The Wingham Advance-Times, 1964-07-30, Page 3Wingham Advance -Times, Thursday, July 30, 1964 + Page 3
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Eskimo Navy League Cadets dee RCN Warships in Action
CASH --if you live.
CASH—if you die,
Protection for the family.
Comfort in your retirement
--All in one policy.
Consult —
Frank C. Hopper
— REPRESENTATIVE —
Canada Life
WINGHAM, ONT.
PHONE 357-2452
By Lt. Norman Pascoe, RCNR
One thousand miles duenortr
of Ottawa, on the eastern shore
of Hudson's Bay, is the arctic
village of Rovungnituk, Que-
bec. In this tiny settlement is
a Navy League Cadet Corps
composed of 22 boys from 11 to
15 years of age.
The Corps is the most re-
mote, by far, of any in Canada:
but what really makes it un-,
ique is the fact that all its
members are Eskimo boys.
A couple of years ago these
boys experienced a "once-in-
a-lifetime" thrill when they
made a rendezvous with two
Royal Canadian Navy warships
at Port Harrison, 100 miles
down the coast from Povung-
nituk. The boys, all neatly
uniformed, made the trip in a
40 -foot fishing boat and ren-
dezvoused with they frigates
HMCS Cap de la Madeleine
and La Hulloise at Port Harri-
son, the nearest harbour to Pov-
ungnituk, at which the ships
could anchor.
Besides these 22Cadets, the
entire population of Port Harri-
son, comprising about 30
whites and 400 Eskimos, flock-
ed in a variety of small boats
to greet the first warships ever
to call at the little community.
The young Cadets presented
a smart appearance as they
stood at attention on the deck
of their boat, the Tobiak, com-
ing along -side the Cap de la
Madeleine. Each saluted pro-
perly as he stepped on board the
warship.
Commanding officer of the
Cadet Corps was Lt, S. T.
Mallon, the bearded school
principal at Povungnituk, A
native of Belfast, Ireland, he
came to Canada in 1964,learn•
.ed to speak Eskimo and moved
to the Arctic Village in Dec-
ember, 1959.
He decided to start the Navy
League Cadet Corps (junior
Sea Cadets) in January, 1961,
as a spare time activity for his
young students. The corps,
NLCC No. 60 "Nanuq" (mean-
ing Polar Bear) is administered
by the Quebec Division of the
Navy League, with headquar-
ters in Montreal.
The corps acquired a naval
whaler, delivered by the De-
partment of Transport icebreak-
er Montcalm, in which theCa-
dets learned navy -style sea-
manship, although the Eskimo
lads are natural boat handlers.
They named their whaler "Na'
nungua", which means "make
believe polar bear".
0--0--0
The Cadets were given the
run of the Cap de la Madeleine
during her 30 -hour stay at an-
chor off Port Harrison. Local
residents also boarded both fri-
gates and displayed keen inter-
est in the guns, anti-submar-
ine weapons, machinery and
sailors.
Cadets and visitors were ta-
ken on a two-hour cruise and
given a demonstration of jack -
stay transferring with ships
steaming along at 12 knots on -
ly 80 feet apart; anti-submar-
ing mortar firing; four -inch
gun surface shoot; man over-
board drill and small arms fir-
ing with the Cadets and some
of the Eskimo hunters partici-
pating.
The hunters were greatly
impressed with the automatic
FN rifles, Howard Dove, man-
ager of the local Hudson's Bay
Company store, said he ex-
pected a flood of orders for
FN rifles.
"They're all of the opinion
there would be nothing better
for caribou hunting", he said.
0--0--0
The Cadets joined the sail-
ors for lunch and supper in the
seamen's cafeteria, and later
were shown a movie. After
dark, both ships put ona spec-
tacular display with star shell,
rockets and searchlights.
Next morning, steel -hel-
meted University Naval Train-
ing Division officer Cadets from
both ships training with the
squadron, landed with full bat-
tle gear on a nearby uninhabit-
ed island with orders to "de-
molish a radio station secretly
set up by a foreign power".
The exercise was successfully
carried out with demolition
charges being set off while the
Eskimo Cadets watched from
the Cap de la Madeleine.
The warships sailed soon af-
ter, after the Navy League Ca-
dets had boarded the fishing
boat Tobiak for their return
voyage to Povungnituk com-
plete with cap tallies, lanyard;
bosun's calls, a display board
of knots and splices, sundry
rope .and other spare gear
scrounged for them by the sail-
ors. Ships' badges from the La
Hulloise and Cap de la Made-
leine were presented to Lt.
Mallon.
"This has been like a dream
dream," he said. "My boys
will never forget it. Nothing
as big as this has ever happen-
ed, or is likely to happen in
an Eskimo's lifetime."
The Cap de la Madeleine
and La Hulloise then sailed
across Iludson's Bay to join
their sister ships, Swansea, Lau-
zon and Buckingham at Church-
ill, Man. The squadron visit-
ed the grain port for a few days
and refuelled before starting the
3,000 -mile voyage to Halifax.
BELMORE
Mr, and Mrs. Alvin Fitch
visited with Mr. and Mrs. Mel-
vin McNeil and son of Stouff-
ville on the week -end. The
two families drove to Ottawa
for a couple of days, returning
home on Monday.
At the !Hospital
Admitted to Hospital during
the week: Belgrave 1, Blyth 1,
Brussels 1, Teeswater 2, Wing -
ham 13, Nova Scotia 1, Ash-
field Twp. 3, Culross Twp. 3,
Howick Twp. 4, Huron Twp. 1,
Morris Twp. 3, Turnberry Twp,
8, E. Wawanosh Twp. 2, W.
Wawanosh Twp. 1, total 44.
PERSONAL NOTES
-Mrs. Jack Reavie, princi-
pal of the Golden Circle School
attended the teachers' training
summer course in Carl Orfs'
music for children, given at
the University of Toronto.
-Mr. Jack Reavie, Miss
Lynda Reavie and Miss Gloria
Reed spent the week -end in To-
ronto.
-Mr. and Mrs. Stewart
Hickson, Janet and Richard of
Lindsay were week -end guests
with Mr. and Mrs. HarveyFish-
er and family.
- Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Hig-
gins, Marilyn and Carol spent
the week -end in Toronto with
her sister, Mr, and Mrs. C. J.
Stanwick.
-Mr. and Mrs. C. 8. Black-
hall of Rockford, Ill., visited
a few days last week with his
sister, Mr. and Mrs. Wilfrid
Congram.
-Mr. and Mrs. Frank J. Gib-
bons and family of London and
Mr, and Mrs,. Warren Weber
and family of Stratford were vi-
sitors over the week -end with
their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jas.
Gibbons.
-Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Jen-
kins, Ronna and Brad of Sud-
bury, spent a few days with rel-
atives and friends around Tees -
water and Wingham.
dine yep hers
for safer
driving!
Let us put your wheels in proper alignment
and balance for safer driving ... with an
added dividend in longer tire wear. We have
the precision equipment to do the job rightl
Your car is in good hands here!
-Mrs. Charles Childs and
youngest son, Charles, of
Woodstock spent the week -end
at the home of her parents, Mr.
and Mrs. Paul Vanstone and
grandmother, Mrs. S. A. Mur-
ray. Visitors at the same home
on Saturday were Mrs. Ford
Murray, Richard and Susan, Mr.
and Mrs. Ron Dunn of Brampton,
Mr. Bob Murray of Malton, Mr,
and Mrs. Kenneth Murray and
Joe of Cooksville, and Mr. and
Mrs. Cecil Murray and Tom of
Goderich, Mr. and Mrs. David
Murray, Gary and Susan of
Winnipeg.
W. R. HAMILTON
OPTOMETRIST
Josephine Street
WINGHAM
FOR APPOINTMENT
Phone 357-1361
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