Turners seriously fly the flag for Canada
“May the land over which this new flag flies remain united in freedom and justice… sensitive, tolerant, and compassionate towards all.”
~ Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, on the occasion of the first raising of Canada’s new Maple Leaf flag at the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, on February 15, 1965.
It took eighteen years to arrive, landing gracefully at a local tractor dealership in the sweet breath of spring.
It was an official Canadian flag, which had spent just one glorious day up the pole on Parliament Hill’s Peace Tower, in Ottawa, from January 28 to January 29, 2024.
And the Turners were ready and waiting.
“How did we get the flag?” said Betty Turner. “Dennis and I originally signed a book, at the top of the Peace Tower at Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, in May of 2006. We were on a tour of the Peace Tower, and that’s when it was explained to us by our guide about the flag. You put your name in a book there, and they told us it would take about 18 years to receive this special flag. We actually put the flag in our grandson Landon’s name, as we thought we might not be around by then, and he was just a little one then. Thankfully we still were, and the letter from the Minister of Public Services and Procurement came to our same old post office box number. The flag arrived here at Green Valley Equipment, the John Deere dealership, last April, and we have been displaying it proudly ever since.”
It turns out that official Canadian flags are run up the pole for just one day, some 24 hours, then lowered and re-furled, and eventually sent – for free – to a Canadian who has applied for one. Like the Turners.
“The flag arrived with this letter, which included the words of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson,” said Betty. “It said: ‘May this flag thus be for you and all your loved ones a symbol of what people of diverse cultures, languages, and faiths can accomplish together, as well as a reminder of the responsibilities that come with being a citizen of this great country.’ We thought it fitting to put it in this year’s parade. That was my first time in a parade. It was fun! People were putting their elbows up, and there were big smiles. We had a boom box on top of the Jeep Cherokee, and Dennis was playing This Land is Our Land.”
The Turner’s mounted the huge flag (which measures 7.5 feet by 15 feet) onto the back of their flat deck trailer, after John Bellew of Kiwi Welding lent them the use of two flagpoles to hold it up, she said.
“That’s why we are also displaying a New Zealand flag, for John,” said Betty. “We are all part of the Commonwealth. And we had the Philippine flag up too. It was a great day to be a Canadian.”
BY KIM LANGEN / KILLARNEY GUIDE
THE TURNER PRIZE – Betty and Dennis Turner (above) turned more than a few heads during the Killarney Fair Parade on Saturday with their massive Peace Tower Maple Leaf flag. It is an actual Canadian flag that was flown over the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill, Ottawa, for just one day last January. The Turners applied for a flag back in May of 2008, and it took 18 years for one to arrive, which it did, finally, at the local GVE dealership last spring. ‘This Land is Our Land’ was belting out of the boom box on the roof of the Jeep Cherokee to add to the drama.
LITTLE KING ACE – The Filipino community was out in droves again this year for the Killarney Fair Parade, including the little King Ace, leading all the bikers alone the route. Keep scrolling for more photos from the fair.
