You pull our Heart Strings when you say thanks…….

A story by Ms. Phyllis Forbes, Mayor of the town of Faro

 I personally had one Aunt and two Uncles on my mother’s side that served in the Canadian Air force during the Second World War.  One aunt and 3 uncles on my father’s side of the family served.  One of the first prize possessions I recall owning, was a beautiful (real china faced) doll sent to me from England by my Aunt Naomi, I believe it arrived for my fifth birthday.  It came to our farm in Northern Saskatchewan in a very large heavy cardboard box addressed to me, and as my mother opened the box she laughed with delight, the box was packed tight with female supplies that mom had not been able to purchase since the war began.  There were nylons, perfume, bobby pins, and many other items.  In the middle of the box was my beloved doll.  I had never seen such a beautiful doll, not even in Eaton’s catalogue. I can vaguely remember my parents’ excitement when word finally reached our community that the war was indeed over.  I vividly remember my aunts and uncles arriving home!  What a family reunion we had!  I remember my grandmother with tears flowing down her cheeks as she hugged each returning family member.  Then I remember the healing beginning.  Two of my Uncles returned home with an alcohol addiction which pretty much ruled their lives for the next few years.  One came home to find that his wife and son were no longer his family.  My cousin came to live with my grandmother and she raised him through high school.  I think he was 5 years old when he came to live with her.  My uncles did not tell stories of what they had witnessed.  I saw pictures of the aircraft one of them flew in as a rear gunner.  The glass compartment where he sat was completely chattered with bullet holes and I wondered how he survived without being hit.  When I asked him, he replied that bullet wounds were not the only wounds suffered by the soldiers and airmen.  I was too young to understand then, but to-day as we welcome this delegation from Holland I think I know what he was talking about.  And it is in memory of my Uncle Weldon Hanna, Uncle Orville Hanna and my Aunt Naomi Hanna that I proudly accept your gift of music and of a tulip garden for the town of Faro, Yukon Territory, Canada.

Ms. Phyllis Forbes, Mayor of the town of Faro