The most reproduced Canadian photograph from World War II will soon be immortalized in New Westminster. Wait For Me, Daddy was captured by Claude P. Dettloff on October 1, 1940 as troops headed off to war with the BC Regiment. Recently the CBC met up with Warren (Whitey) Bernard, the little boy in the photo broke free from his mother’s grasp and ran towards his father, Pte. Jack Bernard as he marched down 8th Street.

Wait For Me, Daddy

1940: Claude P. Dettloff, Vancouver Daily Province. Archives# CVA LP-109.

Bernard, now aged 79, lives in Tofino but returned to New Westminster for a dinner in his honour. Revisiting the scene, he says he can still recall the day he made a break for it — and his mother’s emotions. “She was pretty upset because I guess over here the soldiers were all milling around and everybody was saying goodbye — and then they were heading for the ship.”

The photo made the next day’s morning paper, but not long after it was featured across North America, including an October issue of Life magazine. It was eventually hung in every school in B.C. during the war. Although it will always be a touching statement on war and family, for the young boy, it became much more than that.

While his father’s regiment ended up being stationed in Nanaimo, BC, for more training before eventually heading off to fight in Europe, Bernard and his mother got by on a modest income in their rented Vancouver home. During the summers of 1943 and 1944, the young boy joined a touring group that travelled the province encouraging people to buy war bonds to support the soldiers fighting abroad. [Source: CBC Vancouver]

Bernard told the CBC that for him, the war ended when his dad came home safely, but he wants to ensure the memory of it is never forgotten by generations to come so he is donating memorabilia to the local museum.

Monument to be Installed in New Westminster

Two sculptors, the husband-and-wife team of Edwin and Veronica Dam de Nogales, have been commissioned to memorialize the famous photograph. A bronze monument, with three figures, representing the boy, his mother, and his father, will stand near 8th and Columbia in New Westminster. The city plans an unveiling later this year, followed by a re-enactment of the soldiers’ march in 2015 to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

Disney Live! Mickey’s Rockin’ Road Show is coming to the Pacific Coliseum, bringing Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and many more beloved characters to Vancouver from February 21st to February 23rd.

Photo courtesy of Feld Entertainment

Disney Live! Mickey’s Rockin’ Road Show

Produced by Feld Entertainment, this stage spectacular features classic Disney characters in an all-new adventure with an original storyline that will delight the entire family. Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy set out on a zany road trip where audiences join in and help find the coolest acts around. Along the way, hit a high note with Cinderella; get your bounce on with Tigger; and shout out your loudest “yee-haw” at a hoedown with Woody, Jessie and Buzz Lightyear from Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story! Grab your family for a fun-filled getaway at this live, show-stopping adventure jam-packed with unexpected twists, turns and hijinks — right in your hometown!

The show will run Friday, February 21st at 7:00pm; Saturday, February 22nd at 12:00pm and 3:00pm; and Sunday, February 23rd at 12:00pm and 3:00pm. Ticket prices range from $26, $32, $55 (VIP Floor Seats) and $80 (Front Row) plus fees. Opening night discount tickets are available for only $20 each for select seating. Tickets available for purchase online via Ticketleader, by phone at (604) 757-0345 or at the Pacific Coliseum box office.

The new Surrey City Hall is open for business, 10.8km north of its previous location and now in the heart of Downtown Surrey. To put that into perspective, it would be like moving from South West Marine Drive up to Canada Place in Vancouver. The new Surrey City Hall has plenty of bells and whistles, including the new City Hall Plaza area around Surrey Central, a theatre/performing arts venue, meeting rooms, public daycare, public art, and more.

Source: City of Surrey.

The Surrey Leader has given us a first look at the $97-million LEED GOLD certified building on 104th Avenue and University Drive (formerly West Whalley Ring Road):

Black marble walls reach up eight metres inside the foyer of Surrey’s new city hall, while six storeys of window panes offer a view of a public plaza, the city’s new library and Central City tower. The open atrium, with stone tile floors, spans the full six floors of the building, with a 20-metre-long artwork centerpiece – a metal flock of birds – flying toward the large window.

A wide staircase on the north side ascends, and at each landing, serves as a bridge between the east and west sides of the building. On Thursday, workers were still scrambling to put the finishing touches on the structure, sanding down surfaces, covering exposed wire, and screwing banisters into stairwells.

Much of the back areas of the hall are constructed as one would expect, with typical hub-style workstations separated by thick white dividers. The outermost offices, for managers and city councillors, have floor-to-ceiling windows and gracious views.

The councillors’ offices are located on the fifth level. The mayor’s office, with adjoining balcony facing south, is on the top floor, which was closed during The Leader’s visit on Thursday.

The new 180,000-sq.-ft. building is touted as being more than just a city hall, with its council chambers also serving as a performing arts venue and meeting place. [Source: Surrey Leader]

Surrey Place Mall, Whalley, and the Ring Roads are terms on the brink of extinction. I was born and raised in Surrey, grew up in Whalley, and attended West Whalley Junior High. I would have never thought that this area would build up as much as it has, starting with the renovation of Central City Shopping Centre at the turn of the century and looking ahead to dozens of new towers including the 52-storey Marriott at 3 Civic Plaza.

Surrey is a work in progress and you can’t deny that Vancouver is also ever-changing. A new crane, a fresh excavation, a road dug up here, another public hearing. When I visit family or attend a free cultural or music festival in Surrey I don’t find myself longing for the ‘old days’ and missing what is now gone or replaced. My hometown is growing, moving forward, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it shapes itself over the next decade.

Council meetings will begin at the new facility on March 31st, once all the audio-video work is complete. The official City Hall Grand Opening for the community will be held on Saturday April 26, 2014 in conjunction with the city’s Party for the Planet festival.

Join the Women’s Drinking Club for an interactive gluten free beer seminar hosted by Lundy Dale, certified Cicerone. Meeting at Doolin’s Irish Pub, Lundy will take the group through a variety of gluten free beers, explaining the difference in brewing between those and traditional wheat based beers.

If you’re looking to enjoy beer without wheat, are gluten intolerant or have celiac disease, this will be a fun and informative event.

Gluten Free Beer Tasting at Doolin’s

Where: Doolin’s, 654 Nelson St at Granville in downtown Vancouver
When: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at 6:30pm
What: Gluten free beer tasting with a minimum of 5 products, accompanied by Celiac friendly nibbles provided by Lemonade Gluten Free Bakery Ltd.
Tickets: Available online for $20. For more information email ‘info [at] doolins.ca’ or call (604) 605-4328.

I have a pair of tickets to give away for this event thanks to Doolin’s. Note: The event and prize is for women only. A man can enter the contest but should his name be drawn, the prize must be gifted to a lucky woman in his life, supplying her name for the guest list. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Sunday, February 23, 2014. Must be 19+ to enter, win, and attend the event. Please enjoy responsibly and plan a safe trip home. Follow Doolin’s on Twitter and Facebook for more information.

Update The winner is Diana Sabrina!

CiTR independent campus and community radio is hosting their annual Fundrive, hoping to raise $30,000 in pledges to support their programming and operations. In the fall, the station will move to the new Student Union Building at UBC and they would like to purchase new broadcast boards for their studios.

Starting Thursday, February 28th at 5:00pm and ending Thursday, March 7th in the evening, CiTR will be asking people on the airwaves to support the radio station. You can support by:

• Calling 604-822-8648 (UBC-UNIT) to make a pledge and win swag and prizes
• Visiting the online donation page – note: online donors are not eligible for swag
• Stopping by the station during the Fundrive

I found out about this year’s initiative through Nardwuar, who is known for his celebrity interviews and I think he is one of the best music historians on the planet. He’s personally fundraising for CiTR as well and you can support the station through his online donation page. All proceeds from online donations go to CiTR and you will receive a full tax receipt.

At the end of the campaign you can celebrate with CiTR at the Fundrive Finale, featuring the release of the CiTR & Mint Records Pop Alliance Compilation LP, on Friday, March 8th at Chapel Arts. Follow CiTR on Twitter and Facebook for more information, and tune into 101.9FM.