ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER – WINTER 2022

by | Dec 24, 2022 | Association Newsletters | 4 comments

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Vol. 1, Issue 3, Winter 2022

Greetings to our Members!

Yes, all former and serving members (Regular Force and Reserve) of the C&E Branch and its founding elements are automatically members in perpetuity of the C&E Association. Your family members are welcome to apply for Associate Membership. See everything about us and the rest of the C&E Family at https://cmcen-rcmce.ca/association.

JIMMY SANTA 2022

This year, as in years past, the Association executed Operation JIMMY SANTA 2022.  To help the morale of our deployed Branch members, the Association sends each one a small gift parcel for Christmas.  In the end, we put together 161 parcels for deployed personnel. More info can be found here: https://cmcen-rcmce.ca/op-jimmy-santa-2022/

CFSCE and CJOC were instrumental in helping pull this off and we would be remiss in not acknowledging the key role played by the Mercury Shop.  They ordered the gifts for us, supervised the packaging and addressing, and delivered the parcels to the postal system.  It simply would not have happened without them.  Hats off to you!

LOOKING BACK AT 2022

As with so many other organizations, the C&E Association is coming out from under COVID restrictions and working to resume normal operations.  As part of the business planning process, the Board of Directors conducted a review of accomplishments in 2022.  Here are some highlights:

  • remained active with the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) Institute in order to advocate on behalf of the C&E Branch (sidenote: the current Board Chair of the CDS Institute is LGen (ret’d) Guy Thibault).
  • Renewed our relationship with our Affinity Partner program, which at the moment consists of a partnership with TD Insurance, and discussed options to expand.  This program provides the bulk of our revenue.
  • Remained on track with our NL 2023 Battlefield Tour planning.
  • Increase our ability to reach out to our membership through newsletters and email.
  • Assisted in the conduct of three hybrid PD panels during C&E Week.
  • Successfully executed Operation JIMMY SANTA.

LOOKING FORWARD TO 2023

The Association Board of Directors has been working on a Business Plan for 2023.  Some of the tasks we will be working on:

  • Expand the newsletter program to reach a wider audience.
  • Develop a new Member Management System.
  • In cooperation with CDA or AFCEA, conduct a virtual Professional Development activity.
  • Expand our Affinity program.
  • Start a program to digitize Reserve history.
  • Recruit more members for the Board and/or as advisors.

RETIREMENT – BGEN D. AWALT

Dave Whittier had the distinct pleasure of being able to attend the Depart with Dignity for BGen (ret’d) Dave Awalt on November 27th at the CFB Esquimalt Chief and Petty Officer’s Mess. BGen (ret’d) Awalt retired on September 30th after over 31 years of service.  His career was unique in the number of command positions he held (748 Comm Sqn, 744 Comm Regt, 39 Sig Regt, Canadian Scottish Regiment, and 39 Canadian Brigade Group), as well as the fact that he commanded 3rd Canadian Division for a total of 9 months during his tenure as Deputy Commander.

Thank you for your service, General!

HERITAGE AWARD PROGRAM – CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

As part of the Communications & Electronics Association’s Awards and Recognition Program, the Heritage Awards supplement other forms of recognition in our community such as Branch commendations and the Foundation’s Philanthropic Award. In this instance, these awards are intended for presentation to persons and organizations who promote our heritage and honour our legacy through their actions.  More detail on the Heritage Awards themselves, the Nomination and Submission Guide, and the Nomination Form are found at https://cmcen-rcmce.ca/heritage-awards/ Think about it and submit a nomination!!

NEW ASSOCIATION VICE PRESIDENT

On behalf of the Association Board, a warm welcome to BGen (ret’d) Martin Girard, who has graciously agreed to serve as our Vice President.  Welcome!

FROM OUR MEMBERS

As this newsletter gets traction we would like to highlight one or two emails we receive from Association members, as a way to help make connections.  This edition recognizes WO (ret’d) Colin Blackburn, who wrote us back in August.  His 28-year career was remarkable:

  • Two years served on HMCS Haida as a radioman,
  • 20 hours a day working HF in Yarmouth, NS during the Cuban Missile Crisis,
  • AGA ops in Baden Baden, Sardinia, Trenton, Norway, Denmark, Ft Bragg, Ft lewis, Hawaii, Frobisher Bay, Resolute Bay, Alert, USAF Thule, Yellowknife, and “so many other exotic locales”.
  • posted to Airlift Command Element in Cairo during the 1972 Yom Kippur War.
  • was part of the first contingent of UN Peacekeepers in Egypt.
  • after remuster, was the only Reserve Image Tech on the West Coast, as part of 39 CBG Public Affairs cell.

Oh yeah, he also designed MACS crests.  Truly a stellar career, WO (ret’d) Blackburn, thank you for your service!

Feedback is a gift, and if you have any comments or suggestions regarding content for the newsletters, please write to [email protected]

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, AND ALL THE BEST IN 2023!!

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Gary Hanlon
1 year ago

Merry Christmas too all

Jeff Holt
1 year ago

Thanks for the great Newsletter Dave. Much appreciated! Thinking of the members deployed at this time of year. Best wishes.

Capt Drew Shaw
1 year ago

Could you please contact me about the digitization of Reserve history, Colonel? We have several boxes of material in Victoria, and I’m hoping to digitize photos, awards, and certificates from that. If there is something being done that would store those with access other than on the DND sharepoint, I would be interested in knowing about it. Many thanks!