Tickets are available here – click to order (but hold off for a week or so. There is a change in date, ticket price, and venue pending.)
Many have expressed concern over holding the Second Annual Unsung Heroes Gala at UBC in the belief that it is too remote and inaccessible. There has also been concern about the ticket price. In response we are moving the event to a more centrally located venue and rescheduling for sometime late September. More information will be made available in the next few weeks.
It’s still going to be a great evening where we’ll celebrate the colourful life and selfless accomplishments of Lt Gordon Flowerdew. He left his home in Walhachin BC to serve with Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) in the First World War. Flowerdew led the 30 March 1918 cavalry charge at the Battle of Moreuil Wood, one of the last in Canada’s military history, but succumbed to his wounds shortly thereafter. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, posthumously, for his courage.
Coming from out of town or just don’t want to drink and drive? The UBC Conference Centre has accommodations available. For details and booking go to: https://suitesatubc.com/
Our keynote speaker (all going well) this year is Rear Admiral (Retired) Roger Girouard.
Master of Ceremonies: Lt.Col. James D. Barrett
Our beneficiaries this year are Can Praxis, and the Citadel Canine Society.
We’re particularly excited to add Can Praxis to our beneficiaries. They run a very successful equine therapy program in Alberta that does a lot for Canadian Veterans (and not just the military – but First Responders of every uniform). They also recognize the need that families have for support when a member is struggling with PTSD. They are a proactive organization and we look forward to partnering with them in the years ahead.
There will be a brief presentation on Lt Flowerdew before the dinner and our keynote speaker after the dinner.
Seating at the Sage restaurant restricts our numbers to 250. We are keeping numbers to 200, however, and tickets will cost $175 each. The Sage Restaurant offers a cash bar and port will be provided for the traditional toasts following the dinner. Tickets are now on sale. Tickets are non refundable but in the event of cancellation of the dinner due to a resurgence of the Covid pandemic, full refunds will be made for tickets purchased.
Questions regarding this upcoming event may be directed to:
About the Unsung Heroes Gala
The objective of an annual Unsung Heroes Gala celebrating those overlooked heroes of British Columbia is threefold. First and foremost is fundraising for Veterans projects and programs. Second is to raise awareness of the rich and colourful history of British Columbians who serve or have served in the Canadian Armed Forces, Regular, Reserve or Cadet Instructor Cadre. Third is to encourage Canadian filmmakers to tell the forgotten stories of those who have served. We believe that it is through story telling that we can help raise awareness in Canada of the important but often-overlooked role that our military has played in our history. To that end we hope that the Annual Unsung Heroes Gala will help us build to an Annual Canadian Military Film Festival.
We look forward this year to begin collaboration with the Chinese Canadian Military Museum Society on the development of the Unsung Heroes Gala as a successful Annual Vancouver event in that will come to accurately reflect the cultural diversity of our regional history.
We are looking for volunteers to help us in the months ahead to make sure that the 2023 Unsung Heroes Gala is so amazing that it does more than provide funds for our 2023 beneficiaries. We’d like it to lead to ongoing success as a popular annual Vancouver fundraising event that has the added benefit of drawing the attention and interest of Vancouver Filmmakers. Our Unsung Heroes have stories worth transforming into film! We’re hoping we can also turn this adventure into the launching of a Virtual Canadian Military Film Festival. Stay tuned for more on that topic.
Folks are encouraged to not only buy tickets, but to spread the word. Can’t attend but interested in sponsoring the dinner? Contact us (see above links) for either a donation or to sponsor someone else. We suggest a Veteran you think would benefit from participating in the evening, a film student, a local politician or someone you know in the media or film industry. Tax receipts will be available on request for the net of the ticket price (that’s $175 per person less costs) We’re also looking for donations of items for a pending silent auction.
Cascadia For Veterans 