HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-11-06, Page 13THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2008. PAGE 13.
Lest we forget
Stewart Toll’s educational DVD (above) honours the sacrifice
of Canadian soldiers in Europe.
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A former teacher
principal and director
of education has
created A Bridge To
Remembrance, to help
young people understand the sacrifices
and contributions of Canadian
veterans.
The DVD focuses on the Second
World War following a path from D-
Day and Juno Beach to Rhineland and
victory. His hope is to see the DVD in every school in
Canada.
As Remembrance Day approaches, Toll recalls the
difficulties he faced in the classroom trying to plan and
conduct meaningful programs for Nov. 11. “I didn’t
want to create anxiety or frighten them. But I wanted to
ensure that they understood, recognized and most
importantly would remember the sacrifices these young
men and women had made.”
Later, Toll said he saw young teachers struggling to
understand something they had only experienced
through history books. “I visited a school once and saw
them showing Saving Private Ryan to some primary
students. It’s an excellent film but children should not be
seeing it.”
Finding the answer began in 2001. “I was privileged to
join a group visiting the battlefields and many
cemeteries in north-west Europe,” said Toll. “I was so
moved by what I’d seen I had to do something.”
He returned in 2006 for the 60th anniversary of the end
of the war.
The video footage he shot during these visits
comprises part one of the DVD. Visuals of places like
Aldershot, the Salisbury Plains, the headstones of Beny
sur Mer, Vimy and Dieppe reprise the history path taken
by thousands of Canadians.
After his first visit, Toll, with his son, Warren, wrote
the song A Bridge To Remembrance. This is part two of
the DVD.
No Remembrance Day tribute would be complete
without Lt. Col. John McCrae’s In Flanders Fields. Toll
contacted an old friend who had founded the Amabile
choir. This award-winning all-girls chorus delivers a
haunting rendition in part three of the DVD.
The final portion of the disc features an interview with
Captain George G. Blackburn, who served as the longest
serving forward observation officer in the Canadian
artillery. Inspired by Blackburn’s books, Toll contacted
him and the two eventually became friends and Toll said
Blackburn, who passed away at the age of 90 in 2006,“encouraged me to keep the veterans’ stories alive.”“This was perhaps the most important part for me. His
books are wonderful reading. In his Guns of Victory he
tells of his own company taking bets on when he’d be
killed because he had been in active duty for so long the
odds were against him. That shook him up.”
Toll adds that when Blackburn had three weeks
remaining, the commander pulled him out.
“I tried in my interview to make it interesting to young
people. I tried to bring out George’s feelings, of being a
young man.”
Toll feels that the four elements of the DVD put the
war into perspective. Several school boards agree and
have equipped their schools with a copy. A few in the
Avon Maitland District School Board have one.
“It’s been very encouraging,” said Toll.
While there is a $29.99 cost for boards to purchase the
DVD, Toll is thinking now of setting the project up as a
not-for-profit, to help further his ambition of seeing that
every Canadian school will have a copy.
The running time of the DVD is 43 minutes, but
segments can be viewed independently.
More information can be found at
www.bridgetoremembrance.com or e-mail
exemplary@rogers.com
DVD honoursCanada’s veterans
In memory
The Canadian memorial
at Vimy.
The path taken
Toll’s retracing of the path taken by
Canadian soliders during the Second
World War includes a stop at a bunker on
Dieppe Beach.
Head.
Heart.
Hands.
Health.
Help Wanted.
Right now, 4-H needs volunteers to work with youth in
your area. We also need you to encourage neighbours
and co-workers to do the same. Join for the projects, for
the competitions, for everything that helped you get
where you are today.
4-H-Canada.ca/join_again
By Bonnie GroppThe Citizen