margin of Excellence experiences they get.
Rounding out the week were some special events in the messes. On Friday the College bid farewell to LCol Rod McDonald as he transitions from the CF to his new role as Executive Vice President of the RMCC Foundation. On the same day, I had the privilege of promoting the College Engineer, Julia Atherley, to LCol. All that, and wee bit of Robbie Burns celebration, made for a great evening for the large crowd at the SSM. Not to be outdone however, rumour has it that the Cadet Wing was out in force in the Cadet Mess on Saturday evening as they wore the protective gear of the Gladiators and `entered the ring` during a very successful Cadet Mess event!
In all, a week(end) to remember and one that again reinforced that the College is doing very well and continuing to excel in so many areas. Special thank to the many alumni who came out to support all the activities this weekend – it was appreciated by the Cadets. One of the priorities for CF leadership at all levels over the past few years has been to see the Cadets leading Cadets at the College, and learning from the opportunities and experiences. Under that tremendous mentoring and coaching of the Mil Wing staff and so many others, and with energy and commitment by the Cadets, this goal is being met. This was readily apparent everywhere you looked this past week. The mission of the College is to produce highly trained and well educated young leaders for the Canadian Forces – and this is being done!
Bravo Zulu to all !!
W.S.Truelove
Commodore
Commandant RMCC
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Caption: Mech/Aero Mess Dinner (left to right) – OCdt. Tim Hallonquist, Mrs. Rebecca Barker, LCol. Mike Barker, OCdt. Nick Fisette, 2LT. Mark Biernacki
LCol. Barker’s presentation & the Mech/Aero Mess Dinner
By OCdt. Sebastien Massicotte
Ancien du CMRC, le Lieutenant-colonel Michael Barker s’est joint au FC en 1991 et à terminé son baccalauréat en génie mécanique en 1995. Après avoir terminé le cours pour les officiers AERE à Borden, il est affecté au 414e Escadron d’appui tactique à Cold Lake en Alberta. Après quelques affectations décisives pour sa carrière, le LCol Barker est promu major en juin 2002. Il retourna ensuite au AETE dans le programme d’évaluation des aéronefs à moteurs multiple où il participa à plusieurs projets. Toujours au AETE, il termina une maîtrise (science in aviation systems) de l’université du Tennessee. En 2007, il obtint une maitrise ( Defence studies ) du Canadian Force Command and Staff college. Il faut promu LCol après sa graduation et occupe maintenant le poste de commandant de la 1 escadre à Kingston.
LCol Barker est venu vendredi passé, soit le 21 janvier pour faire une présentation de 50 minutes aux Elofs des départements du génie mécanique et génie aérospatiale. Le but de la conférence était de montrer aux Élofs que les échecs sont en fait sources de connaissances dans le sens où il faut apprendre de celles-ci afin de ne pas les répéter. De plus, lors de la présentation bien dynamique, LCol. Barker nous a présenté certains problème que les FC ont rencontré dans le domaine de l’aviation tel que les problèmes de ceinture des Snowbirds ou encore les réservoirs d’essences des CF-18. Ces exemples, ajoutés aux explications du LCol, on fait ressortir que la communication des renseignements, les plus insignifiants soit-il, sont d’une importance capital dans le domaine du génie, peut importe la branche. La présentation fut terminée avec une série de questions dont deux pertinentes venant du Dr. Billy Allan, chef de département du génie mécanique.
Later in the day, OCdts from the Mech/Aero department were invited to the annual mess diner. Starting at 1900, Ocdts moved to their respective tables, interspersed with faculty as well as former staff and students of the department. LCol Barker was the guest of honour, and other distinguished guests included MGen Al (Ret’d) Pickering, a past Director of Cadets; Dr. Craig Moffat, a former head of the department; and Dr. Pierre Bussières, a graduate of RMC’s very first mechanical engineering class. The dinner was a spirited affair, with many comic interludes, including a song from Dr. Laviolette. It was well received despite the fact that he forgot the words several times! After that, Capt. Short finally took is revenge in a race around the tables against Maj. Garth Werner, who beat him last year with questionable tactics. This year, Capt. Short was victorious, despite the Major’s once again resorting to underhanded means. After dessert came some short but informative and entertaining remarks from the guest of honour. Following the dinner’s conclusion, guests moved to the salon to watch a performance by members of the department who were also part of the highland dancers and pipes and drums. Dr. Allan’s traditional floor hockey and carrier landing games completed the evening, providing great amusement for participants and spectators alike.
This year’s dinner was a great success, and indeed some faculty members said it was the best in recent memory.
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On Thursday, The 2011 Haycock Lecture took place in Currie Hall. Dr. Galen Perras, an Associate Professor at the Universsity of Ottawa was the Guest Speaker. A well turned out audience enjoyed listening to his topic – “Defeat still cries aloud for explanation: The Canadian Battles for Hong Kongand the Narrative of Suffering”
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Photos by: 24487 Dan Fleming
A well attended and superbly organized Retirement Luncheon was held in honour of LCol RR (Rod) McDonald this past Friday, 28 Jan at the RMC Senior Staff Mess (SSM).
Rod’s career stretched back to July 1974 when he was at the Officer Candidate School, Chilliwack, BC.
He arrived at RMC in 2003 as Deputy Director of Cadets and has been the College Registrar for the past three years or so. He assumed the position of Executive Vice-President for the RMC Club / Foundation in the late Fall.
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Photos by: 24487 Dan Fleming
Click on all photos for better viewing
la fin de semaine du Commandant
par: 25800 Élof Paul-Charles Geoffrion-Lockhead
Le samedi 29 janvier et le dimanche 30 janvier ont vu se dérouler la fin de semaine du Commandant au Collège militaire royal du Canada. Voici en quoi elle a consisté.
Le matin du 29 janvier a été consacré à la dernière d’une série de trois inspections qui se sont étalées sur les deux semaines précédant la fin de semaine. L’après-midi de la même journée a été consacré à la pratique de la parade qui devait avoir lieu le lendemain matin au gymnase Anderson.
La parade a été inspectée par le major-général Fraser. Dans son discours, il a souligné l’importance des défis qui attendent les nouveaux officiers subalternes.
La cérémonie a été marquée par la remise du prix d’excellence Howard B. Ripstein de troisième année à l’élof Keita (24885), à l’élof Bernatchez (24718) et à l’aspirant de marine Chong (25012). Le prix d’excellence Howard B. Ripstein de première année a été remis à l’élof Dugas (25876), à l’élof Hort (25718) et à l’aspirant de marine Holtken (25804).
La présence en tant qu’invité spécial du major à la retraite Danny McLeod doit aussi être soulignée. Ce vétéran de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale a servi comme premier directeur des sports du Collège militaire royal du Canada en 1960.
Commandant’s Weekend
By: 25800 OCdt Paul-Charles Geoffrion-Lockhead
On Saturday, January 29th and Sunday, January 30th, the Commandant’s weekend took place at the Royal Military College of Canada. Here is a summary of what happened.
The morning of January 29th was dedicated to the last of a series of three inspections that took place over the course of the previous two weeks. The afternoon of the same day was dedicated to a parade practice for the parade that was going to take place the following morning in the Anderson Field House.
The parade was reviewed by Major General Fraser. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of the challenges awaiting newly commissioned junior officers.
An important part of the ceremony was the conferment of the Howard B. Ripstein Award for Excellence in third year to OCdt Keita (24885), OCdt Bernatchez (24718) and NCdt Chong (25012). The Howard B. Ripstein Award for Excellence in first year was conferred to OCdt Dugas (25876), OCdt Hort (25718) and NCdt Holtken (25804).
The presence as special guest of Major (Ret.) Danny McLeod must be recognized. This World War II veteran was the first Director of Athletics at the Royal Military College of Canada in 1960.