November 2001 - Nr. 11
Second German Pioneer Day – Kitchener - 2001
by Herwig Wandschneider
On
October 9, 2001, the day after Thanksgiving, German Pioneer Day was
celebrated at Kitchener’s City Hall for the second time. Mayor Carl Zehr
kindly made his official space available again this year.
Bill 28-1999 sponsored by Wayne Wettlaufer, MPP for Kitchener, received Royal Assent in 2000, thus honouring the German Pioneers, who overcame all obstacles to settle and prosper in Upper Canada (present day Ontario south of the Ottawa River Valley) beginning in the 18th century, over 200 years ago. Their spirit, and that, of course, of the earliest German settlers in our country 337 years ago, led to the existence of the current 3 Million Canadians of German heritage.
Exhibits
showing the history in print and pictures and as museum pieces (which
included a full size wagon in front of City Hall) were open to the public
beginning at 11:00 and films were shown as of noon in Council Chambers.
To the delight of visitors roaming the exhibits, the Transylvania Hofbräu Band, under the direction of Steve Shantz entertained in advance of the official ceremonies, which were kicked off by Pioneer Day Chairman James Breithaupt, Q.C., followed by Rev. Matthias Pfeiffer’s invocation and the singing of the National Anthems of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The event was honoured by greetings from the Prime Minister’s and Premier’s offices, from Ambassadors of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, from MPP’s and MP’s of neighbouring regions, and by the physical presence of Wayne Wettlaufer and MP’s and MPP’s representing Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge-Wellington Ridings in Ottawa and Queens Park, by the Region of Waterloo chairman, mayors of the cities and by representatives of the German Consular Offices, the German Canadian Congress and the Germanic Department of the University of Waterloo. Clergy from many churches and Presidents from German Clubs, Associations, and Heritage societies participated in the smooth flow of the festivities.
Well-considered speeches made reference to the tough times our ancestors faced and the benefits we derive today from their courage and efforts. We were reminded that challenge after challenge was met over the two centuries in Ontario and that we all need to stand together to face and meet today’s challenges with courage and persistence. The audience, numbering more than 300 with eventual standing room only, listened enthusiastically and applauded with pure joy at the attempts made to make at least a part of each speech in German, particularly if the pronunciation of a word here and there took a moment or two to be recognized as German.
A
favourite again this year was the performance of the Concordia School
Children’s Choir under the direction of Angelika Werner. The choir’s
highlight performance of "Oma liebt Opapa" ("Grandma loves
Grandpapa") (a repeat from last year by popular demand) had the
audience breaking out with roaring applause and tears in their eyes.
This
year’s pageant in two acts (last year was Adam Beck throwing the switch to
deliver electricity to Kitchener) re-enacted the decorating and lighting of
the first Christmas tree by Mrs. von Riedesel in Sorel, Quebec in 1781 and
King George III’s Declaration of 1788, which established four districts in
Upper Canada (from east to west: Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nassau and Hesse. (Kitchener
is in Hesse). The pageant, written by Heinz Guerlin and Coordinated by
Manuel Seilern, involved over 30 actors, not counting members of 5 Choirs.
The pageant was well received, if a bit difficult to handle with so many
participants in a venue not entirely intended for the equipment required for
sound amplification and related acoustics. Nonetheless, the ceremonial
build-up to the lighting and the proclamation of the 4 districts by Guy Lord
Dorchester, the British Governor in North America, accompanied by the Bag
Pipe of Matthew Richardson, transformed the audience for a moment into the
era of our pioneer ancestors.
German Pioneer Day concluded most appropriately with the singing of our National Anthem "O Canada ".
All
of us in the audience came away from this event a little richer, a little
more knowledgeable about the part German Pioneers played in the development
of what Ontario and Canada is today. Thanks to Wayne Wettlaufer for making
this an official day of German heritage and to the Organizing Committee
Chaired by James Breithaupt, Tony Bergmeier, and Ernst Friedel.
