Dec
10
Submitted by Anne Draper
Many years ago a pale pink rose, called Maiden's Blush, of the Alba family was taken to England from Damascus during the Crusades. In 1773, it was brought to western New York by John and Mary Cameron when they emigrated from Scotland. After the American Revolution they joined the great tide of Loyalists leaving the Thirteen Colonies. They carried the cuttings of the rose with them on the 230 mile trek over the Appalachians to the Cornwall area in what is now Ontario. Two hundred years later the provenance of the Loyalist Rose was registered with the International Registration Authority for roses and donated to the United Empire Loyalists' Association.
The Victoria branch of the Loyalists obtained rootlets, and in 2007 established a rose garden in the inner harbour under the auspices of Paul Servos, then CEO of the inner harbour authority. In the summer of 2014, it was discovered that the rose bushes had been taken out of this location due to failure to thrive. An attempt was made to re-establish the garden by UELAC Victoria President, Aurelie Stirling UE, and with the support of Sheila Neapole, Harbour Authority Manager, a new and better location was found at the Belleville Street entrance to the then Coho Ferry terminal.
The signage was reproduced, and rose cuttings donated by the Alvin Huffman UE family were planted in the fall of 2014. It was hoped that the roses would be successfully transplanted in time for the national UELAC conference held in Victoria at the end of May 2015. They had over-wintered well and were thriving with a magnificent show of roses and buds.
A bronze plaque had been cast in May of 1994 by the UE branches to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada and to mark the first National Conference of the UELAC to be held in British Columbia. The plaque celebrates the fact that Loyalists have been influential in the formation of Canada and more particularly in the exploration and settlement of British Columbia. The plaque, although created over twenty years ago, had never been mounted. In an attempt to find a place where it would be open to the public view, a request was made by Aurelie Stirling UE that it be added to the rose garden and mounted on the wall adjacent. The installation was authorized and was implemented in September of 2015. An unveiling ceremony was held on October 17, 2015 where members of the branch and guests had an opportunity to celebrate the event. Thus the plaque as well as the roses had finally found a new home.
“Mission Statement: Our Mission is to preserve, promote and celebrate the history and traditions of the United Empire Loyalists. We will accomplish our Mission by:
1. Uniting in a Canadian-based association, descendants of families who remained loyal to the British crown during the American Revolutionary War, as well as persons interested in the Loyalist era and early Canadian history.
2. Supporting the collection and cataloguing of documents, books, artifacts, memorabilia and genealogical data relating to the United Empire Loyalists.
3. Facilitating and publishing research related to the United Empire Loyalists in the form of historical and family research, journals, books, newsletters, and digital media.
4. Providing Loyalist education, resource materials and encouraging resource through scholarship support.
5. Assisting in the construction and preservation of Loyalist monuments and memorials in Canada.
6. Participating in projects and activities which honour and celebrate the legacy of the United Empire Loyalists.”
This mission statement was adopted at the Annual General Meeting, May 30. 2015. Thank you to the UEL Victoria branch for their contribution to Canadian History.
Sources: http://www.uelac.org/