CALLING ALL EX-TITANS

Here we go again - a chance to relive those glory days of yore with the second annual Titans Alumni Rugby Game and BBQ. It will be taking place on Thursday, May 1st in the Vic High Memorial Stadium. All alumni are welcome to attend, but we are especially interested in having ex-Titans come back to play against, and cheer on, a young team that has the potential to place very well at the Provincials this year.

The afternoon will consist of an alumni touch game of two 10 minute halves between ex-Titans and current players. Guest players will be provided with jerseys and shorts and a complimentary hamburger and drink. This game will be followed immediately by the Titan's regular season game. There will be a raffle draw throughout the afternoon for great prizes as well as some fun games for students and alumni alike. After the game, everyone is welcome to come to the Roper Gym to browse through old yearbooks and photos, mingle with old friends and make some new ones. Refreshments will be provided. Events are scheduled to start up at 3:20 pm with the opening kick off of the alumni game followed by a 4:00 pm kick off for the Titans.

This will be the last regular season game for the 2008 Titans and it is certain to be a good one. At last year's alumni game, Vic High lost a nail bitter by 4 to league-leading Reynolds and then placed third in the city after loosing to Esquimalt 7-5 in the semifinals. (Esquimalt went on to place 8th at the Provincials).

This year’s Titans are led by a strong core of returning players who have gained size, speed and strength over the summer and a group of newcomers filled with potential and desire. Coaches Matt Staples and Clayton Daum are extremely pleased with the team and have set their goals high aiming for a spot in the top 10 at the Provincials.

Please check the school website for updates on this event and for a copy of the schedule and results of the Titan's season. Anyone interested in playing in the Alumni ,r if you have any questions, please feel free to contact Clayton Daum through the school at 388-5456 or via email at cdaumen@yahoo.com

Hope to see you there!

WHO WERE THE SECRET SIXTY?

A commonly used checklist for historians is: WHO? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN? and WHY? Often the WHY? offers up the most interesting, and challenging, opportunities for telling history’s stories. But, the Fairey Tech History Project is proving to be most challenging when it comes to the WHO?

A case in point is the February 1942 secret visit of the R.M.S. Queen Elizabeth passenger liner to Victoria. The pride of the Cunard Line was scheduled for a major refit at the Esquimalt Graving Dock. Because of the possible threat from enemy saboteurs the 85,000-ton liner was dubbed the S.S. Fall and the Navy imposed strict security. Even though the vessel was clearly visible on its approach to Esquimalt Harbour for the 12 days of the refit and over 2,000 men worked on the vessel, no newspaper or radio broadcast made any mention of the frenzied activity to convert the Queen to a 15,000-person troop carrier. But the activity was soon general knowledge, particularly among Tom Quayle's students from the Vic High metalworking shops. Manpower was in short supply and 'the powers that be' requested the services of: “...60 specifically picked high school boys...”, to clean the Queen's boilers. At the appointed hour, under guidance from Tom and four lead hands, the boys were taken to the engine room and spent the day cleaning the accumulated coal soot from the boilers and other vital surfaces.		Photo supplied courtesy of Public Works Canada
After completing the assignment the boys were returned to the school and allowed to go home to clean up after a dirty, but necessary, job. The Queen was then on her way to spend the balance of WW II transporting troops from North America to Europe.

So, that pretty much answers the What Where When and Why. But, who were the secret sixty Vic High boys who completed this vital work on the Queen Elizabeth? Could they have included your grandfather, or an uncle and family friend? We would love to know...

Contact Ken Roueche
Vic High Archives
www.faireytech.ca
384-7606