BY GEORGE SIPOS
For Salt Spring Forum
Fans of Salt Spring’s local history may well recall that Ganges Harbour was named after HMS Ganges, a British warship under the command of Captain John Fulford. This was in 1859, exactly 165 years ago.
The choice of name was the handiwork of one Sir George Henry Richards, hydrographer to the Royal Navy, who was much given to scattering European names around the Salish Sea. He blessed the mainland with such names as Mount Garibaldi, False Creek, and Coal Harbour. On Salt Spring we have Fulford Harbour and Baynes Peak, the prominent outcrop of Mount Maxwell.
The Baynes in question was Rear-Admiral Robert Baynes, commander of the British naval presence on our coast at the time.
These days, many of us might see Richards’ penchant for Imperial christenings as a somewhat myopic aspect of colonial activity. But that was then, and Imperialism was the business of navies.
But now, 165 years later, our understanding of the nature of navies, and of the Canadian military as a whole, has changed considerably.
So the Salt Spring Forum has invited a modern-day Rear-Admiral, Christopher Robinson, Commander of Maritime Forces Pacific, for a conversation about what exactly the role of the military is in the times we live in and in the place we inhabit.
Rear-Admiral Robinson was formerly Commander Canadian Fleet Atlantic, Director General of Naval Force Development, and a submariner for many years. He is now the most senior military officer in Western Canada. In short, we couldn’t have a better person to discuss the broad evolving mission and societal role of our military.
These days, that role more and more involves not only the expected preparedness for conflict but also readiness for maritime rescue, Arctic patrol, response to natural and human disasters, and an extensive range of activities vital to our lives at times of need.
Rear-Admiral Robinson’s visit happens at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13 at ArtSpring. As with all Forum events, the focus of the evening will be a conversation guided by questions from the audience, thus a rare opportunity for those of us outside the ranks of the military to speak with one of its top commanders in order to understand the role of the armed forces better.
Tickets are available through the ArtSpring website or box office (250-537-2102).