MESSAGE FROM THE COMMANDING OFFICER

Hello Highlanders –

I trust this finds you well – or as well as you can be, in the midst of the third wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and another stay-at-home order in Ontario.

I’m going to take this opportunity to bring you up to speed on five items:

HCol MacIntyre – we received formal confirmation of HCol MacIntyre’s appointment as Honorary Colonel of the 48th Highlanders of Canada. Prior to this appointment, he served three years as the HLCol. I know that he works diligently and tirelessly for the Regiment, and the best interest of the soldiers, NCOs, Officers, and Regimental Family. Sir – congratulations.
Training – when the Province announced another stay-at-home order, our in person training also stopped. There are some exceptions – Individual Training (IT) is allowed to continue. This is so that the backlog of soldiers who have not completed their entry level courses can be cleared. We can conduct remote / virtual training, and some Individual Battle Task Standards testing. The Comd has scheduled a teleconf with the COs for tonight, and further details will be forthcoming after the Comd’s briefing.
Ruck March Challenge & Competition – we are into the final 4 weeks of the Ruck March Challenge. I’m extremely proud of the effort that all participants have made. I’m also extremely proud of how supportive the participants are of each other – all the comments posted on Strava, and the photos are well received and responded to. It’s great to see Highlanders looking after each other, and reinforcing the efforts made by all.We also participated in a one-week Ruck March Competition against the Lincoln & Welland Regiment. The results are in – the Linc & Weld R won the competition marching a total distance of 3,014.64km over a 7-day period; our participants marched 2,831.63kms. Well done Highlanders! I’m extremely proud of your efforts and participation. Congratulations to LCol Canavan and their Team.
Highlanders – Three cheers for the Linc & Weld R.

Act of Remembrance 2020
Act of Remembrance Event – we have pre-recorded the Act of Remembrance Parade at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. Similar to what we did for Remembrance Day last November, we will hold a virtual Regimental Act of Remembrance Parade over ZOOM on Sunday, 25 Apr 21 at 1030hrs. Everyone who attends and is in CADPAT will be authorized to sign in for the Full Day. ZOOM Call details will be issues shortly.
Mackenzie Shoot – given the restrictions on social events, the Mackenzie Shoot will also be conducted virtually. Six to eight officers will join the WO & Sgts Mess for a ZOOM call dinner complete with haggis, pasta, and red wine – the traditional fare for this dinner. It’s important that we maintain our traditions as best we can during the pandemic restrictions.