Dr. Hedy Fry: HEDZ SEZ BLOG: The Billy Bishop Legion Hall
HEDZ SEZ BLOG: The Billy Bishop Legion Hall
The Billy
Yesterday, as always after the Cenotaph ceremony and the usual visits to Beaty St. and Seaforth Armouries; I ended my day at the beloved Billy Bishop legion on Laburnum.
Everyone ends up at the Billy, on Nov 11. including the pipe bands. How we all manage to shoe-horn into that small house is beyond me! Yet we do.
This year as we sang along, many of us off-key, to Bea, in her 90s, on the piano and Bert the WW11 vet, leading the vocals at his 'post'; I was struck by the fragility of it all.
'Blue birds' may forever fly, 'over the White Cliffs of Dover', but the Billy may not be there, next year, to remember them in off- key nostalgic voices. I hope this thought makes you as sad as it makes me.
The 'Billy' sits back of a wanna-be garden, an old stucco building with the insignia of the Canadian Legion and the name of Canada's famous WW1 flying Ace proudly printed on the front. It is weather beaten, because it cannot afford the upgrades, but the garden is tended the pub on the main is always warm and the people friendly. There is always the ageing vet to be seen. Always the story to tell. Always the draft to quaff.
The Billy is an institution in Kits.
Over the 17 years that I have been going to the Billy I have taken it for granted. But the legion building may be gone soon. It owes years of back taxes to the City of Vancouver; taxes the struggling managers cannot pay; taxes the City says it cannot forgive, because the "city's Charter does not allow it".
The Billy is part of our Heritage. The ghosts of the WW1 and WW11 vets still sit there, of an evening, with a pint.
The Korean and Afghanistan vets will yet want a place to belong. We cannot let the 'Billy' go.
As they passed the Jar around for donations to Save the Billy last evening, I felt my heart sink. I approached the Mayor, and I hope he meant it when he agreed that all three levels of government can and must come up with a creative solution. We will do so.
Until then, you can become a member of the legion at the Billy. You don't have to be Veteran, nor the child of one. You just have to care about saving this integral part of our history.
So I lift my voice with Bert, as he kisses Lili Marlene under that ever glowing lamplight, and Bea tinkles the ivories, without missing a note, as she has done over all the years of the Billy....
And I hope " we'll meet again.." for all the years to come, as will our children and grandchildren, at the Billy: to remember the courage, the valour and the songs of a generation that gave so much...
Lest we Forget.
http://www.billybishoplegi
"Save the Billy" cause on Facebook
http://apps.facebook.com/c
Yesterday, as always after the Cenotaph ceremony and the usual visits to Beaty St. and Seaforth Armouries; I ended my day at the beloved Billy Bishop legion on Laburnum.
Everyone ends up at the Billy, on Nov 11. including the pipe bands. How we all manage to shoe-horn into that small house is beyond me! Yet we do.
This year as we sang along, many of us off-key, to Bea, in her 90s, on the piano and Bert the WW11 vet, leading the vocals at his 'post'; I was struck by the fragility of it all.
'Blue birds' may forever fly, 'over the White Cliffs of Dover', but the Billy may not be there, next year, to remember them in off- key nostalgic voices. I hope this thought makes you as sad as it makes me.
The 'Billy' sits back of a wanna-be garden, an old stucco building with the insignia of the Canadian Legion and the name of Canada's famous WW1 flying Ace proudly printed on the front. It is weather beaten, because it cannot afford the upgrades, but the garden is tended the pub on the main is always warm and the people friendly. There is always the ageing vet to be seen. Always the story to tell. Always the draft to quaff.
The Billy is an institution in Kits.
Over the 17 years that I have been going to the Billy I have taken it for granted. But the legion building may be gone soon. It owes years of back taxes to the City of Vancouver; taxes the struggling managers cannot pay; taxes the City says it cannot forgive, because the "city's Charter does not allow it".
The Billy is part of our Heritage. The ghosts of the WW1 and WW11 vets still sit there, of an evening, with a pint.
The Korean and Afghanistan vets will yet want a place to belong. We cannot let the 'Billy' go.
As they passed the Jar around for donations to Save the Billy last evening, I felt my heart sink. I approached the Mayor, and I hope he meant it when he agreed that all three levels of government can and must come up with a creative solution. We will do so.
Until then, you can become a member of the legion at the Billy. You don't have to be Veteran, nor the child of one. You just have to care about saving this integral part of our history.
So I lift my voice with Bert, as he kisses Lili Marlene under that ever glowing lamplight, and Bea tinkles the ivories, without missing a note, as she has done over all the years of the Billy....
And I hope " we'll meet again.." for all the years to come, as will our children and grandchildren, at the Billy: to remember the courage, the valour and the songs of a generation that gave so much...
Lest we Forget.
http://www.billybishoplegi
"Save the Billy" cause on Facebook
http://apps.facebook.com/c