500 (City of Winnipeg) Wing, Royal Canadian Air Force Association meets the third Tuesday of the month at Unit 283 Anavets, 3584 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg at 1330 hours (1:30PM). A link to a map can be found here.
MEMBERSHIP!
Not a member yet but interested? Contact the Wing or Maureen Craigon via email (see below) to inquire. Joining is easy and we welcome new members. You don’t have to be a current or retired military member; anyone who supports the Aims and Objectives of the Association may join. Not only will members receive a subscription to AirForce Magazine (one of the best military aviation publications available), you’ll be supporting RCAF Association activities at both the national and local level. Thank you for your support!
2024-25 Membership Dues:
- Individual (includes AirForce magazine): $75 ($54 to National, $21 to 500 Wing)
- Individual (without AirForce magazine): $70 ($49 to National, $21 to 500 Wing)
- Joint: $130 ($54 plus $34 to National, $42 to 500 Wing)
Payment may be made by cash, cheque (payable to 500 Wing RCAF Association) or by Electronic Money Transfer (EMT) to treasurer500wing@outlook.com. Please advise Maureen of your preferred membership and method payment.
UPCOMING EVENTS OF NOTE!
- November 11, 2024: City of Winnipeg Remembrance Day Service, RBC Convention Centre.
- November 19, 2024: Regular meeting.
- December 17, 2024: Christmas/Seasonal Luncheon. Guests welcome!
- January 14, 2025: Regular meeting.
- February 18, 2025: Regular meeting.
- March 18, 2025: Regular meeting.
- April 15, 2025: RCAF Anniversary luncheon. Guests welcome!
- May 20, 2025: Regular meeting.
- June 17, 2025: AGM/Wrap-up meeting. Guests welcome!
RMIM SPEAKER NIGHTS: see RMIM calendar here.
500 Wing maintains a membership with the Royal Military Institute of Manitoba (RMIM) which permits all members of 500 Wing to attend RMIM speaker events, usually at the 17 Wing Officers’ Mess. Please consult the RMIM calendar for upcoming events of interest and follow the RVSP instructions at the top of the calendar page.
500 WING RCAFA MANITOBA AIR CADET GRANT
In 2023, 500 Wing established the 500 Wing RCAFA Manitoba Air Cadet Grant. Using the proceeds of our monthly 50/50 draws, and working with the Air Cadet League of Manitoba, a deserving Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron (RCACS) will be selected annually to receive a grant to assist with their Squadron activites.
The recipient of the inaugural, and 2022-23 season grant, was 263 RCACS (Intrepid) Melita.
On March 12, 2024, 500 Wing Chair, Jason Graveline (centre), along with Vice-Chairs Stan Blady (left) and Roger Mussard (right), presented the cheque to the CO, Lt Saundra McMurdo (centre), and the Cadets of 263 RCACS.
GARDEN OF MEMORIES / AIR FORCE HERITAGE AIR PARK
186 AIR FORCE WAY, WINNIPEG
The Garden of Memories was created in 1999 by 500 Wing and was dedicated to the trainees, instructors and teachers, and civilian population of the Province of Manitoba who supported the young men of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). Within a Second World War-era roundel is the central monument in the shape of the province containing the locations of Manitoba BCATP training stations. Under the flags of Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand are nearly 1250 bricks engraved with the names of many of those men and women, forever commemorated by their loved ones. The original dedication stone denotes the partnership between the then-Air Force Association of Canada, 1 Canadian Air Division and 17 Wing Winnipeg in celebrating, with the opening of the Garden, the 75th anniversary of the formation of the RCAF.
On September 15, 2024, during the Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg Battle of Britain ceremony, 500 Wing re-dedicated the Garden of Memories “to all who have served in Canadian military aviation”. This included the installation of a new marker on the original dedication stone, designed to appropriately recognize over 100 years of Canadian military aviation history and to honour those that made it possible.
The marker integrates the roundels most commonly used throughout Canadian military aviation history: the Royal Flying Corps and early Canadian Air Force (left), the Second World War era (centre left), the post-war RCAF and Canadian Army (right) and the post-war Royal Canadian Navy (centre right). Represented by the RCAF Centennial logo at centre, the roundel currently used by the Canadian Armed Forces and modern-day RCAF. Below, the heraldic badges of the RCAF and RCAF Association, side by side, representing over 76 years of partnership and friendship.
This legacy project was funded entirely by the generosity of the members of 500 Wing and it our lasting and sincere tribute to the men and women, military and civilian, who have served in Canadian military aviation.
Sincere gratitude to Norman Malayney for investing a tremendous amount of time and effort in transcribing information for 1247 of the stones located in the Garden and to Gordon Crossley for ensuring the commemorations are up-to-date and accurate.
A newly revised version of the information booklet (V.5 eff 25 July 2023) is available here.
For more information, contact 500 Wing at:
500 (City of Winnipeg) Wing, RCAFA
Suite 189
PO Box 17000 Stn Forces
Winnipeg, MB R3J 3Y5
or by email at RCAFA500@outlook.com
The 500 Wing Board of Directors and Officers:
- Chair: Jason Graveline
- Vice-Chair: Stan Blady
- 2nd Vice-Chair: Roger Mussard
- Secretary: Norman Malayney
- Treasurer: Roger Mussard
- Heritage: Gordon Crossley
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Doug Harry
- Membership: Maureen Craigon