Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary
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Current Events

Christmas Social, December 20 2022

It’s that time of year, and we are excited to host a Christmas Social.  The Christmas Social reception will be on December 20th from 5pm – 9pm at the Ranchmen’s Club. 
 
Professor David Bercuson from the University of Calgary will be our keynote speaker. Professor Bercuson is an expert historian, especially in Canadian military history as well as a prolific writer of Canadian history with many published books. Dr. Bercuson will speak on the book he authored with historian Dr. Holder Herwig, One Christmas in Washington: Churchill and Roosevelt Forge the Grand Alliance
 
We will also be awarding the Queen’s Jubilee medals during the evening. 
 
​Registration now closed for the Christmas social. We look forward to seeing you at a future event in 2023
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Past Events

Memorial Dinner Tickets, June 16 2022*​

The Sir Winston Churchill Memorial Dinner has resumed and will take place June 16th at the Ranchmen’s Club, 710-13th Avenue SW, Calgary. Our keynote speaker will be Waller Newell, Professor of Political Science at Carleton University in Ottawa, and author of the 2016 book, Tyrants: A History of Power, Injustice and Terror. Prof. Newelll has also just authored a new book just released entitled Tyranny and Revolution: Rousseau to Heidegger.  Dr. Newell's keynote address is entitled "‘Tyranny and Revolution: Lessons from History." 

One reviewer described Prof. Newell’s previous book, Tyrants, this way: “In Tyrants: A History of Power, Injustice and Terror, Newell takes the reader on a three-millennium ride through history’s Caesars, emperors, Kaisers, dictators, tyrants, and terrorists. The author’s goal is to analyze various types of despotism so we can properly understand the modern terrorists and tyrants we face, and deal with them effectively in order to preserve our freedom.”

Given world events including the Russian war on Ukraine, this will be a dinner you won’t want to miss.  The reception begins at 6:00 p.m. and dinner will be served at 7:00 p.m. Each year, the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary invites student winners of debates, moot court, and arts scholarships to attend our Churchill Memorial Dinner. 

Note that copies Tyrants: A History of Power, Injustice and Terror, by Professor Newell will be available for purchase on June 16th. 
 
*Please note that you will receive a charity tax receipt for Donations and for the non-food value of the Memorial Dinner tickets. Payments for socials, annual memberships and merchandise purchases are not eligible for tax receipts. 

​A Churchill social on March 23, 2022

March 23, 2022 social, 5:00p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
​ 

On March 23rd, the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary will host Frank Hall, the officer designated to be in charge of the “burial party” for Sir Winston Churchill in 1965. He will give us the story of his experience with the funeral/burial party of Winston Churchill and which consisted of eight strong guardsmen, a sergeant and himself as the officer.

The social will take place from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Ranchmen’s Club at 710 13th Ave SW, Calgary. The social fee for paid-up Churchill Society members is $30 with a $45 charge for non-member and guests. As per our usual socials, a complimentary drink and appetizers are included in your registration.

(If you have renewed your membership in the last year or given a donation to the Churchill Society, you are considered an active member.) 

To register for the March 23rd social, please go to the “Donate” page, and pay $30 for members and $45 for non-members. Your ticket includes appetizers and a drink. Just note in your payment that it is for the social. Please register by noon on March 18th.  As that allows us sufficient time to inform Ranchmen’s for the purpose of appetizers. There is a room limit of 40 people so do register early if you’d like to attend.

A Churchill Christmas social on December 10, 2021

​We are happy to announce that we will have a Christmas social on Friday December 10th, 2021 at the Ranchmen’s Club at 710 13th Ave SW, Calgary. The social will take place between 5pm and 9pm and your ticket includes some marvellous hors d’oeuvres and a complimentary drink.

The ticket price for the social is $30 for members and $45 for non-members and guests. If you have renewed your membership in the last year or given a donation to the Churchill Society, you are considered an active member. To register for the December 10th social, please go to the “Donate” page, and pay $30.00 or $45.00. Just note in your payment that it is for the December 10th social. We welcome anyone and everyone interested in Winston Churchill’s leadership and legacy.
(If you are unsure about your membership status, please just respond email us here and we will respond. Please note we are unable to process memberships and fees on December 10th, as we must ensure we have ordered enough catering for the day of the event. Please register by December 7th.  Also, please be aware that that Ranchmen’s does follow provincially-mandated protocols on Covid for food establishments and all attending must show proof of double vaccination status. There is a room limit of 40 people so do register early if you’d like to attend.)

Online event with author Catherine Grace Katz

On Tuesday, March 23rd at 7:00 p.m. (MT) we will hear Chicago author Catherine Grace Katz speak about her new book, The Daughters of Yalta, The Churchills, Roosevelts and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War.
 
ABOUT THE DAUGHTERS OF YALTA
Catherine Grace Katz draws on previously unavailable sources to tell the story of three intelligent and glamorous young women who accompanied their famous fathers to the Yalta Conference with the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in February of 1945.
The dramatic story is told of the three young women chosen by their fathers to travel with them to Yalta, telling of their fierce loyalty to their families and of the intertwined romances that occurred during those historic days.
Kathleen Harriman, a champion skier and war correspondent was the daughter of Averell Harriman, the U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union. Sarah Churchill, an actress and an officer in Britain’s Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, was the daughter of Winston Churchill. Franklin Roosevelt’s only daughter, Anna, accompanied her father in place of her mother, Eleanor.
The Daughters of Yalta is a remarkable story of the complex relationships as seen through the lens of a pivotal period of world history.
​

Winter Social with Dr. Barry Cooper

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​The Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary will host a wine and snack winter social on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, at the Ranchmen’s Club from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Our speaker will be the Dr. Barry Cooper, from the University of Calgary's Political Science department.
Dr. Cooper will speak on war, game theory, and why the two world wars were unique and how Churchill knew that, or phrased differently, “Why Winston Churchill was even smarter than you think”.
 
Members and non-members are all invited. Tickets are $30 for Churchill Society members and $45 for non-members and all guests. Light snacks and one complimentary drink will be served per ticket. Please do mark your calendar.

Tickets must be purchased in advance using the payment menu to the right.


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An Evening with Jason Kenney:
In support of the Churchill Leadership Project and
Churchill Statue Initiative.


Table and Individual tickets available now

The Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary is pleased to host a dinner with keynote speaker and long-time Churchill Society member, Jason Kenney on November 16, 2019, at the Ranchmen’s Club.

About the Churchill Leadership
​Project and Churchill Statue Initiative

Monies raised will support the Sir Winston Churchill Leadership Project. The project includes the planned erection of a statue of Winston Churchill later in 2020, and an ongoing annual speakers’ series in Calgary, sponsored by the Churchill Society. The speaker’s series will be named after Winston and Clementine Churchill, reflecting the early commitments to positive social reform by both Clementine Churchill and Winston Churchill, as well as the later wartime leadership of the late prime minister. 

This statue will thus commemorate Winston Churchill’s legacy as both a social reformer and a champion of parliamentary democracy. The society’s goal is to unveil the statue of Sir Winston Churchill on September, 2, 2020, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War (Pacific theatre).

​Details on the November 16, 2019 Dinner with Jason Kenney

​
​Dinner: 7:00pm
Bar opens: 6:30pm
Limited seating

Tables: $25,000
Individual seats: $2,500
Dress code: ​Business

Private Cocktail Hour in the Ranchmen’s Club
Library @ 5:30pm | Up to 25 guests, $1,000 each


Address: 710 13th Ave S.W. Calgary

Charitable tax receipts available.
​The Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary is a federally-registered charity. Ticket purchases are eligible for a charitable tax receipt (minus the value of the dinner

​Sir Winston Churchill’s connection to Calgary and Alberta
Sir Winston Churchill visited Alberta in 1929. During his visit, he visited Edmonton, painted the Rockies, spoke at the Palliser Hotel in Calgary, marvelled at the Turner Valley oil fields, and was enchanted by the beauty of Lake Louise. The City of Calgary presented Churchill with an off-white Stetson hat in appreciation of his visit.
To secure your table today, please fill out the table and ticket order form at the end of this document and send in as soon as possible, or contact:

​Ms. Heather Coleman, Chair, Churchill Leadership Project and Statue Initiative
heather.coleman@albertarealtor.ca
403-461-2320

Mr. Gerald Chipeur, Fundraising chair
gchipeur@millerthomson.com
403-617-1710

Mr. James Maxim, Vice-president
jamesmaxim@icloud.com
403-973-8900

Mr. Gordon Lang, Fundraising member
gordon.lang@gblinc.ca
403-249-1820

Dr. Mark Milke, President
mark@markmilke.com
403-510-6270
Ticket Order Form
File Size: 312 kb
File Type: pdf
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The Society cordially invites you to its 53rd annual fundraising banquet, and an address entitled

‘
Churchill: Walking with Destiny’

By

Dr. Andrew Roberts

Friday May 24, 2019
(Deadline for ticket purchases: Friday May 17th at noon)
 
The Ranchmen’s Club (710 13 Av SW)
Reception – 6:00 pm, Dinner – 7:00pm
Black Tie or Mess Kit
 
Registered Society Members: $150.00
First guest of member: $150.00
Further guests and non-members $195.00
(Please encourage your guests to join the Society)
​


SOLD OUT
​
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British historian professor, Dr. Andrew Roberts will be our dinner speaker for the 53rd annual banquet at the Ranchmen’s Club. Professor Roberts will speak on ‘Churchill: Walking with Destiny’, from his most recent book. In his review of the book, Standpoint’s Daniel Johnson wrote that “Andrew Roberts uses material that has only recently become available, Churchill: Walking with Destiny is a stupendous achievement: lucid, erudite, intelligent, but also inspiring. Roberts catches the imperishable grandeur of Churchill’s life as no other historian has done. Roberts does full justice to Churchill’s superhuman range of activity.”
​British historian professor, Dr. Andrew Roberts will be our dinner speaker for the 53rd annual banquet at the Ranchmen’s Club. Professor Roberts will speak on ‘Churchill: Walking with Destiny’, from his most recent book. In his review of the book, Standpoint’s Daniel Johnson wrote that “Andrew Roberts uses material that has only recently become available, Churchill: Walking with Destiny is a stupendous achievement: lucid, erudite, intelligent, but also inspiring. Roberts catches the imperishable grandeur of Churchill’s life as no other historian has done. Roberts does full justice to Churchill’s superhuman range of activity.”
​​
​Professor Roberts is the author of 19 books including his most recent bestseller, Churchill: Walking With Destiny, and upon which his keynote address will be based. 

Dominic Sandbrook, of the Sunday Times, wrote that Prof. Roberts’ book is “Undoubtedly the best single-volume life of Churchill ever written.” Simon Heffer at the Daily Telegraph called Churchill” Walking With Destiny, “The best single-volume life imaginable of a man whose life it would seem technically impossible to get into a single volume.” Daniel Johnson at Standpoint, wrote that “Andrew Roberts uses material that has only recently become available, Churchill: Walking with Destiny is a stupendous achievement: lucid, erudite, intelligent, but also inspiring. Roberts catches the imperishable grandeur of Churchill’s life as no other historian has done. Roberts does full justice to Churchill’s superhuman range of activity.”
​

​If your membership is current, you may purchase dinner tickets at $150 each for you and your first guest. Non-members are welcome to attend for a dinner ticket price of $195 per person. Non-members may become members instantly by paying the $30 annual membership fee. Please click on “Events” here http://www.churchillcalgary.ca/events.html to purchase your dinner tickets and/or become a Society member.  
 
Our reception and dinner on Friday May 24th will provide additional reasons to attend in addition to enjoying pre-dinner champagne. That night, you will find an assortment of Churchill memorabilia to purchase. The society will offer our very own Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary cufflinks. At present, we envision a bookstore seller will also be onsite to offer copies of our keynote speaker’s book Walking With Destiny and process book orders the night of the dinner. In addition, copies of the Churchill Society’s record of addresses to the Society, two volumes of The Heroic Memory: The Memorial Addresses to the Rt. Hon. Sir Winston Spencer Churchill Society, will also be available.
 
Please note that seating for our 53rd Annual Memorial Dinner will be limited, given the capacity for the dinner is 124 seats. To ensure you can attend, do register online today. 

2019 Churchill Society tour to UK/France

As announced in June at our annual dinner, the Society has sponsored a May 30-June 9, 2019 tour to the United Kingdom and France. We have partnered with a United Kingdom travel agency. They have offered tour participants a delightful agenda and at a tremendous value given the tour is ten days in some of what will be the most sough-after Second World War sites next June.

The Churchill-inspired tour includes everything you would expect: A visit to Chartwell, London’s War Rooms, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Bletchley Park, Harrow School, Blenheim Palace, Portsmouth D-Day Museum and much more.

In addition, the French part of the tour will include a stay in Normandy for 75th anniversary commemorations of D-Day. Our UK tour operator has already secured hotel rooms in Normandy for our tour. Many people around the world will want to visit Normandy on such an important anniversary. Only Churchill Society tour participants are already guaranteed hotel rooms in early June in Normandy for three nights. In addition, we have booked a one-night stay in Paris after the Normandy excursion.

Please click on the brochure below for many more details on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Churchill Society members and guests.
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Churchill's Chartwell
churchill_society_spring_2019_tour_to_uk_and_france_revised_-_2018oct25.pdf
File Size: 279 kb
File Type: pdf
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Spring Social

This is more of a winter social but the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary will host a wine and hors d’oeuvres fall social on Thursday, February 20th 2019, at the Ranchmen’s Club from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Our speaker will be the Dean of the University of Calgary's Law School, Ian Holloway. Dr. Holloway will speak on Winston Churchill's early and often overlooked policies of social reform when Churchill was a  Liberal party parliamentarian.   

Tickets are $30 for Churchill Society members and $45 for non-members. Light snacks and a complimentary drink will be served. Please do mark your calendar.

Tickets can be purchased in advance using the payment menu to the right. Payment at the event is also possible. 


Ticket options:

Notice of Annual General Meeting (Revised)

Please note that the Annual General Meeting has
been delayed. It is now scheduled for:
Thursday October 18, 2018
4:00 p.m.
The Ranchmen’s Club

​(It will be followed by our fall social at 5:00 p.m.)

revised_notice_of_agm_october_18_2018.pdf
File Size: 147 kb
File Type: pdf
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Fall Social

The Churchill Society’s Fall Social will be a wine and hors d’oeuvres social on Thursday, October 18th, 2018, at the Ranchmen’s Club from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

​Society President Mark Milke and Dr. Jaydeep Balakrishnan will discuss this topic from two unique perspectives: “Be it resolved: The anti-statue brigades are engaged in an Orwellian approach to history.” Following each 10-minute brief by Mark and Jaydeep, and a 5-minute follow-up, the discussion will be opened to the floor in a casual, social atmosphere.

Tickets are $30 for Churchill Society members and $45 for non-members. Light snacks and a complimentary drink will be served. Please do mark your calendar.

Tickets can be purchased in advance, using our secure online payment system below. No ticket or email is required for proof of online payment. Your name will be recorded on a list of those who have paid. Please simply let us know at the front door, when you arrive.
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Ticket options:

52nd Anniversary Black Tie Banquet
​June 9, 2018

The 2018 Banquet was another success. Read about it in this Calgary Herald article
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Lord Watson of Richmond (left), and society president Mark Milke

​ The Society cordially invites you to its 52nd annual fundraising banquet, and an address entitled
‘Churchill’s Legacy:
​T
wo Speeches to Save the World’
by
Lord Watson

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Author of Churchill’s Legacy: Two Speeches to Save the World, Lord Watson is an award-winning BBC broadcaster, a partner in the multi-media consultancy and production company CTN Group, and a Fellow of the Royal Television Society. Lord Watson was elected as High Steward of Cambridge University for life in 2010.

Lord Watson is a Patron of the Churchill Archives at Churchill College and Chairman of the Cambridge Foundation. Lord Watson is also a Churchill Fellow at Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri.  A former President of the U.K. Liberal Party, he was appointed CBE in 1985 and raised to the peerage in 1999. He serves as the President of the British-German Association and Vice-President of the English Speaking Union.
​

In 1946 Churchill gave two speeches that alerted the world to the threat posed by the Soviet leader, Josef Stalin. On Saturday June 9th, Lord Watson will explain how and why Churchill exposed this threat, calling for U.S. and European unity. In Fulton and Zurich, Churchill presented a new prospect of recovery and hope, both for him as a political pioneer, and for the world.

Date: June 9, 2018
Venue: The Ranchmen’s Club
710 – 13th Avenue SW, Calgary
Reception 6pm
Dinner 7pm
Black Tie or Mess Kit

Registered Society Members $225.00 (First guest of member $225.00)
Further guests and non-members $260

(Please encourage your guests to join the Society)
​Annual membership $30

​If you have any questions please call Mark Milke at (403) 510-6270 or email at mmilke@telus.net


​

​Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary

- Scotch Social -

Winston Churchill in Alberta:

An after-work social with historian David Finch

October 24, 2017
5:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

The Mewata Armoury, 801-11 St S.W. Calgary
​
Dress code: business semi-formal 
(please try to avoid wearing jeans to the mess)
Cost: $20 (at the door - cash or cheque only)


Click to RSVP
Whether as a member or a guest, please join us on Tuesday October 24 th for wine, beer and spirits and light hors d'oeuvres, and a talk by historian David Finch. Mr. Finch will speak on the topic: Churchill's 1929 Explorations in Alberta

Mr. Finch will elaborate on Winston Churchill’s tour of Canada and the United States in the summer of 1929, of how Alberta impressed him and he in turn charmed and fascinated the people of the province. We will learn of Churchill’s visit to a farm, to the oilfields at Turner Valley - where he invested in three companies, and to Lake Louise and Emerald Lake.


51st Anniversary Black Tie Banquet


​The Society cordially invites you to its 51st annual fundraising banquet, and an address entitled ​

Winston Churchill’s “indirect approach” 
by 
Dr. David Bercuson 

Dr. Bercuson will address us on Churchill as a "grand strategist" in the two world wars. He offers us this advance thought: “From the Turkish campaign in the First World War to his continuing efforts in the Second World War, Churchill demonstrated that he favoured fighting on the periphery over "going right at them". Churchill’s preference brought about Gallipoli--though you can't blame Gallipoli on the Somme because the Somme hadn't happened yet! So what was it? I'd have to speculate on Churchill's mind- set. The latter belief caused continuing difficulties with the United States.” ​

May 25, 2017
The Ranchmen’s Club
710 – 13th Avenue SW, Calgary
Reception 6pm
Dinner 7pm
Black Tie or Mess Kit

Registered Society Members $195.00 (First guest of member $195.00) Further guests and non-Members $225
(Please encourage your guests to join the Society)
​Annual membership $30

​If you have any questions please call Randy Iversen at (403) 286-4371 or email at randy.iversen@shaw.ca

Your dinner will also include:
*Updates and presentation of gold medal winner from the Sir Winston Churchill high school debates
*Moot court winner updates
*Results of the 2017 membership survey 

​
Churchill Banquet 2017 - ticket order form
File Size: 226 kb
File Type: pdf
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Churchill Banquet 2017 - promotional items.pdf
File Size: 258 kb
File Type: pdf
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A favourite of our Society’s members, historian Dr. David Bercuson was born in Montreal in August 1945. He attended Sir George Williams University, graduating in June 1966 with Honours in History and winning the Lieutenant-Governor's Silver Medal for the highest standing in history. After graduation he pursued graduate studies at the University of Toronto, earning an MA in history in 1967 and a Ph.D. in 1971.
​
Dr. Bercuson has published in academic and popular publications on a wide range of topics specializing in modern Canadian politics, Canadian defence and foreign policy, and Canadian military history. He has written, coauthored, or edited over 30 popular and academic books and does regular commentary for television and radio. He has written for the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, the Calgary Herald, the National Post and other newspapers.

In 1988, Bercuson was elected to the Royal Society of Canada and in May 1989, he was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies at The University of Calgary. In 1997 he was appointed Special Advisor to the Minister of National Defence on the Future of the Canadian Forces. He was a member of the Minister of National Defence’s Monitoring Committee from 1997 to 2003. He served on the Advisory Council on National Security from 2005 to 2008. Since January 1997 he has been the Director of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary. Currently he is also the Director of Programs of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, in Calgary.
​
Dr. Bercuson served as Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of 41 Combat Engineer Regiment, a Land Force Reserve military engineer unit of the Canadian Forces until November 2010. He is a member of Board of Governors of the Royal Military College of Canada. 


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​It is time for another Scotch Social! Not to worry, if you do not like scotch there are plenty of other options at the bar. Please invite your friends and colleagues. You do not need to be a member of the Society to attend this or any of our events. 
​Date: November 29, 2016
Time: 5:30pm – 9:30pm
Location: Mewata Armoury, Officers' Mess 
801, 11 Street Southwest, Calgary, AB

Dress code: business semi-formal 
(please try to avoid wearing jeans to the mess)

Cost: $20 (at the door - cash or cheque only)

Annual General Meeting
Notice is hereby given to the members of the
Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary
that an annual meeting of the Society will be held:
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
5:30 p.m.
Officer’s Mess, Mewata Armoury
Calgary, Alberta
801 11 Street SW
 
Refreshments will be served and Scotch Social to follow

The Society elected the following Board of Directors and Executive:

President: Mark Milke
Vice President: James Maxim
Past President: Steven T. Robertson
Treasurer: Greg Stebbe
Executive Treasurer: Landis McEwan
Secretary: Peggy Anderson
Communications: Devin Iversen
Mount Royal University Liaison: Lori Williams
High School Debate Liaison: Elisa Frank
Membership: Randall Iversen

Directors at Large: Justice Bruce McDonald, Robert W. Thompson, Major Peter Boyle, Blair Mason, John Bancroft MBE, CQC, QCB, Sam Armstrong, Christopher Simpkins, David Holmes

Churchill High School Debate 2016

​Sir Winston Churchill is hosting its annual Sir Winston Churchill High School debate on Saturday, November 26, 2016, The prepared topic for debate is: THBT “Operation Unthinkable”, proposed by Sir Winston Churchill, should have been supported and implemented on July 1, 1945. Registration for judges begins at 8:00am, and judge training begins at 9:00am, the day is expected to be complete by approximately 3:30pm. Volunteer judges and observers welcome. If you would like to be a volunteer judge (training is provided the morning of the debate), for this debate or future years, please click the Volunteer button below:
Volunteer
A helpful background note on the debate topic can be found in the "invitation" and a sense of how our debate tournament day is arranged can be view in the "schedule" below.
churchill_debate_invitation_2016.pdf
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tournament_schedule.pdf
File Size: 230 kb
File Type: pdf
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Fall Dinner

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Our President Steve Robertson thanks Professor John von Heyking
​​We are once again pleased to invite all members of the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary and their guests to our Fall Dinner.

Our distinguished guest speaker will be Professor John von Heyking, He will speak to the Churchill Society of Calgary about his forthcoming book: "Comprehensive Judgment and Absolute Selflessness: Winston Churchill on Politics as Friendship."

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Biography

John von Heyking is Professor of Political Science at the University of Lethbridge, in Alberta, Canada, where he teaches political philosophy and religion and politics. He is author of 
Augustine and Politics as Longing in the World (2001), and coeditor of Friendship and Politics: Essays in Political Thought(2008) and Civil Religion in Political Thought (2010), as well as two volumes of The Collected Works of Eric Voegelin.

The topics of his scholarly articles include friendship, cosmopolitanism, liberal education, multiculturalism, empire, civil religion, political representation, citizenship, republicanism, just war, Islamic political thought, leadership, America as symbol, and religious liberty in Canada. His editorials have appeared in the 
Globe and Mail (Toronto), Calgary Herald, C2C: Canada's Journal of Ideas, and Comment. He was the 2010 Hill Lecturer and is currently president of Civitas, "a society where ideas meet." 

Event Particulars
Date: November 16, 2016
Time: Reception at 6:00pm, Dinner at 7:00pm
Location: The Ranchmen's Club, 710 - 13th Ave SW, Calgary
Tickets: $155
Parking: Free underground parking available
Dress: Business suit or equivalent

50th Anniversary Black Tie Banquet



The Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2016. Please mark you calendar and plan to attend our 50th Annual black tie banquet, and an address entitled

"Churchill and the Greeks" 
by 

Dr.  Andre Gerolymatos

May 11, 2016
The Ranchmen’s Club
710 – 13th Avenue SW, Calgary
Reception 6pm
Dinner 7pm
Black Tie or Mess Kit

Registered Society Members $195.00 (First guest of member $195.00) Further guests and non-Members $225
(Please encourage your guests to join the Society)
​Annual membership $30

​If you have any questions please call Steve Robertson at (403) 298-2440 or email at strobertson@millerthomson.com

Ticket Order Form
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Biography
 
Dr. André Gerolymatos is a Professor of History, Associate Member of the School of Criminology, Director of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies (2011), and holds the Hellenic Canadian Congress of BC Chair of Hellenic Studies (1996-) at Simon Fraser University. He is also concurrent Professor at the History College of Nankai University, China and was named the 2014 Eleftherios Venizelos Chair of Modern Greek Studies at the American College in Greece.
 
Dr. Gerolymatos graduated from Loyola College and Concordia University in Montréal with a B.A. Honours in Classics and received his M.A. in Classics and PhD in History at McGill University (Montréal).
 
Dr. Gerolymatos was a Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister of Canadian Heritage from 1993 to 1994, served as a Member of the Board on the Canadian Association of Security and Intelligence from 2000 to 2002, and also served on the Canadian Advisory Council on National Security from 2010 to 2013. He is a current member of the board of the Alexander S. Onassis Foundation (USA).



Atlantic Charter 75th Anniversary in Newfoundland - August 11-14, 2016

Society supporters may wish to consider attending the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Atlantic Charter. 
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POSTPONED - Dinner and Musicale


Back by popular demand, the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary invites you to a nostalgic evening of song with Michael Hope of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Where:  Ranchman's Club
              710 - 13 Avenue SW, Calgary
When:  November 23, 2015 (the event has been postponed, a future date will be posted here)
            6pm Reception
            7pm Dinner
Tickets: $170 (includes cocktails, dinner and concert)
To secure your place at our tables, please mail your cheque (payable to: The Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary) to Blair Mason C/O Miles Davison Law Firm, #900, 517 – 10th Ave. SW, Calgary, T2R 0A8.

We soon hope to be able to accept credit card payments through this website should this method of payment be more convenient.

RSVP
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RSVP form:

highland_ball_2016_invitation__3_.pdf
File Size: 80 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


You and a Guest are cordially invited to  an evening of great food, dance, and military pageantry at the Hyatt Regency Hotel located at 7th Avenue & Centre Street SW, Calgary, Alberta.

Cocktails: 18:30 hrs

Dinner: 19:30 hrs
Tariff: $150 per person incl. GST 

Make cheques payable to CHRFF


Dress: Gentlemen: Mess Kit, Black Tie or Formal Highland Wear
Ladies: Mess Kit, Evening Gown 
Decorations should be worn

Please RVSP by 12
th of February, 2016 by one of the following:

Mail
RSVP card and cheque to CHRFF, c/o LCol R Goebel, 1506 1100 8th Ave SW, Calgary AB T2P3T9
Email completed RSVP form to chrff@thecalgaryhighlanders.com
Online at http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-grand-highland-military-ball-tickets-19487496627  
Please address questions to thecalgaryhighlanders@gmail.com

Notice of Annual General Meeting

AMG Materials
The Society elected the following Board of Directors and Executive:

President:  Steven Robertson
Vice President:  James Maxim
Past President:  Robert Thompson
Treasurer:  Greg Stebbe
Executive Treasurer:  Landis McEwan
Secretary:  Mark Milke
Communications:  Devin Iversen
Mount Royal University Liaison:  Lori Williams
High School Debate Liaison:  Elisa Frank
Membership:  Randall Iversen

Directors at Large:  Bruce Mcdonald, Major Peter Boyle, Blair Mason, Ted Morton, John Baycroft, Sam Armstrong, Christopher Simpkins

High School Churchill Debates 2015

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Scotch Social - II

Our first two Scotch Socials have been a great success! Stay tuned to this page for details of the the Spring 2016 Social.

You do not need to be a member of the Society to attend this or any of our events (although if membership interests you we can help you with that as well). What we hope for our Scotch Socials is for them to become a twice annual informal gathering of political and/or historically minded Calgarians. 

The historic Mewata Armoury Officers' Mess is the location of our Society's Scotch Socials. 

Details
Location: Mewata Armoury, Officers' Mess (follow the signs inside)
801, 11 Street Southwest, Calgary, AB

Date: Friday September 11, 2015
Time: 5pm – 8pm

Dress code: business semi-formal (please try to avoid wearing jeans to the mess)

Cost: $20 (at the door - cash or cheque only)

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2015 Annual Black Tie Banquet

The Society's 49th Annual Banquet occurred on June 22, 2015. Members were treated to an address entitled “Recollections of my Grandfather” from Emma Soames.

The following articles were posted in the Calgary Herald:

Churchill Society Honours High School Debate Winners

Winston Churchill's granddaughter visits Alberta

Sir Winston Churchill’s granddaughter speaker at Society Memorial Banquet
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Emma Soames is the eldest daughter of the Society's former Patron, the late Mary Soames, the last surviving child of Sir Winston Churchill. Emma was 15 when her Grandfather died and has vivid memories of growing up at Chartwell as well as his State Funeral.
She is a journalist and editor, a career she began in her twenties in Paris on French Vogue when her father, Christopher Soames was Ambassador from 1968-72.  She continued her career in London where she was Features Editor of British Vogue and then edited Tatler Magazine. She then spent two years living in the Middle East and covered such events as the assassination of President Sadat as a freelance working for a British paper and the Boston Globe.

Later she edited the Saturday Telegraph Magazine which she did for seven years, winning many awards for the magazine and on her own behalf. Her last job was editing Saga Magazine, a large circulation monthly publication for the over- 50s. The magazine picked up awards under her editorship and, having stepped down from the editorship in 2010, she is now Editor at Large and contributes a monthly column to Saga Magazine.

She has an interest in the justice system and having chaired the trustees of a charity specializing in drug rehabilitation for prisoners she is now a trustee of Fine Cell Work, a charity that teaches long-term prisoners to sew to exquisitely high standards. She is also a trustee of the Swaroski Foundation. She also now fulfils some of the duties formerly carried out by her mother, including being a trustee of the Winston Churchill Foundation (USA). She has begun working in broadcasting and TV commentary.

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Date: Monday, June 22, 2015
Time: Reception – 6:00 pm
           Dinner – 7:00pm
Location: The Ranchmen’s Club (710 13 Av SW)
Dress: Black Tie or Mess Kit
Tickets*: Registered Society Members and one guest $225. Non-Members $250 


The Society's First Scotch Social

50 years ago the world said goodbye to Sir Winston Churchill. For nearly as long, the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary has honoured his memory by hosting distinguished speakers and encouraging oratory excellence in both high school and post-secondary students. After five decades it is clear, many Calgarians share our interest, respect, and admiration for this great statesman. On January 23rd the Society hosted an evening to celebrate his memory. 

You do not need to be a member of the Society to attend this or any of our events (although if membership interests you we can help you with that as well). What we hope for our Scotch Socials is for them to become a twice annual informal gathering of political and/or historically minded Calgarians.

The historic Mewata Armoury Officers' Mess was the location of our Society's inaugural Scotch Social.

Details
Location: Mewata Armoury, Officers' Mess (follow the signs inside)
801, 11 Street Southwest, Calgary, AB

Date: Friday January 23, 2015
Time: 5pm – 8pm

Dress code: business semi-formal (please try to avoid wearing jeans to the mess)

Cost: $20 (at the door - cash or cheque only)
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Thank you for making our first Scotch Social a great success!


Fall Dinner 2014

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"The First Summit and the Atlantic Charter"
Speaker: Professor Peter Russell

Date: November 13, 2014
Time: 6 pm - reception, 7 pm - dinner
Place: Ranchmen’s Club, 710 – 13th Ave. SW, Calgary
Our distinguished guest speaker will be Professor Peter Russell. Professor Russell is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto and an authority in the fields of constitutional, judicial, aboriginal and parliamentary politics. Professor Russell will be addressing us on the First Summit, the 1941 meeting of Sir Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt.

In August, 1941, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin Roosevelt held four days of secret meetings off the coast of Newfoundland. The first wartime meeting of the two leaders, it may also have been the most important. America was not yet at war, and Britain was suffering. The outcome of the war was far from certain. The meetings forged a personal friendship between the two leaders as well as the Atlantic Charter. Professor Peter Russell provides a colourful account of these four days off the coast of Newfoundland which created the alliance of free nations that won the war and shaped the postwar world.

Peter Russell is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto where he has taught political science since 1958 and is now Principal of Senior College. He has published widely in the fields of constitutional, judicial, aboriginal and parliamentary politics. He is a past-Chair of the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy, and wrote a booklet about the First Summit, the 1941 meeting of Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt, for the 70th anniversary of that event in 2011. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and among his honorary degrees is a Doctor of Laws from the University of Calgary.

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British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt aboard a warship off the coast of Newfoundland during the Atlantic Conference. The conference took place from August 9-12, 1941, and resulted in the Atlantic Charter, a joint proclamation by the United States and Britain declaring that they were fighting the Axis powers to "ensure life, liberty, independence and religious freedom and to preserve the rights of man and justice."
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Dr. Peter Russell (right) & Steven Robertson, President of the Churchill Society (left) stand with the newly commissioned bust of Winston Churchill that will find its home soon at Sir Winston Churchill High School.

2014 Annual Black Tie Banquet

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Date:  May 29, 2014
Time:  6pm - 9pm
Location:  The Ranchman's Club
710-13th Avenue SW, Calgary Alberta
Speaker: Dr. David BercussonTopic: "Churchill and King:  Mars meets Venus during the Second World War"





Calgary Herald coverage of the dinner, click here...

David Bercuson was born in Montreal in August 1945. He attended Sir George Williams University, graduating in June 1966 with Honours in History and winning the Lieutenant-Governor's Silver Medal for the highest standing in history. After graduation he pursued graduate studies at the University of Toronto, earning an MA in history in 1967 and a Ph.D. in 1971.
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Dr. Bercuson has published in academic and popular publications on a wide range of topics specializing in modern Canadian politics, Canadian defence and foreign policy, and Canadian military history. He has written, coauthored, or edited over 30 popular and academic books and does regular commentary for television and radio. He has written for the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, the Calgary Herald, the National Post and other 
newspapers.

In 1988, Bercuson was elected to the Royal Society of Canada and in May 1989, he was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies at The University of Calgary. In 1997 he was appointed Special Advisor to the Minister of National Defence on the Future of the Canadian Forces.  He was a member of the Minister of National Defence’s Monitoring Committee from 1997 to 2003. He served on the Advisory Council on National Security from 2005 to 2008.  Since January 1997 he has been the Director of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary. Currently he is also the Director of Programs of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, which is based in Calgary and the Director International Policy for the University’s School of Public Policy.
 
Dr. Bercuson served as Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of 41 Combat Engineer Regiment, a Land Force Reserve military engineer unit of the Canadian Forces until November 2010.  He was a member of Board of Governors of the Royal Military College of Canada from 2007 to 2013.

In 2002 Dr. Bercuson was awarded the J. B. Tyrrell Historical Medal from the Royal Society of Canada.  In 2003, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.  
  
Dr. Bercuson’s newest book Long Night of the Tankers: Hitler’s war Against Caribbean Oil will be published in June, 2014.  





High School Churchill Debates 2014


Moot Court - 27 March 2014

Location: Court of Queens Bench
Time: 4:30 pm
Contact the Society for more information
The moot exercise is part of a political science course taken by students in policy studies, justice studies and a variety of other majors. MRU students act as justices, lawyers and journalists, presenting arguments and asking questions during the moot hearing, and deciding whether or not to allow the appeal from the Supreme Court of Canada.

Moot Court - 28 November 2013

Location: Court of Queens Bench
Contact the Society for more information
The moot exercise is part of a political science course taken by students in policy studies, justice studies and a variety of other majors. MRU students act as justices, lawyers and journalists, presenting arguments and asking questions during the moot hearing, and deciding whether or not to allow the appeal from the Supreme Court of Canada.

2013 Fall Dinner

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Date:   November 19, 2013
Time:  Reception: 6pm, Dinner: 7pm
Location: The Ranchman's Club
710-13th Avenue SW, Calgary Alberta
Speaker: Colonel John D. Conrad MSM., CD


Click any image below to enlarge it...
Colonel Conrad has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and Masters in Defence Studies from the Royal Military College, Kingston, Ontario. He was commissioned as a Canadian naval officer in 1987. After retraining in army logistics, he served in virtually every command billet possible in 1 Service Battalion in Western Canada from platoon commander to Commanding Officer in 2005-2006. Over half of his career has been spent with the Army of the West in 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. Subsequent postings have included a year on the Atlantic Area Staff in Halifax, a year at Army Doctrine in Kingston and two years as the G4 for HQ Land Forces Central Area in Toronto. He has served as an instructor both at the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College in Kingston as well as the Canadian Forces College in Toronto, Ontario. 

Switching to the reserve force in 2007, Conrad has commanded 32 Service Battalion in Toronto and most recently served as Deputy Commander of 41 Canadian Brigade Group in Alberta. Colonel Conrad has operational experience in Cambodia (1993) with UNTAC and North West Bosnia (2000) with the NATO Stabilization Force and as the Commanding Officer of the combat logistics battalion responsible for sustaining the Canadian Task Force in Southern Afghanistan from February to August 2006 on the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom. Colonel Conrad was decorated with the Meritorious Service Medal in October 2007 for leadership during the Kandahar tour of 2006.

In civilian life, Colonel Conrad is a professional author and senior executive with the Government of Alberta. He has written numerous books on the military and logistics theme, the most recent of which, Scarce Heard Amid the Guns, was nominated for the Governor General’s Award in 2012. His previous book What the Thunder Said, a book dedicated to the Canadian Army logistics corps was a Canadian bestseller. He is married to Martha Rutherford Conrad, has four children and a life-long passion for the Canadian Army past, present and future.

2013 Annual Banquet

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Date:  June 8, 2013
Time:  6pm - 9pm
Location:  The Ranchman's Club
710-13th Avenue SW, Calgary Alberta
Speaker:  Lynn Olson




Lynne Olson has been a reporter and writer since shortly after her graduation from the University of Arizona. She spent seven years with the Associated Press, working as a national feature writer in New York, a foreign correspondent in AP’s Moscow bureau, and a political reporter in Washington. She left the AP to join the Washington bureau of the Baltimore Sun, where she covered national politics and eventually the White House. She later taught journalism for five years as an assistant professor at American University in Washington. Olson and her husband, Stanley Cloud, are co-authors of The Murrow Boys, which was named one of the best books of 1996 by Publishers Weekly. Freedom’s Daughters, Olson’s second book, was the first comprehensive history of women in the civil rights movement. Published in February 2001, it won a Christopher Award in 2002. Olson joined with Cloud again to write A Question of Honor: The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II, published by Alfred A. Knopf in September 2003.

Olson’s fourth book, Troublesome Young Men: The Rebels Who Brought Churchill to Power and Helped Save England, was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in April 2007. Drawing widespread acclaim, it was named by New York Times book reviewer William Grimes as one of his favorite books for 2007. It was also a finalist for the Los Angeles Book Prize in history.

Her next book, Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour, was published by Random House in February 2010. A national bestseller, it was named one of the American Library Association’s Notable Books in nonfiction in 2010, as well as appearing on Amazon’s list of the top books of the year.

Olson’s latest book, Those Angry Days: Roosevelt, Lindbergh, and America’s Fight Over World War II, 1939-1941, will be published by Random House in March 2013.

Margaret Thatcher 13 October 1925 - 8 April 2013

The world mourns the passing of a political legend

It is with tremendous sadness that the members of the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary bid farewell to the Baroness, Margaret Thatcher.  Media Release...
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Moot Court - 4 April 2013

Location: Court of Queens Bench
Contact the Society for more information
The moot exercise is part of a political science course taken by students in policy studies, justice studies and a variety of other majors. MRU students act as justices, lawyers and journalists, presenting arguments and asking questions during the moot hearing, and deciding whether or not to allow the appeal from the Supreme Court of Canada.

Musicale - 28 November 2012

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Michael Hope delighted members with a stirring recital of Churchill era songs. Members were encouraged to sing a long.


2012 Annual Banquet

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Date:  May 8, 2012
Time:  6pm - 9pm
Location:  The Ranchman's Club
710-13th Avenue SW, Calgary Alberta
Speaker:  
Randolph Churchill III
Topic:  "Churchill, European Unity and Economic Turmoil" 






Randolph Churchill's Bio:

Randolph was born in January 1965 shortly before the death of his great grandfather, Sir Winston Churchill.  After attending Harrow Randolph undertook a short service commission in the Royal Navy and served as Gunnery Officer of HMS Alderney in the coastal protection squadron.  On completion of the Navigating Officer Course he was appointed Navigator of HMS Swallow in the Hong Kong Squadron and promoted to Lieutenant.  Subsequently, Randolph attended Buckingham University where he was awarded a degree in Financial Management and Accountancy, before joining Deloitte and Touche where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant.

In 1995 Randolph joined Lazard Asset Management, becoming Director of the Charities Division.  In 2000 Randolph joined Schroder Private Bank and in 2003 he moved to Rathbones where he is an Investment Director.

Randolph is a Trustee of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, Director of the Armed Services Charities Advisory Company (that oversees the investment for over 100 service charities), Trustee of the Churchill Archives Centre, Trustee of the Churchill Centre and a Patron of the UK National Defence Association.  Randolph and his wife Catherine have four children and live in Kent.
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