Senior officers, dignitaries attend tradition-packed dinner for RCAF 100th

The 15 Wing mess was packed with 174 guests on April 5 for a formal, tradition-packed mess dinner in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). 

The RCAF as a distinct military element was officially formed on 1 April 1924 after being granted royal recognition by King George V.  

One hundred years of history was recognized and honoured at the dinner with speeches, traditional toasts, music, and a five-course meal. Military members wore their full-dress uniforms, and guests gussied up to a black-tie standard. 

Rachel Fox, Wing Chief Warrant Officer, was accompanied by her husband Robert Fox (photo by Gordon Edgar)

Significant moments in RCAF history have included the RCAF gaining equal footing with the Army and Navy in 1938, the establishment of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) in 1939 shortly after Canada entered the war, reorganization in ‘68 (subsequently corrected in ‘97), and many more historic and ongoing contributions in conflict zones and disaster-affected areas in Canada and around the world. 

Col. Dan Coutts, 15 Wing Commander, and Rachel Fox, Wing Chief Warrant Officer (WCWO), and their spouses welcomed many distinguished guests including senior retired officers, veterans, and civilian officials.  

The guest list included: 

• Their Honours the Honorable Russ Mirasty, Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, and his wife Donna Mirasty 

• Brigadier General John Alexander, commander of 2 Canadian Air Division 

• Col. Shawn Fortin, 38 Canadian Brigade Group commander 

• CWO Todd Appel, 38 Canadian Brigade Group sergeant major 

• Col. Bruno Heluin, defence attaché to the French Ambassador in Canada 

• Lt.-Col.  Jason Quilliam, Saskatchewan’s Chief of Protocol & Secretary of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit 

• MP Fraser Tolmie 

• MLA Blaine McLeod 

• Clive Tolley, Mayor of Moose Jaw 

• Crystal Froese, Moose Jaw city councilor 

• Rick Bourassa, Chief of the Moose Jaw Police Service 

Brig.-Gen. John Alexander, 2 Canadian Air Division commander, and his wife, Tamara (photo by Gordon Edgar)

“I think (the event) went very well,” Col. Coutts told Discover Moose Jaw. “We were really humbled to have the Lieutenant Governor here, and to have representatives from all levels of government. We had Members of Parliament, we had MLAs, we had the mayor, we had the local councillors and other people from the Community, local city police. 

“All that support is wonderful, that speaks to the great relationship that we have across this province and, more generally for the Air Force, across the nation with Canadians.” 

Coutts added that he was happiest to hear that all the guests had enjoyed themselves, which was his primary goal for the evening. 

“The thing I wanted to push the most was having an opportunity for all these folks to intereact with our students, with their instructors, and just build that relationship and break bread together ... and celebrate a truly auspicious moment in history.” 

He said the RCAF as an organization goes back to the very birth of aviation in Canada, and the Air Force is “emblematic” of innovation and agility, from its founding to the present day. 

“I do want to thank, again, both Regina and Moose Jaw and the province of Saskatchewan for the support that they’re giving the RCAF on the 100th anniversary, and especially Moose Jaw, with all the events they’re planning (for this year).” 

Learn more about the Centennial of your Royal Canadian Air Force at rcaf2024arc.ca.

Col. Shawn Fortin, 38 Canadian Brigade Group commander, and his wife (photo by Gordon Edgar)

Ed Staniowski, Lt.-Col. (Ret'd) and Col. Bruno Heluin, defence attache to the French Ambassador in Canada (photo by Gordon Edgar)