FLASH MESSAGES

Daniel Demarce will be joining us for lunch on March 21, 2012 before moving to Windsor Ontario and entering retirement this summer..

Come and join us at 1130. Smoked meat sandwiches will be featured.

Royal Canadian Legion

Eastview Branch

294 Cyr Avenue

Ottawa, Canada

TechTalk has been added to to this site as a tool for exchanging ideas, achievements, comments and greetings. The old guestbook will be removed at the end of January if this new initiative proves successful. The guestbook has been attracting unwanted SPAM at ever increasing volumes. Mainly from Russia and China. Please leave a comment in Techtalk.

Suzanne Levesque, formerly of DFAIT, will be retiring from the Public Service/CBSA at the end of this month.

This coming Wednesday, November 9 2011, Suzanne will be joining us at the Olde Farts for lunch and to reminisce with friends and colleagues over her many years at DFAIT. Join us in celebrating her pending retirement. A card will be available for signatures/comments. A Smoked Meat Platter is on the menu. As always, hamburgers and sandwiches are also available.

Buck Arbuckle's daughter Karen Ann McKinna has donated Buck's home made wine to a further celebration of his life at Stillwater Creek on Wednesday October 5th, 2011 between 14:00 and 16:00. She invites all who knew Buck to join her and share their stories and enjoy his wine.

Buck Arbuckle died September 1, 2011. His obituary is posted here.

A service is planned to be held Wednesday September 7th at 10:00

Christ Church Bells Corners
3861 Richmond Road,
Nepean, Ontario K2H 5C1

Michele Trepanier will retire September 15th 2011. He will join us for lunch on September 14th.

Luncheon menus are now posted here.

Buck Arbuckle was readmitted to the Queensway Carleton Hospital on Friday 22 July 2011. He returned to his home circa August 5th.

Cindy McKeown contributed material for her Dad's obituary which is posted here.

James Graham, the eldest son of Lynn and the late Donald Graham died 13 July 2011. His obituary is posted here.

Hewitt (Hugh) Elliott died 11 June 2011. His obituary is posted here.

Raymond Bordeleau died 2 June 2011. His obituary is posted here.

Bob McCabe's son Steven has died. A service will be held Monday 30 May 2011. Steven's obituary is posted here.

From: Côté, Jean -AIS
Sent: March 8, 2011 2:16 PM
To: *AID-All staff/Tous les employés; *Mission LEITPs; *CST; OFARTS Canada
Subject: Retirement of Jacques Larose / Départ à la retraite de Jacques Larose

At the end of March, Jacques Larose will be retiring from the Public Service after 35 years of service.

Please join me in giving him a proper send-off and to celebrate his retirement on:

Thursday March 31st, 2011 at 11:30am
Location: Heart and Crown, 67 Clarence Street

Please drop by Renée Beaudin's office in ATD on A1 to sign his farewell card and to provide a contribution that will go towards a gift. For our colleagues at missions or currently outside the LBP building or currently retired from the Public Service, you can send an email to renee.beaudin@international.gc.ca and we will include your personal note in a booklet to be presented to Jacques.

Please RSVP your attendance by email to renee.beaudin@international.gc.ca. Deadline for responses is Friday, March 25, 2011.

From: Hines, Lissa -AIM
Sent: January 25, 2011 3:05 PM
Subject: Diane L'Ecuyer Retirement - Lunch

We would like you to know that as of Wednesday January 19, Diane L'Ecuyer has retired after 39 years and 10 months of service to DFAIT . We would like to thank Diane for almost 40 years of outstanding service to the department and in wishing her well as she prepares for retirement.

Diane's Retirement Celebration Photos are but a click away.

We have begun to solicit donations to pay for the continued rental of server space for www.ofarts.ca which is operated by HostUtopia in Vancouver British Columbia.

Once again we are asking for $10 contributions so that we need only conduct a fund-raiser every 5 years.

Contributions should be sent by cheque payable to:

Raymond Fortin

P.O. Box 502

Embrum, Ontario, K0A-1W0

FYI. the site has been operating as OFARTS.CA since October 2006 when the domain name was acquired and registered for us by the AFFSC. We hope the AFFSC will again cover the domain name registration cost before it expires in October 2011.

Raymond Fortin / Stan Fockner

Horace Hurlburt will be retiring from the Public Service after 37 years of service.

We gave him a proper send-off and celebrated his retirement on:

Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 11:30am
Location: Heart and Crown, 67 Clarence Street

Please look at his retirement photos.

Thanks,

Jean G. Côté
Executive Director | Directeur exécutif
Information Technology Client Support Division | Division du soutien à la clientèle en technologie de l'information
jean.cote@international.gc.ca
Telephone | Téléphone: 613-944-0753
Facsimile | Télécopieur: 613-995-3087
125 Sussex Drive | 125 promenade Sussex
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0G2
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada | Affaires étrangères et Commerce international Canada
Government of Canada | Gouvernement du Canada

From: James Rogers

Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2010 10:53 AM
Subject: Marthe Rabbie

For those of you who knew Marthe Rabbie I was just speaking with Bill and found out that Marthe passed away on Wednesday September 7th the internment being held yesterday.

The obit from Remembering.ca is posted in the Obituary Section.

Bill's contact info is :

William Rabbie,

24 HERITAGE DR
RR 1
WELLINGTON ON K0K 3L0

Tel: 613-399-1675

Regards,

Jim

Norma Arbuckle (wife of Buck) passed away 23 August 2010. A celebration of Norma's life for her dear friends will be held at the Stillwater Creek Retirement Home on September 13, 2010 from 2-4, 18 Robertson Road, Bells Corners.

From: Bob & Winnie Davidson

Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 12:40 PM
Subject: PASSING OF OUR SON "ROB DAVIDSON"

I have sad new regarding our son Rob. After an intense battle with his Stomach Cancer which Rob appeared to have under control. He was beginning to live somewhat of a normal life, Quite suddenly he showed some terrible symptoms that all was not well. The cancer had spread to the lining of his brain. He was suffering severe pain which the Doctors were fighting with powerful pain medicine. Rob passed away with Winnie, Shawn (his younger brother and Shawns son Fraser) by his side. I was suffering from a Low Blood Sugar reading and had to leave his side to go home and get some medication to counter the low reading. He is in a better place now and of course we miss him so much. Robs wife Carmen is grieving and her family is at her side.

Stan, would you be so kind as to pass on this info to the rest of the gang for us. I know some of them were visiting Moscow when Rob was visiting us. We are busy doing an obit at this time.

Best regards

Bob

From: Barrie Thomas
Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2010 11:04
Subject: 2010 Telecom Reunion - Update

Hi Folks,

Well, I wasn't going to send this update email out until early August, but numbers have dictated otherwise. We are now up to 99 registrations and around 35 to 40 for the drinks on Friday. These registrations are coming in much faster than I thought, thus this email. As of today, there are only 21 spots left for the Reunion. Therefore, if you intend to participate, I would suggest you get your registration in ASAP. I cannot guarantee a spot for you if we reach the 120 mark. I cannot guarantee your participation after that point.

Golf. If any of you want to golf, please get hold of Art Barrett at artbarrett@rogers.com or, call him at 613-837-0765.

I will be away from this Friday, July 23rd until the following Friday, July 30th. If you want to contact me during this period, use my email address, as I will be checking my email from time to time. Another update will be sent out closer to the Reunion date regarding the Reunion details.

Cheers

Barrie

barriet@rogers.com

613-248-1441

From: AFFSC Admin

Sent: Sunday, June 27, 2010 12:27 PM
Subject: Passing of Ken Curry

Some very sad news, I have many fond memories of working with Ken and also remember how he loved his singing.

CURRY, Kenneth Robert Peacefully, surrounded by his family on June 22, 2010 at the age of 87. Beloved husband of Jo Curry (nee Empey). Loving father of Ken (Char), Jane (Martin Clarke) and Susan. Cherished grand-father of Erin and Russell and great-grandfather of Tyler . Predeceased by his brother Bill and his sister Jean Murray. Ken was a WWII Veteran proudly serving in the Air Force for 25 years followed by a career with External Affairs as a Communicator until his retirement. Ken's passion for singing led him to Barbershop Harmony and a 50 year relationship with the Capital City Chorus. Friends may call at the Garden Chapel of Tubman Funeral Homes, 3440 Richmond Road (between Baseline and Bayshore Dr.) on Sunday, June 27 from 1 to 3 p.m. Funeral Service will be held in the Chapel on Monday, June 28th at 11:30 a.m. Special thanks to the staff at the Queensway Carleton Hospital and Extendicare Medex for all the care they provided. In lieu of flowers, donations to Ontario District Harmonize for Speech Fund would be appreciated.

Obituary Link:

http://www.legacy.com/can-ottawa/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=143746598

Guestbook Link:

http://www.legacy.com/guestbook/can-ottawa/guestbook.aspx?n=kenneth-curry&pid=143746598

George

There was a ground shaking event after our lunch on Wednesday. Check here for pictures of how it affected Lou Berube.

Arthur (Mac) McFarlane has passed away. His obituary is posted here.

From: Barrie Thomas
Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2010 12:44 PM
Subject: 2010 Telecom Reunion - Update
Hi folks,

It's been a few weeks since I sent out my email regarding the Reunion, and I must say that the response has been very very good. We are almost half full. That means there are around 60 places left for the Reunion on September 25th.

I would like to point out, that if you are planning to attend, then you should get your cheque in with your personal information ASAP. If you plan to come, but are holding off sending in your cheque, then it is possible that you may not be able to register. Once I reach the 120 limit, any other registrations/cheques I receive, will have to go on a standby list waiting for someone to cancel. In the last two reunions, we had a flurry of registrations in July and August. That may not work this time. You are not registered until I receive your cheque.

Don't forget that we are having drinks at the Vanier Legion on Friday, the 24th from 12 noon until around 5 PM. However, if people feel they would like to stay on, that is not a problem. Please make sure you let me know if you will be attending with or, without your spouse. So far, most people who are attending on Friday are leaving their spouses at home.

Another reminder that Art Barrett is arranging a round of golf for the 25th, and if you would like to play, send an email to Art at artbarrett@rogers.com or, call him at 613-837-0765. I think Art would appreciate some notice on this, as he has to book a course and give them some numbers. And, as you golfers know, courses fill up quite quickly making it difficult to book for a large group. Especially on a Saturday.

If you need any more information, I can be reached at barriet@rogers.com or, 613-248-1441.

Cheers

Barrie Thomas

Bill Kinsman died at 9:00 PM Thursday April 15, 2010 in hospital of a pulmonary embolism. His obituary is posted here.

John Dolan died Wednesday April 7, 2010. Check here for his obituary from the Ottawa Citizen.

From: Ray Hopton
Sent: Friday, February 19, 2010 18:02
Subject: Don't pay the ransom - I ESCAPED !!!!!!!!!!! - update Ray's health

Hi guys. This is Ray. I was released from Kelowna General Hospital on Tuesday afternoon and am now enjoying home life. I have lots of exercises to do at home, plus I will return to KGH 1 or 2 times a week for more rehab as an out-patient. The weather has been great - lots of sun and mild days.

I want to thank everyone for all the kind messages you have sent since this ordeal started a couple of months ago. Karen visited me twice a day and brought copies of your messages. I'm sorry about the "group" message but it would take me forever to reply to each of you individually. My left side is still numb so my right hand has to do the work for both hands. I hope I get the feeling back soon but the good news is I can walk without a walker. (I can't run yet so Karen is still safe! ). I guess I should count myself lucky. My father had a massive stroke in the late '80's and never did recover. He spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair and could barely talk.

Anyway, more later. I'm really tickled to see so many old foreign service friends still remember me!! Thanks again!!

And thanks to all Karen's line dancing friends at home and down south too for thinking of both of us!

All the best,

Ray (and the best caregiver/wife in the world, Karen)

David Balser has learned that Ray Hopton suffered a stroke in Palm Springs on December 23, 2009 and was evacuated to Kelowna. Ray's wife Karen has asked that his many friends in the EL and AS Community be informed of Ray's situation. Messages of encouragement can be addressed to randkhopton@shaw.ca.

From: Barrie Thomas [mailto:barriet@rogers.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 1:14 PM
To: barriet@rogers.com
Subject: Possible reunion for 2010

This email will be of interest to all former CM’s, EL’s, family members and friends (any occupational group) of the Association of Former Foreign Service Communicators

The New Year will mark our fifth year since the 2005 reunion in Ottawa. Father Time reminds us the clock doesn’t stop ticking and in response to inquiries from former colleagues on the possibility of another reunion, your AFFSC Executive, agreed at a recent meeting to canvass everyone on the viability of another reunion in the fall of 2010.

Before any commitments can be considered viz booking a suitable venue, we need to determine the level of interest and to that end, we are circulating this email for your views on this idea.

Your responses to the following questions would therefore be most appreciated whether they indicate a little, a lot, or no interest.

Please address your response to Barrie Thomas at barriet@rogers.com

1. Would you and family members consider attending another reunion in the fall of 2010, most likely the 2nd or 3rd week of September?

2. In your opinion, what sort of interest do you think there is in our CM/EL community for a reunion?

3. What sort of activity would be of greatest interest i.e. Afternoon event, evening event, or a replica of the past two reunions (Friday night meet and greet with a Saturday night dinner/dance) or a Saturday afternoon drinks with dinner in the evening?

4. The Reunion would also be open to other former co-workers, ELs, Couriers, SCYs, CRs etc.

4. If you live outside Ontario, would you be willing to travel to Ottawa for a reunion?

Any comments you wish to offer would be most welcome as we consider another possible get-together and we thank you in advance for your participation.

Since we are not sure of the accuracy of the address list, please pass this on to whoever you think might be interested.

Your AFFSC Executive:

George McKeever, Barrie Thomas, Eleanor Ryan, David Smith, Howie Abbott

Donald Saunders, long a friend of OFARTS, died Friday December 18 2009. Obituary from the Ottawa Citizen

Bob Paquette will retire Friday, November 27th after 36 years of service to the Government of Canada.

We celebrated this retirement with a lunch on Thursday, November 26th at the Heart & Crown Pub (Mother McGinty's room) located in the Byward Market. Some photos are posted in the Retirement section on The Main Page or Here

There was an obituary noticed by Ray Fortin for Robert Wayling in the Ottawa Citizen last week. Several OFARTS have confirmed this was one of "our" Bobs. His obituary has been added to this site. Here.

July 1, 2009 - We have photos of Louis Cote working in his Belgrade restaurant. Here!

From: TERRY HAYES

Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 3:26 PM
Subject: Photos of our trip East

Most of these photos were taken in Kicking Horse Pass; it is hard to stop in most places but we hope to fill in this show with photos taken on our way back.

http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/5744850540-1245781524-97321/57448

From: TERRY HAYES
Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:09 AM
Subject: RE: Travel Progress

We plan to be in Ottawa around the 26th; we celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary with Kevin, Joanne and the three grandkids on the 27th. We will be around Ottawa for a couple of weeks ... Sue wants to see Quebec city while we are in the area. Sue has a big family and that involves visits to Hawkesbury and around Ottawa.

I will probably attend a meeting sometime after the 27th.

Looking forward to seeing you and the gang.

Terry

From: Roly Mailloux

Sent: Friday, May 22, 2009 10:31
Subject: Roly's European Ramble

This evening I was convinced that I should create and maintain a "blog" while cycling across France and England this summer. My adventure will begin on Saturday, May 23rd and finish on August 3rd.

If you are interested you can follow my adventure while I cycle from Bordeaux, France, to Calais cross over to Dover and cycle across England to South Shields at: http:maillord1.blogspot.com

Best regards to all, Roly

From: sean flanigan
Subject: Re: Donny Butt
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:37:10 -0400

Donny will be laid to rest at 10am on April 22 at Pinecrest.

The plot is located in Section G, Lot 268N

Sean Flanigan

---Original Message-----
From: Renee.Beaudin at international.gc.ca
Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 15:08
Subject: Farewell and Thank you to Dan Kenny// Au revoir et Merci à Dan Kenny

When: April 2, 2009 12:00 PM-1:30 PM
Dan Kenny will retire after 35 years of exemplary service to the Government of Canada.
We will celebrate his retirement Thursday April 2, 2009 at 12:00

Heart and Crown 67 Clarence St. (ByWard Market)

I have a card at my desk (A1-149) and I will accept contributions for a gift.
Thank you and I look forward to seeing you there!!
Renée Beaudin
AIT 996-2130

Lynn and her son James Graham joined the Old FARTS and their wives for lunch on January 21, 2009

The luncheon photos.

Dave Sanderson has contributed an new article article describing a memorable ad-hoc trip he took through Africa some years ago.

Donald Graham died suddenly November 17th 2008 in Ottawa at home at 1600.
Postal mail of condolence can be sent to his wife Lynn and family at::

34 Briston Private , Ottawa, Ontario, K1G 5P5

Or e-mailed to: services@ofarts.ca for forwarding to his family.