German-Canadian Business & Professional Association
of Kitchener-Waterloo
celebrated 40th Anniversary
K-W residents may not be aware
of it, yet most will have passed by one or more of the historical contributions
made to K-W by the German-Canadian Business and Professional Association (GCBPA).
Take the Granite Peace Memorial in Victoria Park for instance. Not the one with
Queen Victoria on it, but the one that is missing Kaiser Wilhelm I�s bronze
bust, first erected in 1897. Emperor William wound up in the adjacent lake in
1914, was recovered and then mysteriously disappeared again. He was still
missing in 1916, when the pedestal was taken down also, on instructions of the
Park Board.
The story has become a piece of
Kitchener�s history. So in 1996, on the occasion of celebrating 100 years of
Victoria Park, the GCBPA, supported by the City, rebuilt the pedestal - without
the Emperor (he is missing to this date). Instead of the bronze Emperor atop the
pedestal, a bronze plaque on one of its side now tells the story of the
bust-less monument. Stop by and read a piece of 19th century history
and the K-W connection.
Two plaques across the entrance
to Council chambers in Kitchener�s City Hall are another contribution of the
GCBPA. The plaques were presented by members of the GCBPA at the opening of the
New City Hall and commemorate the history of the two earlier City Halls, which
are pictured as reliefs.
And most will remember the 2000
thumbprints collected here and in Berlin and then cast in bronze as a Millenium
project. Kitchener Artist Marshall Ward, who conceived the
idea, with colleagues Charles Baker and Christopher Griffin collected 1,000
prints from Berliners in Germany and 1,000 from Kitchener residents. The
bronzed thumbprints and dedication are mounted to the west of the Main entrance
to City Hall on King Street. It is said that anyone who touches the thumbprints
will connect to Kitchener�s past, present, and future.
Among the many organizer�s,
donors and supporters for this project was the GCBPA.
There is a whole lot more to
this Association, and not all visible. Meetings and events, participation at
Multi-Cultural Festival, Christkindl Market, the Bitzer Event (student
competition with valuable financial and other awards) and regular distinguished
speakers to the group from near and far.
Congratulations to 40 years of successful
contributions to K-W�s business, academia and culture and for the efforts
leading to the public record of some of the city�s unique spirit and history!
And all on a voluntary basis. As noted recently by Tony Bergmeier ��
�It is this spirit, this attitude, which helps to raise the profile of
our community. And it is also this spirit, which directed the German-Canadian
Business and Professional Association over the years�.
Home
(German)
Home (English)
|