Ted Barris • Page 86 of 104 • author

Barris brings BCATP story to 427 (London) Wing annual event

Written by Ted Barris on February 19th, 2011February 19th, 2011. Leave a comment

Ted Barris addresses the annual RCAF birthday observance of 427 (London) Wing of the Air Force Association of Canada on Saturday, April 2, 2011. During his visit, Barris will speak about perhaps the least known military aviation heroism of the Second World War. When Britain and free-Europe cried out for help to defend themselves against the German Luftwaffe, Canada responded by launching the largest, wartime, military air training scheme in history. It was known as the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan – created 72 years ago this year – and its heroes are the subject of Ted Barris’s bestselling book “Behind the Glory.”

When: Saturday, April 2, 2011.

Where: 427 Wing building, 2155 Crumlin Road, London, Ont.

Contact: Joan Sullivan, president, 519-657-1381, joan.sullivan064@sympatico.ca

Barris addresses annual Mess Dinner of the Ontario Regiment

Written by Ted Barris on February 19th, 2011February 19th, 2011. Leave a comment

Ted Barris has accepted an invitation to speak to the annual St. David’s Day Mess Dinner of the Ontario Regiment, on Saturday, March 5, 2011. He will speak to members about post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) based on his own experience of getting veterans to speak about their experiences; his talk is based on his bestselling book “Breaking the Silence: Veterans’ Untold Stories from the Great War to Afghanistan.”

When: Saturday, March 5, 2011.

Where: Col. R.S. McLaughlin Armoury, Officers’ Mess, 53 Sincoe St. N., Oshawa, Ont.

Contact: Wayne Johnston, Captain, 647-239-3863, wayne@woundedwarriors.ca

Barris returns to speak to Buttonville Flying Club

Written by Ted Barris on February 19th, 2011. Leave a comment

Ted Barris has accepted a return invitation (his third visit) to speak to the Buttonville Flying Club, on Wednesday, April 13, 2011. He will speak to members about the job of getting veterans to speak about their experiences; his talk is based on his bestselling book “Breaking the Silence: Veterans’ Untold Stories from the Great War to Afghanistan.”

When: Wednesday, April 13, 2011.

Where: Buttonville Flying Club hangar, Buttonville Airport

Contact: Paul Hayes, 905-201-0232, aerocan@rogers.com

Barris addresses Vimy Dinner at Branch 67 in Lindsay

Written by Ted Barris on February 19th, 2011. Leave a comment

At this year’s Vimy Dinner, held at Branch 67 of the Royal Canadian Legion in Lindsday, Ted Barris offers a unique telling of the famous WWI battle at Vimy Ridge, that, he says, gave birth to the country’s nationhood. Barris will offer insights and images gleaned from some of the individual accounts – old interviews, memoirs, letters and diaries of the Canadian Corps troops – he assembled in the research/writing of his book “Victory at Vimy: Canada Comes of Age, April 9-12, 1917.”

When: Wednesday, April 6, 2011.

Where: Branch 67, Royal Canadian Legion, Lindsay, Ont.

Contact: John Sherman, president, sirsamhughes@bellnet.ca

Via VIA

Written by Ted Barris on February 16th, 2011February 16th, 2011. Leave a comment

120px-Edinburgh_Waverley_station_viewed_from_Edinburgh_Castle_2005-06-17_02 — I remember a train trip from London to Edinburgh in the U.K. once; after about six hours en route, when we pulled into Waverley Station in Edinburgh two minutes late the conductor apologized profusely.

They issue tickets on the internet now. Unlike at the airport, there’s no window overlooking the tracks to see the trains arriving and departing. In fact, even at Union Station in Toronto – perhaps the busiest passenger rail terminal in the country – you can barely hear the clatter of wheels on steel or feel the rumble of the locomotive in the station. They don’t even blow a whistle on departure anymore. And yet VIA Rail’s slogan still reads:

“There is nothing quite like seeing Canada by rail.”

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Who is on the dark side?

Written by Ted Barris on February 10th, 2011March 4th, 2011. 1 Comment

PRESSRELEASE_LTRHEADE — Press releases by the thousands flow daily between public relations people and journalists who use them as research for news stories.

I recently took a call from a Humber College student. She asked if I was a working journalist. When I informed her that I both wrote and taught, she asked if I could help her with an essay she was researching. In her studies, one of her instructors had directed her to answer this question:

“Can public relations people get along with journalists? And conversely, can journalists get along with PR people?”

“It depends,” I told her on the phone.

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Gretzky at 50

Written by Ted Barris on February 3rd, 2011March 4th, 2011. Leave a comment

The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, as seen on a hockey collectors' card in the Edmonton Oiliers' heyday during the 1970s.

All last week, they remembered his 50th. Hockey commentators waxed eloquent. His on-ice peers remembered their brushes with him as teammates or opponents. Most columnists had at plenty of anecdotes about his goal-scoring prowess, his record number of records and his so-called sixth sense on skates. Well, I was there for his 50th too. Not his 50th birthday. I was there to witness the final seconds of the game of games:

“Anderson gets it to Gretzky. He’s got the open net!” shouted Rod Phillips, the Oilers’ play-by-play announcer that night. “Will he shoot? He does. He scores! He has broken the record. Wayne Gretzky’s 50th goal in 39 games. Gretzky has done the unbelievable.”

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How much living space is enough?

Written by Ted Barris on January 28th, 2011January 28th, 2011. Leave a comment

Most of these mansions or estate homes end up having two people rattling around in thousands of square feet of unused, unnecessary living space.

In most parts of Canada, they’re located in the suburbs where the lots are larger. In downtown areas they’re called mansions. In some older communities they’re found on former estates. In fact, out in the country, they’re described as estate homes. A few weeks ago, we were driving past a group of them north of Stouffville and an older passenger in our car gasped.

“Unbelievable aren’t they,” I said.

She nodded and reacted with an unexpected comment: “How on earth would anybody clean something like that?” she said.

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Barris presents BCATP story to Canadian Aviation Historical Society

Written by Ted Barris on January 22nd, 2011January 22nd, 2011. Leave a comment

Ted Barris addresses the Canadian Aviation Historical Society in Toronto on Saturday, April 9, 2011. Barris spoke to CAHS members about the D-Day operation during his last visit in 2004. On this occasion he speaks about perhaps the least known military aviation heroism of the Second World War. When Britain and free-Europe cried out for help to defend themselves against the German Luftwaffe, Canada responded by launching the largest, wartime, military air training scheme in history. It was known as the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan – created 72 years ago this year – and its heroes are the subject of Ted Barris’s bestselling book “Behind the Glory.”

When: Saturday, April 9, 2011.

Where: Royal Canadian Legion, Branch #527 (948 Sheppard Ave. W.) Toronto.

Contact: Bob Winson, rwinson@sympatico.ca

Gift of serving

Written by Ted Barris on January 19th, 2011January 20th, 2011. 1 Comment

Police officers file toward the Toronto Convention Centre on Jan. 19 to attend the funeral of Sgt. Ryan Russell. As many as 12,000 law enforcement and emergency response officials from across the continent attended the event. Photo courtesy Octavian Lacatusu. — Police officers file toward the Toronto Convention Centre on Jan. 19 to attend the funeral of Toronto Police Service's Sgt. Ryan Russell. As many as 12,000 law enforcement and emergency response officials from across the continent attended the event. Photo courtesy Octavian Lacatusu.

Like many, I found myself drawn to the real-life drama of two families coping. In the aftermath of Sgt. Ryan Russell’s senseless death in the streets of Toronto, last Wednesday morning, I watched the policing family try to come to terms with the loss of one of its own. Then, on Tuesday afternoon, I listened and watched his widow Christine Russell put her mourning into words in front of 12,000 people.

“Ryan always put others before him,” she said at the Toronto Convention Centre funeral Tuesday. “On Jan. 12, it cost him his life.”

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