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New Legacy Cairn celebrates contributions of HMCS Venture (1954-1968) graduates

Members of the Venture(1954-1968) Legacy Committee and senior guests, following the official unveiling of the cairn. From left, Dick Duffield (Venture Class of ‘62); Roger Chiasson (‘62); Lt(N) Jeff Campbell, Commanding Officer of the Stadacona Band; Matt Durnford (‘65); Captain(N) Beth Vallis, MARLANT Chief of Staff; RAdm Josée Kurtz, Commander MARLANT and JTFA; Col David Holmes, 12 Wing Shearwater Commander; CWO Kevin Wezenbeek, 12 Wing Chief Warrant Officer; Captain(N) Annick Fortin, Base Commander CFB Halifax; Don Uhrich (‘57); and John Cody (‘64). Don Uhrich is holding a picture of Bob Lancashire (‘56). Lancashire was a member of the Legacy Committee who sadly passed away on August 4.
CPL MORGAN LEBLANC

New Legacy Cairn celebrates contributions of HMCS Venture (1954-1968) graduates 

By Trident Staff 

A cairn recently erected at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Halifax recognizes the service and contributions from a group of naval officers who received their training in the 1950s and 60s and contributed greatly to Canada’s Navy in the following years. 

A dedication ceremony was held on September 14 to officially unveil the new HMCS Venture Legacy Cairn in the yard just outside the Naval Museum of Halifax and CFB Halifax Headquarters. Former students, known as “Ventures” travelled from across Canada to mark the occasion. It came just two days after the 70th anniversary of Venture students stepping foot onto the school’s parade square for the first time. 

HMCS Venture was a Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) junior officer training establishment in operation from 1954-1968 at the Esquimalt Dockyard. The RCN’s original “Venture Plan” was established to help with difficulty in generating enough trained officers – this evolved into the Short Service Officer Plan (SSOP) and then the Officer Cadet Training Plan (OCTP). Through its 14 years, HMCS Venture produced more than 500 RCN officers, many of whom would reach senior ranks and form an important component of the Navy’s officer corps for decades. 

Matt Durnford (Venture Class of ‘65), a member of the Venture Legacy Committee and the first to propose the Venture Legacy Project, gave the day’s introductory remarks. He explained that the Legacy Cairn came as a result of Venture Association members considering how best to recognize the contributions of its alumni to Canada’s naval and maritime aviation history. 

The large group of HMCS Venture (1954-1968) graduates who attended the dedication ceremony for the new cairn on September 14 outside the Naval Museum of Halifax.
CPL MORGAN LEBLANC

“At this juncture in the history of Venture, with our aging and diminishing membership, it was time to think of our legacy to the Navy, Air Force and to Canada,” he said. 

“The cairn celebrates and recognizes hundreds of 17-20 year-olds who first met and donned the naval uniform at HMCS Venture, who served Canada and the Navy with distinction.” 

Others who spoke at the ceremony included John Cody (Venture Class of ‘64) and Rear-Admiral Josée Kurtz, Commander Maritime Forces Atlantic and Joint Task Force Atlantic. 

After HMCS Venture ceased operations in 1968, the name remained in use. The Naval Officer Training Centre (NOTC) Venture was established in 1976, and though it was absorbed into Naval Fleet School (Pacific) in 2016, the name was revived in 2022, and HMCS Venture is once again a key part of the RCN’s training program for Naval Warfare and Naval Technical Officers. 

For more on the dedication ceremony and the HMCS Venture (1954-1968) Association, look out for Richard Duffield’s article in the upcoming Fall 2024 edition of Soundings Magazine from the Naval Association of Canada.