By Staff
October 15, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
700 tulip bulbs were planted today in Apeldoorn Park’s Dutch-Canadian Friendship Garden with the help of Trinity Christian School students, members of the Burlington Mundialization Committee and members of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 60.
The City of Burlington was given 700 tulip bulbs by the Canadian Garden Council to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands and to celebrate the culture and heritage of the two nations.
First Row Left to Right: Retired Sgt. Jim Warford, 35 Composite Company, Royal Canadian Service Corp, Second World War Veteran; Retired Flight/ Lt. Fred Davies, Distinguished Flying Cross, Pathfinder Squadron, Bomber Command Royal Canadian Air Force; Burns MacLeod, Poppy Chairman, Royal Canadian Legion – Branch 60; Jacob Mack; Naomi Wright; Alyssa Glasbergen; Ruby duPreez; Phoenix Slobodian; Second Row Left to Right: Zachary Schwarz; Natalie Behnke; Noah VanStaalduinen; Samantha DeGroot; Arnold Koopman, Chair of the Burlington Mundialization Committee; Aaron Agnew; Jacob Dykstra; Drew Tucker; Leo Peever; Maia Bosma; Christina Douma; Juliana Weinstein; Councillor Blair Lancaster, Mundialization Committee Council Liaison.
“This year is the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands,” said Mayor Rick Goldring. “No one will ever forget the sacrifices but these iconic symbols of the Netherlands and our bond will be here for all to enjoy for years to come.”
Mayor Rick Goldring, right – rear row in Holland with several city hall staff.
Goldring took part in the 70th Anniversary celebration in Holland last May.
The 700 bulbs were a portion of the 100,000 tulips distributed to Canadian communities to create Friendship Tulip Gardens in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Dutch-Canadian friendship. The 100,000 bulbs replicates the original gift given to the people of Canada as an act of appreciation for hosting the Royal Family during Princess Margriet’s birth and the role of Canadian Armed Forces in the Liberation of Holland.
The City of Burlington was among 140 Canadian communities selected by the Canadian Garden Council to receive tulips.
“I was there on April 17, 1945, the day the Canadian Armed Forces liberated Apeldoorn. I’ll never forget that day and neither will my generation,” said Arnold Koopman, Chair of the Burlington Mundialization Committee. “At the Grand Parade in Apeldoorn last May, mothers brought their children to the veterans to show them that they not only liberated its citizens in 1945, but for generations to come.”
