From the Colonel of the Regiment:
BACKGROUND: Members of our Regiment are grouped into four categories: serving members; retired members; titular members; and honorary members. An honorary member is defined in Paragraph 5, Article 120, Chapter 1 of the Regimental Manual, as follows: Honorary Patricia. From time to time, certain citizens who have displayed long-standing and unsolicited support of the Regiment may be honoured by receiving invitations to become life members of the Regiment. These members shall be referred to as Honorary Patricias. This honour will be bestowed only in exceptional circumstances and after the recommendation of the Regimental Executive Committee, the concurrence of the Regimental Guard and the approval of the Colonel of the Regiment in consultation with the Colonel in Chief. A record of honorary members will be maintained in the Regimental Manual, Annex D to Chapter 1.
GENERAL: On behalf of the Colonel of the Regiment, Brigadier General (Ret'd) Gollner, it is my distinct pleasure to announce Mr. Don Cherry's appointment as an Honorary Patricia. Formal public broadcast of this appointment will be made at a later date to be confirmed. I politely request that you disseminate the following message from the Colonel of the Regiment to your respective Patricias:
APPOINTMENT OF MR. DON CHERRY AS AN HONORARY PATRICIA:
Our soldiers have often said that Don Cherry should be a Patricia. They admire and respect Don Cherry’s unabashed pride of being a Canadian, his unstinting public support of the Canadian Forces, especially since the beginning of the Afghan campaign, and his recognition of the families of Canadian Forces members. They like his unmatched hockey knowledge too. They feel that Don Cherry shares many common values with us and as such is worthy of being a Patricia.
Earlier this year acting on our soldier’s behalf I asked our Regiment’s Commanding Officers to discreetly poll their units to see if the proposal to make Don Cherry an Honorary Patricia was widely held. Additionally, senior members of the Regiment and our Association advice were sought. Across the family the results were clear; make Don Cherry an Honorary Patricia. I asked Don and he agreed to join our Regimental family. We are all pleased and proud of having him as a member of our Regimental family and look forward to welcoming him into our family.
J.E.L. Gollner
Brigadier General (Ret'd)
Colonel of the Regiment