November 2002 - Nr. 11
German Pioneers Day Honours Three Pioneer Families
by Herwig Wandschneider
The third annual German Pioneers Day was held October 15,
2002, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, the day proclaimed by the Legislative
Assembly of Ontario.
Events
began at 11:00 am with the opening of the exhibits around Kitchener’s City
Hall Rotunda. Films were shown in Council Chambers at Lunch Time, and Dance
performances by the Hengsberg Dancers of Austria and a concert by the
Transylvania Hofbraü Band under the direction of Steve Schatz were performed
later in the afternoon in the Rotunda.
Anyone
interested in the history of the Region, or in subjects pertaining to
participation of German Pioneers in all of Canada is well advised to spend
some time to look over the exhibits, which provide an abundance of
information and detail. If you missed it this year, take note of the 11:00
starting time.
Formal
celebrations of German Pioneers began a little after 5:00 pm, commencing
with the official Welcome by the Chairman of German Pioneers Day, Mr. James
Breithaupt, Q.C., followed by brief addresses by international, Ontario and
local dignitaries. Guest of Honour this year was Dr. Christian Pauls, German
Ambassador to Canada. Mr. Anton Bergmeier, President of the German Canadian
Congress, outlined in a sweeping overview some of the frequently overlooked
contributions made by German Pioneers, and commended efforts made to more
completely cover Canada’s, Ontario’s and The Region of Waterloo’s history
and the contributions made by German Pioneers.
This
year’s German Pioneers Day celebrated 90 years of our City, which began life
as a City with the name of Berlin in 1912 to become the City of Kitchener in
1916. [Just prior to these celebrations, on Oct 12, 2002, The Record (once
also known as the „Berlin News Record") remembered the contributions made by
German Pioneers in an well-researched article titled „A special tribute to
our German Heritage – Roots to anchor a city" in the Perspectives section of
the Paper. Pictures from this 5-page section were on display together with
copies of some of the extensive Historic Documents in their Archives].
The
celebrations re-enacted the proclamation - that turned Berlin into a City -
in a pageant, which included dignitaries of the time:
Premier Sir James
Whitney (Alan Williams), Mayor of Berlin William H. Schmalz (Helmut
Koeckritz) and The Hon Adam Beck, MPP and of Ontario Hydro fame (Manfred
Richter). The 1912 proclamation and speeches given by these dignitaries are
too extensive to be included here, but will be attached to the Internet
version. The speeches have one theme in common: great expectations for the
continued growth and economic importance of the City in Ontario and Canada.
They have not been disappointed.
The concluding highlight of the event was the introduction
of the German Pioneers Award. The contribution of three German Pioneer
families were honoured: The J.M. Schneider Family, the
Kuntz Family and the Breithaupt Family, names which are very familiar in, and beyond, the
Waterloo Region. Recipients on behalf of the Families were Herb and Betty
Schneider,
Elizabeth Kuntz, and James Breithaupt. Mr. Paul Weigel, who
introduced the Families biographically, comments:" There was no way that the
full range of contributions could be covered in my introductions, we would
have been there all night."
Nonetheless, to honour the event, Echo Germanica
will include Mr. Weigel’s brief biographical introductions on the website.
German Pioneers Day entered a new era. For the first time, it truly highlighted and honoured the city and specific German Pioneer Families, who have done so much, not only for the Kitchener-Waterloo Region, but for all of Ontario and Canada.
See: The Speeches and Introductions
