under canadian skies
So we made it! And first impressions touching down in Calgary are …
… it feels uncannily like arrival in Church! This is thanks to a wonderful (rather senior) voluntary welcome team at the airport, who position themselves all along our passenger route - with the purpose just of being there, to smile & say a lovely cheery good morning
Only real difference from St. Mary’s back home is their costume of red waistcoats & enormous white 10 gallon cowboy hats (but I could easily sort that with my churchwardens) …
Then at passport control we were further greeted by this mission statement emblazoned on the wall, in huge red letters over the Canadian flag :
“Bless … this flag, and grant that this banner of our nationhood may proudly fly over a people devoted to the pursuit of righteousness, justice and unity”
Hmmm, sounds familiar : a people devoted to the pursuit of righteousness
A pretty good banner to hang over the next three months methinks …
A quick Google search shows the quote is from a speech by the Governor General in 1965, when the flag was formally adopted. The back story is rather intriguing (though turns out to have little to do with the Maple Syrup marketing board after all, to slight personal disappointment)
Apparently Canadians had been discussing national flag design ever since their confederation in 1867, quite unable to agree. Finally after some 98 years of debate, a new Prime Minister made it his bold campaign pledge to decide one definitively within a two year deadline. A century of dithering would be just too embarrassing, obviously.
A cross-party flag committee of 15 eminent members was appointed and held no fewer than 41 sittings, studying nearly 2,000 designs. Finally in Parliament, after 33 days of heated argument and 252 speeches, in the early hours of the morning of December 15th 1964, the famous maple leaf flag was at last approved by a triumphant vote of 163 to 78.
Like I say, first impressions do just remind you a bit of Church somehow …
PS Tomorrow the Rockies await, their majesty having only been glimpsed from the air - for now here’s a quick snap of downtown Calgary just to prove we are really here (on “the last best day of Summer” apparently, gorgeously warm!)