Tag Archives: remembering remembrance

This recent #remembranceday, I released another in my irregular but extended series called “white poppies for remembrance” in the “Postcards from Gravelly Beach” #podcast series.

First episode in quite some time… And it’s a one-breath all-the-words-at-once long conversation with myself (a la Neal Cassady a wee bit) about peace war colonialism monarchies reparations diplomacy explorers sacrifices resistance prevention opportunity costs and more… while at a cenotaph by a church where Vasco da Gama’s bones were buried – coincidentally next to Mahatma Gandhi beach and Chinese fishing nets.

Sounds like something you’re interested in? and/or if you’re into Poetry and Literature, you can find this and 62 other episodes via iTunes and Google play or at my Web library

(you are here).

PS The accompanying album art photo was taken with a Lomo sardine can camera with expired black-and-white film.

Meta Pod notes

Social media bonanza update – Podcast Preview

March 11, 2015 uncleweed

Rolling out podcasts at usual epic pace including a few new series and guest appearances of sorts:

Vimy Ridge Diaries on Remembrance Day – Postcard #61

Audio November 25, 2009 daveo 1 Comment

On Remembrance Day in sunny, brisk Vancouver, Ian Bell (fresh from a CBC appearance “On The Coast“) joins Dave to read from Grandpa Mark’s diaries written in the trenches in WW1 as a young Canadian. From the library steps with a flask of scotch, they reflect on the costs and motivations of war, importance of friendship and the ethereal experience of going “over the top” and facing the terror on the other side, plus anecdotes about capturing Germans soldiers and discourse on the importance of personal documentation to pass forward to generations.

Sit awhile for: Vimy Ridge Diaries on Remembrance Day – Postcard #61 (38:00, 32MB, 128k mp3) Continue reading Vimy Ridge Diaries on Remembrance Day – Postcard #61 →

Remembering Remembrance

Good to see many beaver scouts…

Aside November 11, 2009 Friendly Helper

Good to see many beaver scouts in the house – I was once in their ranks

BC & Vancouver Activities, Remembering Remembrance

Remembrance Day 2009, Events in Vancouver plus Canadian Campaigns

November 9, 2009 daveo 1 Comment

Like many folks, Remembrance Day is a reflective day for me – and one of conflicting emotions.

As a pacifist who abhors war, i feel the best way to honour veterans is to work with full human intelligence, intellect and emotion to prevent war and senseless killing.

With this in mind, i take the day to remember the fallen who fell victim to the myriad atrocities of war and enjoy tracking down the stories of Canadians heroes like Talbot Papineau and watching historical documentaries about the wars and other efforts to make peace.

A couple years ago, i recorded a podcast series called White Poppies for Remembrance discussing the various emotions stirred up in my belly while reflecting on the vast lost human potential. Last year, my pal Trauben and I stood out in the rain at Cates park for a sea-born ceremony and then hiked the Baden Powell trail from Seymour to Lynn Valley – he’s a former Air Cadet and me a cub scout so we’re well used to rainy ceremonies ;-). I also make sure to hear bagpipes each year.

Remembrance Day at UBC

This year, i think i’m heading to pay respects at UBC War Memorial Gym – built to honour soldiers by students, UBC’s architecturally advanced for its time is hosting a Remembrance Day ceremony

ergo:

This year, the Remembrance Day ceremony will be held on Wednesday, November 11 at 10:50 a.m. It will be an opportunity to honour and remember all those who served in times of war, military conflict and peace.

This year, 2009, we commemorate two special and historic milestones, the 65th Anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy and the 100th Anniversary of the Canadian Red Cross. In recognition of the completion of the restoration work on the Memorial Wall, this year’s guest speaker, Lieutenant-Colonel (retired) Donald G. MacLeod, CD, BA’ 53 will focus his address on the Korean War.

Everyone is welcome to attend this annual ceremony — doors open at 10:00 a.m. The ceremony will commence at 10:50 a.m. and will last for approximately 45 minutes. Light refreshments will be served after the ceremony and all are welcome to stay.

Remembrance Campaign

CDN Veterans Affairs asks How Will you Remember? Download Canadian historical war time photo and video packs, organized by theme and era, then remix and share via social networks including Veteran Affairs own Youtube channel and Facebook page plus web graphics to promote the campaign.

Finally, you can choose a Postcards for Peace + RSS feeds for convenience and a Google map of Remembrance Day Activities across Canada – though the info for the Vancouver events was incomplete – ditto for the HTML version of Remembrance Day events. {note: good effort and great idea but would be better if photos were preview-able or the packs described – really a lovely use of public archives}

Vancouver Remembrance Day Events

Basically, in Vancouver, your options are: Victory Square, Canada Place – closed caption of Victory Square ceremony, Grandview Park, Stanley Park, or Memorial Park South (Vancouver’s original Cenotaph IIRC). Here are details from Remembrance Day ceremonies at Vancouver City Parks:

Remembrance Day Ceremony November 11th at Memorial Park South East 41st Avenue and Prince Albert Street.Ceremony begins 10:30 am March to cenotaph at 10:15 from John Oliver SS. Sponsored by the Royal Canadian Legion Branch # 16. Memorial Park South event program

Remembrance Day Ceremony November 11th at Grandview Park Sponsored by the Royal Canadian Legion #179 at 11 am located at Commercial and Cotton Drives. A march to the cenotaph begins at 10:35 am from Napier Street and Commercial Drive.

Remembrance Day Ceremony November 11th at Stanley Park Gather at 10:40 am Sponsored by the Japanese Canadian War Memorial Committee at the Japanese Monument near the Stanley Park Pavilion.

Remembrance Day Ceremony November 11th at Victory Square Gather at 10:30. Major representation by civic officials at 11 am at Cambie and Hastings Streets. A colourful parade precedes the event. Event details

In North Van, you can attend the Victoria Park Cenotaph with a parade to Lonsdale and 15th.

Podcast: Consider taking along some White Poppies for Remembrance on Postcards from Gravelly Beach podcasts Subscribe to PfGB Feed Subscribe in PfGB in iTunes

Meta Pod notes

A Choogle and a Postcard

November 13, 2007 uncleweed

Finally finished off the White Poppies for Remembrance series on Postcards from Gravelly Beach with moments to spare before Remembrance day (being a year since i recorded the content). Tis a narrative on the go in London musing on the celebratory artifacts of wars gone past. I enjoyed Remembrance day ceremonies on the Ceeb from a cottage on Sechelt inlet on the Sunshine Coast. Meandering Past Monuments of Remembrance – Postcards #49

And part three of my ongoing documentary of a rock n’ rol trio bound for adventures from their humble base in a distressed logging town (OK that all sounds too dramatic but whatever …), Choogle on rolls out more Numbskulz conversation and more pod-debuts of tracks including a revamped Lifestyles. The post has heaps of links to bonus Numbskulz media. The Numbskulz Grow Up and Rock Out – Choogle on #55

Postcards fr. Gravelly Beach, Remembering Remembrance

Meandering Past Monuments of Remembrance – Postcards #49

Audio November 9, 2007 daveo

Wrapping up the White Poppies for Remembrance series with a narrative late-night wander through Westminster, London, DaveO meanders past military monuments, victory squares, cenotaphs, palaces, royal parks, war museum, war chambers, riot fences, war protesters, churches, parliament and finishing at St. James park for a sitdown under a weeping willow to consider monarchy, individual rights and responsibilities, and the role of class division in waging war as London’s sirens, trains, and Big Ben fill the night.

Care for a stroll? Meandering Past Monuments of Remembrance – Postcards #49 (192k mp3, 34:19, 28MB)

Continue reading Meandering Past Monuments of Remembrance – Postcards #49 →

BC & Vancouver Activities, Remembering Remembrance

Remembrance Day Activities in Vancouver 2007

November 7, 2007 daveo

For this Remembrance day, i will be posting the final chapter of the White Poppies for Remembrance podcast series on Postcards from Gravelly Beach and then hi-tailing out of town, bound for the Sunshine Coast for some relaxing and remembering.

Cemetary by Gazoo
photo by Gazoo on Flickr

For those of you asking, here are some Vancouver 2007 Remembrance Day events via Vancouver parks board – all on Nov. 11th leading up to 11:11AM:

Remembrance Day Run – Hershey Harriers @ Brockton Oval
Remembrance Day Service – City Legion @ Grandview Park
Remembrance Day Service – Royal Canadian Legion #16 @ Memorial South Park
Remembrance Day Service – Japanese Canadian Memorial Society @ Japanese War Memorial, Stanley Park
Remembrance Day Service – Royal Canadian Legion #179 @ Victory Square Park

Postcards fr. Gravelly Beach

Peace to Soldiers and Strangers – Postcard #48

Audio October 24, 2007 daveo 1 Comment

Back home on the North Vancouver porch, Dave reads from Clay Mcleod’s essay Why I Don’t Wear a Poppy while sending peace and resistance towards the decent lieutenant Magnum in Iraq and the Philippines along with earnest comrades at arms and peaceful strangers in war torn lands. Plus he admonishes the Canadian Legion for blocking the sale of white poppies while banjo-ist Wm. Lenker sings from the woodshed and The Grateful Dead leave this Brokedown Palace… on my hands and my knees, I will roll roll roll…

Sit for a spell with Peace to Soldiers and Strangers – Postcard #48 (.mp3, 16:58, 13MB)

Continue reading Peace to Soldiers and Strangers – Postcard #48 →

Remembering Remembrance

Canadian Legion threatens White Poppies for Peace folks with lawsuit

October 10, 2007 daveo 8 Comments

White poppies for peace This is a case of copyright gone wild. The Peace Pledge Union based in the UK sell white poppies to citizens around the world who wish to show their abhorance and refusal to support war for any purpose. You can read more back story about the white poppies and red poppies for that matter at Remembrance Day Activities in Vancouver.

But the Canadian Legion decided it owned the rights to sell poppies of any kind or colour and threathened the peaceniks with legal action. However, they aren’t giving up and surrendering to the bully who is claiming an absurd trademark right though a Canadian supplier has been forced to stop selling the wee plastic mementos.

Here’s Peace Pledge’s quick overview: Cenotaph in Vancouver

Last year The Royal Canadian Legion through it legal representative demanded that Canadian groups stop distribution them and that the PPU stop making white poppies available in Canada, or else. That was the gist, though expressed in more formal language. According to the RCL’s legal representatives, the white poppy infringes the Legion’s poppy trademark. The PPU replied at length; our central point was that we disagreed with their argument. We have not heard from them since but the Canadian shop at the centre of this complaint regrettably had to acquiesce. You can read more about this at http://tinyurl.com/2mc7pq where you can also find out about the white poppy project and the PPU.

Following the legal threats both the promoters in Canada and Canadians who bought the poppy from us hoped that white poppies would again be available in Canada this year.

White poppies in any quantity are available from us for dispatch anywhere in the world including Canada.

In case you missed it, i recorded a spoken word podcast series based around the White Poppies i received last year and my brother’s involvement in the conflict in Iraq (now home safe – wish i could say the same for the rest). Still one more episode to go – trying to get it all done in less than a year ;-).

You can also subscribe to Postcards from Gravelly Beach in iTunes.

Be sure to order white poppies early (shipped across the Atlantic) and read the loquacious discourse on this most critical of topics. Make no mistake, the way to honour ultimate sacrifice is to ensure no such future bloodshed is required from man’s inability to get along. And we (all of us) have a right to respect the fallen in a manner which suits our conscience and not a method prescribed by the Legion or anyone else.

“The power of the white poppy lies in its questioning of the dominant – and fundamentally dishonest – view of war. More than that, it carries the hopes and demands of the mothers, wives, daughters and girlfriends of the men who for whatever reason and in whatever way were diminished by their participation in war. Their hope was that we would find less brutal social institutions to solve problems and resolve conflict. It remains for us to fulfill the wish.”

Dave Olson's Creative Life Archive