The third annual German Pioneers Day
was held October 15, 2002, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, the day proclaimed
by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
Events began at 11:00 am with the
opening of the exhibits around Kitchener�s City Hall Rotunda. Films were shown
in Council Chambers at Lunch Time, and Dance performances by the Hengsberg
Dancers of Austria and a concert by the Transylvania Hofbra�
Band under the direction of Steve Schatz were performed later in the afternoon
in the Rotunda. Anyone interested in the history of the Region, or in subjects
pertaining to participation of German Pioneers in all of Canada is well
advised to spend some time to look over the exhibits, which provide an
abundance of information and detail. If you missed it this year, take note of
the 11:00 starting time.
Formal celebrations of German Pioneers
began a little after 5:00 pm, commencing with the official
welcome
by the Chairman of German Pioneers Day, Mr. James Breithaupt, Q.C., followed by brief addresses by international, Ontario and
local dignitaries. Guest of Honour this year was Dr. Christian Pauls, German
Ambassador to Canada.
Mr. Anton Bergmeier,
President of the German Canadian Congress, outlined in a sweeping overview
some of the frequently overlooked contributions made by German Pioneers, and
commended efforts made to more completely cover Canada�s, Ontario�s and The
Region of Waterloo�s history and the contributions made by German Pioneers.
This year�s German Pioneers Day
celebrated 90 years of our City, which began life as a City with the name of
Berlin in 1912 (Berlin Crest of 1912)
to become the City of Kitchener in 1916. [Just prior to these
celebrations, on Oct 12, 2002, The Record (once also known as the �Berlin News
Record�) remembered the contributions made by German Pioneers in an
well-researched article titled �A special tribute to our German Heritage �
Roots to anchor a city� in the Perspectives section of the Paper. Pictures
from this 5-page section were on display together with copies of some of the
extensive Historic Documents in their Archives].
The celebrations re-enacted the
proclamation - that turned Berlin into a City - in a pageant, which included
dignitaries of the time:
Premier Sir James Whitney
(Alan Williams),
Mayor of Berlin William H.
Schmalz (Helmut Koeckritz) and
The
Hon Adam Beck, MPP and of Ontario Hydro fame (Manfred Richter).
(Click on the underlined words to read the1912 proclamation - and today's
speeches). The speeches have one theme in common: great expectations for the
continued growth and economic importance of the City of Berlin / Kitchener in
Ontario and Canada. They have not been disappointed.
The concluding highlight of the event
was the introduction by Ernst Friedel of the
German Pioneers Award.
The contribution of three German Pioneer families were honoured: The
J.M. Schneider Family, the
Kuntz Family and the
Breithaupt Family, names which are very
familiar in, and beyond, the Waterloo Region. Recipients on behalf of the
Families were Herb and Betty Schneider, Elizabeth Kuntz, and James Breithaupt.
Mr. Paul Weigel, who introduced the Families biographically, comments:� There
was no way that the full range of contributions could be covered in my
introductions, we would have been there all night.� Mr. Weigel�s brief
biographical introductions are linked to the names of the recipients.
German
Pioneers Day entered a new era. For the first time, it truly highlighted and
honoured the city and specific German Pioneer Families, who have done so much,
not only for the Kitchener-Waterloo Region, but for all of Ontario and Canada.
Herwig Wandschneider
