Bradford West Gwillimbury celebrates 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force
2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury wrapped up a week of festivities with a once-in-a-century celebration on Friday.
On the ground, it began with a parade straight down Holland Street West as hundreds of Canadian military personnel and community members marched through the town.
Among those marching was retired Lieutenant-Colonel Bill Sergeant, who first joined the RCAF in 1972 as an aerospace engineer.
"It warms my heart to see so many people from so many disciplines within the armed forces, the police, the cadets -- which are the future of the armed forces -- here this morning to help us celebrate this milestone," said Sergeant.
In the air, there were special flyovers by four World-War-1 aircraft during the parade, leaving streaks of aerobatic contrails across the sky.
Then, shortly after the parade disbanded at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library, a dozen Canadian SkyHawks Parachute Team members performed a sequenced jump from 6,000 feet while carrying Canadian flags.
"It is an honour and a privilege to be here as part of the SkyHawks, jumping for the RCAF and for the town of Bradford," said Corporal Benjamin Barrett, one of the jumpers.
The afternoon concluded with a special ceremony. Bradford Mayor James Leduc presented the town's keys to Lieutenant-Colonel Terry Wong, who accepted them on the RCAF's behalf.
"The RCAF is honoured and I am honoured to be here representing the RCAF to accept the keys to the [Town] for this occasion," said Lieutenant-Colonel Wong.
The town's festivities for the RCAF's centennial were the vision of long-time Bradford resident and retired Lieutenant-Colonel Ferguson Mobbs, who first brought his ideas to Mayor Leduc in the Fall of 2023.
"I'm thrilled with the turnout," said Mobbs. It exceeded my expectations. It just shows you that people from Bradford want to celebrate and appreciate the Royal Canadian Air Force."
Mayor Leduc called it a historic moment. "Being the 100th centennial anniversary of the RCAF out of Base Borden which is in Simcoe County. We're in Simcoe County. I was delighted to be able to do this," he stated.
The RCAF will continue commemorating its 100th anniversary with more celebrations across the country throughout the rest of the year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Israel launches strikes on military targets in Iran, escalating Mideast wars
Israel launched airstrikes early Saturday on what it described as military targets in Iran in retaliation for a ballistic missile assault Oct. 1, officials said. There was no immediate information on damage in the Islamic Republic.
DEVELOPING Scotiabank confirms outage for mobile, online banking
Scotiabank has confirmed outages affecting mobile and online banking services, according to a statement published to its X account.
'I did everything I could': Canada Post driver recounts helping save woman from fiery Tesla crash
Canada Post driver Rick Harper recounts how he and others helped save a woman from a Tesla that caught fire after crashing into a guardrail on Lake Shore Boulevard.
An abrupt goodbye to a guerilla goldfish aquarium beneath a leaky Brooklyn fire hydrant
A makeshift aquarium that popped up this summer in a puddle beneath a leaky fire hydrant in New York City has been paved over, to the dismay of neighbours who turned the area into a hangout spot and goldfish shrine.
Climate change breaks heat records across Canada this summer
Human-caused climate change made almost all of Canada’s heat waves hotter and more likely, Environment and Climate Change Canada said in an announcement Friday.
Mother who beat and starved her 5-year-old son to death sentenced to over 50 years in prison
A New Hampshire woman was sentenced Friday to 53 years to life in prison in the death of her 5-year-old son, who was beaten, starved and exposed to drugs before his 19-pound body was found buried in a Massachusetts park in 2021.
'Get away from your inner circle': Liberal MP 'shocked' PM didn't take more time to reflect on calls to resign
Longtime Liberal MP Wayne Long says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should give more weight to the views of his backbenchers in determining his future leading the Party, rather than relying on those in his immediate orbit.
Mom and child jumped from a window to escape a Las Vegas fire that killed 2 children and 2 adults
Two adults and two children were found dead in the charred rubble of a house fire after a mother and another child jumped from a third-floor window to escape flames in a southwest Las Vegas neighborhood, authorities said.
Russian actors made fake video depicting mail-in ballots for Trump being destroyed, FBI says
Russian actors made a widely circulated video falsely depicting mail-in ballots for Donald Trump being destroyed in Pennsylvania, U.S. officials said Friday.