Remembrance

Each year, on Remembrance Day, wreaths are placed at the National Cenotaph in Ottawa and at the cenotaph in St. John’s, Newfoundland, to remember and honour those who have fallen, while serving our country. IODE members placed more than 122 wreaths across the country. 

The Reading and Remembrance Project 2010 features a wonderful article for use in schools on IODE war efforts titled The IODE in WWII: “… the betterment of life itself” is based on Angie Littlefield’s archival research. This special  lesson honours IODE’s 110 years of service across Canada and is recommended in  SLiC online magazine as, “a great model for Character Education and the roles of  women during times of war and peace, the lesson proves that although nobody can  do everything, everyone can do something.” As author Angie Littlefield wrote in  her most recent email to IODE Canada, “I am very proud of the IODE lesson and  the mentions of IODE in other lessons as I researched that material at the  Archives in Ottawa. I hope I have captured your organization's far-reaching  contributions to Canada.” 

Reading and Remembrance, a free online resource first presented during the Year of the Veteran in 2005 for Remembrance Day, is now a year-round resource supported by the Durham West Arts Centre, Ontario Power Generation, the Ontario Historical Society, The Canada Remembers Program of Veterans Affairs Canada, SLiC and the Ontario School Librarians Association.These lessons are available online at www.readingandremembrance.ca.

National War Memorial (Newfoundland)

National War Memorial (Ottawa)

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International Peace Garden

IODE is very proud to be involved with the world-renowned International Peace Garden since its  inception in 1932. 

The International Peace Garden began as a dream of Dr. Henry J. Moore of Islington, Ontario, Canada. Dr. Moore, the lecturing horticulturist for the Ontario Department of Agriculture, was on his way home from the 1928 annual meeting of the National Association of Gardeners, a U.C. organization, when he conceived of the idea of a botanical garden commemorating the long, peaceful coexistence of the people of Canada and the United States. 

The proposal was approved, an international committee was formed, and the search began for an appropriate site for the garden. Dr. Moore and Joseph Dunlop of South Euclid, Ohio, came to the Turtle Mountains at the invitation of the International Peace Picnic Association – a group formed, in part, to promote the area as the location for the International Peace Garden. Moore and Dunlop liked what they saw. 

Said Moore after an airplane trip over the area: “What a sight greeted the eye! Those undulating hills rising out of limitless prairies filled with lakes and streams.  On the south of the unrecognizable boundary, wheat fields everywhere; on the north, the Manitoba Forest Preserve. What a place for a garden!” 
 
The International peace Garden was dedicated on July 14, 1932, with a crowd estimated as high as 50,000 people in attendance. 

Nestled on the United Sates and Canadian borders of North Dakota and Manitoba, in a symbol of friendship, lies the “One of a Kind” International Peace Garden.  Dedicated to peace and friendship between Canada and the United States, the Garden celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2007. Devoted to World Peace, along the world’s longest unfortified border, ​​lies a 2,339-acre Botanical Garden. 

The National Chapter of Canada IODE, through donations from members across the country, has among other things established and maintains the Birch Grove Picnic area. 

The impressive entrance was donated by IODE. 

In celebration of the 90th anniversary of The National Chapter of Canada  IODE, built the IODE Percussive Arts Centre for the Music Camp at the International Peace Garden. Today, students from around the world attend the  International Music Camp. 

The IODE Birch Grove Picnic Area in the garden was restored by IODE in 2007.

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IODE United Nations Peacekeeper Bar

IODE recognizes our members and their families who are serving or served with our Canadian Forces in a United Nations Peacekeeping Mission overseas. Members who  have or had a husband, son or daughter or grandson or granddaughter, who served or are serving, are eligible to wear the UN Peace Keeper Bar.

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Bolingbroke Bomber

As a special project during World War II, the National Chapter IODE collected funds raised by provincial and primary chapters to purchase a Bolingbroke Bomber.   During one week, IODE members raised $100,000.   One chapter raised $335 after collecting and selling old gold and silver pieces in the summer of 1940.   The bomber, known as “Ida”, it was flown by a Hamilton Squadron during the war, and was presented to the Canadian Government in 1940.

As a matter of interest, the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is currently restoring a “Boly” which will bear the IODE crest on its nosecone. IODE has contributed significant funds to the restoration, which can be seen in the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, Mount Hope, Ontario.