To celebrate HMCS HAIDA’s 80th anniversary of service,  a number of events were planned for the weekend of August 26 and 27/23.  HAIDA is a National  Historic Site administered by Parks Canada.  The ship was commissioned on August 30, 1943. Here is a roster of activities which transpired.

ACTIVITIES FOR ALL AGES

• Haida was dressed for the occasion. The  firings of the 4 inch  ‘A Gun’, were followed by a sounding of the sirenette at 11am, 1pm and 2pm on both days.
• Second World War re-enactors were onsite in period costume to provide firing demonstrations that brought  HMCS Haida’s military  heritage to life.
• Guided tours were offered throughout the day and on each day.
• Visitors were  involved in activities  aboard the ship and on the jetty, including interactive stations such  as  knot tying, signalling and  heaving line demonstrations. These activity stations were run by volunteers from the Dundas Sea Cadets. One of the stations offered airbrush tattoos by Parks Canada staff.
• Complementary treats and refreshments were available each day.
• A free souvenir patch was made  available for guests while supplies lasted..
• On the Mess Deck, visitors could check out “Looking Back”, a special photo exhibit that showcased the last 80 years in photographs.  These   photo contributions honoured the ship’s naval history and HAIDA’s contribution to Hamilton’s waterfront.

MUSIC
• Visitors could enjoy the musical styling’s of HMCS STAR’s Band, who performed on August 26 from 2 to 4 pm at the gazebo.
•  Canada’s Sweetheart of Swing, Alex Pangman, returned to HAIDA to celebrate the ship’s 80th birthday.
• Guests were  invited to wear their best 1940s dress and join Alex Pangman and  her Alleycats in an evening of live music and swing dancing. It all happened  with  the backdrop of HAIDA  to set the stage and the mood. The party ran from 6:30 – 9:30 pm on August 26 with music starting at 7 pm.

AMATEUR RADIO

IIn addition to the above,  Rick Bialachowski, VA3WWV, Chair of the Friends of HMCS HAIDA’s 80th Anniversary Celebration Committee, organized an amateur radio   special events station with assistance from the Hamilton Amateur Radio Club (HARC) . Two special event callsigns were procured, namely VB3HAIDA and VB3HAIDA80.   John David (VP)  of the HARC organized the volunteers to run the station and he also provided the use of his personal Icom IC-9300 transceiver. Tom Godden VE3TWG, of  the Burlington Amateur Radio Club put a special log book together as a memento of the event. Between August 12 and August 28, there were 218 contacts made in Canada and the USA mostly on 7.180 KHz using SSB. Visitors to  Radio 1, were encouraged to try their hand at sending Morse code  by using a code practice oscillator
 

(L-R) Rick  VA3WWV,  John David VA3JHD,  James   VA3JT,  Tom VE3TWG  and  Barry VE3ISX operated VB3HAIDA80.   (Photo provided by John David)