November 10, 2016

Posted by Nick Aroutzidis on Nov 13, 2016

November 17 2016: Our Speaker, Zenon Andrusyszyn “Canadigm Exhibit World War”. Diane Sewell will introduce our speaker and thanked by Sue Wakelin.

Head Table: Our President Kevin Silver, invites, Diane Sewell, Rob Russell, Dan Scarborough, George Schroeder, Philip Schroeder and Jim Scott to join him at the head table.

This Week: Today was our Remembrance Day Program and our speaker was Stratford’s own Teddy Payne. Teddy’s father was an officer in the WWI and was wounded in action; he led Scottish troops in front line action. This may have encouraged Teddy to join the Royal Navy in 1943 at the age of 17.

Teddy explained how enemy soldiers, despite fighting for different countries, had respect for each other. In the navy, he told of an instance where a German u-boat commander radioed a British ship for the sailors to abandon ship before they sank it.

Teddy’s activity included escorting Canadian supply ships to Europe, following which he was in action in Russia, then the far-east – south Asia, and helped in the capture Rangoon, Burma. Teddy was trained as a radar technician and in May 1945 saw a large “blip” on the screen about 35 miles away. He signalled for help and a British destroyer sank the Japanese ship as a result.

Following the war he was sent to Singapore where he helped open Changi – a Japanese prison camp where there were 200 skeletal prisoners. One officer was a Dutch soldier now living in Stratford, whom Teddy met, coincidentally, many years after the war.

Teddy said the British sense of humour kept them motivated during the war and there were many “war jokes” to keep people amused. One example; “Mum the planes are coming, head to the bomb shelter. I can’t go, I can’t find my teeth. Mum, they are dropping bombs, not sandwiches!”

Teddy moved to Canada in 1968, and to Stratford in 1990. He is a well-known artist, author, storyteller, and raconteur, and remains very active at age 90.

He was introduced by Rheo Thompson and tanked by Jim Schott.

Scribe: Gordon Sherwin

Guests: Today we welcomed Ben Kane - Son of Dan Kane, Mary Rienhart - Rotary club of Barrie, and Brian Tree.

Draw: The draw prize today was donated by anonymous (gift card for the LCBO) and won by Mary Rienhart.

Make-ups: Nothing to report.

November’s Attendance Committee: Doug Wilson (I/C), Bill Cozyn, Clark Mitchell, Lorne Mitchell, Jim Young, Howard Murray, Marcia Matsui, Lutzen Reidstra, Dave Skinner, Philip Schroeder.

December’s Attendance Committee: Fritz Steigmeier (I/C), Clair McCallum, Guy Bellhumeur, Ollie Henry, Paul Roulston, Basil Hurst, John Kechnie, Mike Neilsen, David Rose