Greenwood Military Aviation Museum

Museum Volunteers Receive New Crests

Brad Robar, centre, was the first ceremonial recipient of the Greenwood Military Aviation Museum’s new volunteer patch April 13, a design that includes all the roles a wide-ranging collection of volunteers makes happen at the museum. With him are, from left, volunteer Malcolm Uhlman, who managed some of the patch development logistics; volunteers Sophie Saulnier and Bob Lorencz, who designed the patch; and Brian Graves, right, The Aurora News graphic designer, who helped polish the design for production.
It’s always a great time to recognize volunteers and, a couple days before the start of Canada Volunteer Week, the Greenwood Military Aviation Museum Society did just that.
The GMAM gathered the day’s volunteer crew in from all points – the back workshop, where they were busy fabricating new “old” parts; the storage rooms, where all the accessioning happens; the outdoor airpark, where signage and interpretive panels are always being reviewed. The reward: the brand new, volunteer patch for everyone (plus coffee and buttertarts and trifle for the morning coffee break!).
“Welcome, everybody – look around you: everything you see here has been done by volunteers,” said GMAM society president Brian Handley. “You are an invaluable part of the museum – it wouldn’t exist without you!”
Handley said the new crest ties together the aspects of museum volunteer roles, with details depicting technical aircraft and equipment restoration, administrative essentials and the successful Grade 6 Flight Education program. While projects over the years have developed their own crests to recognize the teams of volunteers, “those haven’t captured all our volunteers – so we came up with a patch to capture everyone.
“For all you do, thanks very much.”
In a small bit of ceremony, Handley presented the first patch to Brad Robar, “who has done a bunch of work on the museum’s behalf – stairs on the Expeditor, work on the Bolingbroke, a display base for an airplane model…. An unsung hero.”
Handley presented the second patch to Sergeant Adam Coy, with the 14 Wing Greenwood Transition Unit. Coy, an electrical generating systems technician, has been a huge help in a signage installation project around the museum’s exterior aircraft displays. The third patch was presented to Corporal Nick Sharp, an aircraft structures technician with 14 Air Maintenance Squadron, who has put his talents into riveting work on the restoration Expeditor, sourcing promotional material for Flight Ed visiting students and manning the museum’s reception desk.
New volunteers with skill sets – or even an interest in the work of an aviation and military-heritage museum – are always welcome at the Greenwood Military Aviation Museum in society leadership roles, as project managers and policy makers; in display design and maintenance, especially in the use of technology in dioramas and lighting; accessioning, including computer entries of data and physical storing of new artifacts; historical research and media services; website maintenance of gmam.ca and other media management; the Flight Education program, including providing briefings and museum tours; aircraft and equipment periodic cleaning, repair and painting; and cleaning and care of the museum’s Commemorative Gardens.
For information on volunteering, drop by the reception desk, call 902-765-1494 local 5955, send a Facebook message or email the society volunteer coordinator at dndwingmuseum@bellaliant.com.

EVENTS 2023

C-45 Expeditor Update

Pete Sayers, left, will be 90; Bill Flinn, centre, will be 94; and the “youngster,” Bob Lorencz will be 78. All three Greenwood Military Aviation Museum volunteers share a wealth of Royal Canadian Air Force history and heritage.
The museum Expeditor restoration team recently had a visit from Chief Warrant Officer (retired) Sayers.
Sayers spent 35 years in the RCAF as a flight engineer, amassing 14,000 flight hours, starting on the North Star then moving to the Neptune, Argus and the Aurora. Greeting Sayers on the job site were a couple of his old cohorts, Master Warrant Officer (retired) Flinn and Captain (retired) Lorencz.
Flinn had 32 years in the RCAF, serving as an aero engine technician and flight engineer working on, among many others, the North Star, Lancaster, Argus and, his favourite, the Cosmopolitan. Lorencz had 31 years in the RCAF as an electrical tech air, instrument and electrical tech and an aerospace engineering officer, qualifying on the Tutor, T33, Expeditor, Argus, Aurora, CF104, and CF5 aircraft. Lorencz is also the museum’s Expeditor team leader.
These three gentlemen represent 98 years of combined service to the RCAF and Canada! All three are museum volunteers, sharing their experience and talents, preserving and teaching Base Greenwood's aviation history. Thank you, gentlemen, for all you do