In 1992, Stephen Township, where the former RCAF Station Centralia is located, planned to celebrate it's sesquicentennial. One of the events planned was a RCAF Station Centralia reunion. I attended many of the reunion committee meetings and offered my collection of photos and information to the committee at no charge, for a possible commemorative book. Instead, the committee voted to copy a Department of National Defence written overview of RCAF Station Centralia which was on file at the local library. I also provided the committee with the names/contact information for many of the ex No. 9 SFTS personnel who attended the 1992 reunion. I wrote an article about RCAF Station Centralia which was published in Air Force magazine to promote the reunion. I also set up an extensive display of photographs at the reunion. Prior to the event, I also contacted the late Colonel Tom Lawson and received a written committment from the Lawson Foundation to contribute $2000 toward the erection of the memorial cairn - pictured above. Despite this, Tim *, a photographer who was covering the reunion (above photo of his appeared in Air Force magazine along with other photos he took at the reunion) and I were asked to leave the dinner/dance event in the former drill hall as we had not purchased a ticket to attend the event!
Politics aside, it was a great pleasure of mine to meet Jean McCormick, daughter of Group Captain Elmer Fullerton, and Ken Steubing, one of the original pipers in the No. 9 SFTS band. Tim took the photo (above) of Jean and Ken in front of the cairn on Sunday morning - the day after we were tossed from the former drill hall by two of the reunion committee members! Years later, one of the "enforcers" asked me for some information about the pipe band for a speech he was preparing - I reminded him of the past encounter and declined to assist him!
In 1991, I approached the management of Clearwater Aircraft Maintenance and Overhaul Inc. about setting up a display of RCAF Station Centralia memorabilia in their hangar -the former Hangar No. 2 during the RCAF Station Centralia days. They agreed to devote some space in the hangar for a display of photos. They felt the memorabilia from the airport's glory days might raise the morale of their employees. A few years later, the company went out of business. I don't know if the "morale booster" worked on the employees. Fortunately, Jim Parker, then owner of "Club Albatross" (located in the former Sergeant's Mess - since demolished) informed me that Clearwater was out of business and that he had managed to rescue my RCAF Station Centralia memorabilia from the locked building before the creditors threw it out. Jim was kind enough to allot some space in his business to set up the RCAF Station Centralia display. The former Clearwater hangar is now owned by Goderich Aircraft Inc.
