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Page 18Senior Connector www.seniorconnector.comMay 2012Book reviewBy Marilyn BrownFor whom are you investing?The Flying Duddridges of HanleyBy Lew DuddridgeTrafford Publishing 2011Available through the TNRD library system, in bookstores, or online: www.trafford.comIn “The FlyingDuddridges of Hanley”,a young Saskatchewanfarmer leaves the hayfields of the prairiesfor the airfields ofCanada and Britainduring WWII. LewDuddridge undergoespilot training in theBritish CommonwealthAir Training Plan.He describes his lifeas a young Canadianstationed in Britainduring wartime. It is astory worth telling.Saskatchewan farmers in the 1930’s battlethe dust bowl effect (winds blowing goodtop soil off of the farmland), drought, and“tight” money in the Great Depression.During this time the threat of Hitler’sNazi Germany reaches a crisis point. AfterCanada enters the war against Germanyin September of 1939, many Canadiansvolunteer in the armed forces. (Conscriptionhappens later in the war.) Lew Duddridgeenlists in the Royal Canadian Air Force,partly to defend his country, and partly forthe adventure.Lew and his brother Len train in theBritish Commonwealth Air Trainingprogram, based in Canada; a significantcommitment by Canada to the Alliedeffort. The U.K., Australia, New Zealand,and Canada train pilots, navigators, radartechnicians, wireless operators, bomberaimers, wireless air gunners, mechanicsand flight engineers for the war effort.The exceptionally rigorous trainingincludes “book learning” as well as flighttraining. The flight training is itself verydangerous. In a small town such as Henley,Saskatchewan, the loss of life is keenly felt.Both Duddridge brothers are stationed inBritain. The author admires the steadfastnessof the British, civilian and military, andtheir ability to continue fighting underhorrendous hardship against a ruthless andwell-equipped enemy. Even though theair-raid bombings, rationing and blackoutsrestrict everyone and death walks the land,the young people enjoy life. Romancesflourish - “love the one you’re with,” is acommon philosophy. The author falls madlyin love with his future wife, Hilda, from$200 OFF1 st MONTH’S RENT• 1&2BdrmAptsfrom$650-$899/month• Spacious,Secured,Petfriendlybuildings• North&Southshoreneighbourhoods• NearTransit,Shopping&Schools• On-siteLaundry&Parking• Long-termTenants&SeniorspreferredCALL 1.877.508.9631Wales, and observes theintensity of relationshipsin wartime. Later, Hildaimmigrates to Canada as awar bride.Lew’s brother, Len, fliesa Spitfire. The power ofthe Rolls Royce enginesgives the Spitfire its 400mph speed. Combinedwith tremendousmaneuverability, this isa prestigious airplaneamongst pilots. Lew, whopilots bombers like theLancaster, flies a heavy,huge, and unwieldymachine. Len tells Lew, “Any farm boyplough jockey can learn to fly a Lancasterbomber but it takes a pilot to fly a Spitfirefighter aircraft.” Lew takes his revenge insome fancy flying years later, diving androlling with Len contained as a passenger.Lew writes about the Battle of Britain,and honours the Royal Air Force pilotsand their tenacity. He echoes WinstonChurchill’s famous words, “Never was somuch owed to so few by so many.”When the war in Europe ends on May8, 1945, peace is welcome. Nevertheless,transitioning to civilian life has itschallenges. “I had become accustomed togiving orders…being somebody.” The nextchapter is titled “Now I’m a Nobody”;fortunately, the author has a good sense ofhumour.After the war the author and his familybuild successful businesses and Lew’s love offlying is part of that success. He is justifiablyproud of his 10,000 hours of flying.In their retirement, Lew and Hilda flyfrom Vancouver Island to Guatemala usingVisual Flight Rules. It was their trip of alifetime. Their return to Canada lands themin Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, where Lew hadlanded a Lancaster forty five years before.Lew advises, “Don’t let old age hold youback. I am not waiting to die. If death wantsme, it’s got to come and get me.” He is astenacious as ever at 95 years old.1. The website of Veterans Affairs Canadastates that of the 856 BCATP participantswho were killed or seriously injured in airplanecrashes that occurred at training schools, 469were RCAF. www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/history/secondWar/bcatpYou may, on occasion,ask yourself why you areinvesting. Why go throughthe fluctuations of thefinancial markets, theworry over interest ratemovements, the fears oftoday and the uncertaintiesof tomorrow? To answerthis question, you may needto ask yourself one more:For whom am I investing?Consider the following: • You’re investing foryourself. It sounds selfish,but it’s not. You may beinvesting in your RegisteredRetirement SavingsPlan (RRSP) and otherinvestment accounts so youcan enjoy a comfortableretirement lifestyle afterworking your entireadult life. But you’re alsoinvesting so you can becomefinancially independent —free of worries that you’llbecome a burden to yourgrown children or otherfamily members. Andgiven the real possibilityof spending two, or eventhree, decades in an activeretirement, it’s imperativethat you put as much asyou can possibly afford intoinvestment vehicles thatcan help you pursue yourfinancial independence. • You’re investing for yourfamily. If you have childrenFinancial FocusSubmitted by Lili Seery of Edward Jonesor grandchildren, you maywell want to help them payfor college or university.And, as you know, postsecondaryeducation hasgotten much more expensivein recent years, so you’llneed to save and investfrom the time your childrenare very young, and you’llneed to choose the rightinvestment accounts. Butyou’ll also need to thinkabout other family members,too. Have you built upenough in your retirementaccounts so that the moneywould be sufficient tosupport your survivingspouse should anythinghappen to you? Will youhave enough financialresources to help supportyour elderly parents shouldthey require assistance? Andwill you be able to leave thetype of legacy you desire?As you can see, when you’reinvesting for your family,you’ve got a lot to consider. • You’re investing for yourbeliefs. Throughout yourworking years, you maytry to give as much moneyas you can to charitableorganizations whose workyou support. Yet you maywish you could do evenmore. And eventually, youmay be able to do more.For example, if you sell anasset that has appreciatedin value, there will be taximplications. But if youwere to give securities thathave appreciated in value toa charitable organization,you could avoid taxes on theappreciated amount, andyou may even get a currentincome tax break for yourcontribution. You might alsowant to include charitableorganizations in your estateplans, after consulting withyour attorney or other estatetax advisor.As you can see, you’ve gotsome “key constituencies”counting on you. By keepingthem in mind, you shouldhave the motivation youneed to overlook the dayto-dayups and downs ofinvesting — while youkeep your focus on yourimportant long-term goals.Canadian Investor ProtectionFund memberVernon Spring Invitational Swim MeetThe Kamloops Classic Swim Club placedsecond out of 9 teams at the Vernon SpringInvitational Swim Meet April 14 – 15. TheClassic’s had 37 swimmers compete in thecompetition while bring home 98 medalsfrom the competition.Outstanding performs for the weekendincluded:Cohen Freeze in the 10 & Under Boysage group brought home four gold medalsand one silver while qualifying for the BC“AA” Provincial Championships in Victoriathis June in the 100 (1:17.13) and 200(2:46.11) Freestyles. Riley McRae in the 11yr old Boys age group also qualified for theBC “AA” Provincials in the 100 (1:17.93)Freestyle.In the 10 & Under Girls Age group AshleyBagabuyo had three third place finishes inthe 50 & 100 Fly and 50 Free while SarahKoopmans had three second place finishedin the 50 & 100 Fly and 50 Free.In the 15 & Over Girls Heather Waterousmade a successful comeback after a backinjury last summer to have a second placefinish in the 200 Breaststroke and threethird place finishes in the 200 Free, 100Back and 200 IM. Helena Marken had 100Submitted by Lianne Milobarpercent lifetime best times in the meet whilehaving three third place finishes in the 100Fly, 50 Free and 400 Free.Logan MacLeod in the 14 & UnderBoys age group had a major breakthroughweekend winning won 5 events. The winscame in the 100 & 200 Back, 100 Free, 200IM and 50 Breaststroke. He also had onesecond place in the 400 Free and a thirdplace finish in the 200 Fly.Jamboree swimmers swam extremely well.Nine-year-old Lauren Prokopetz swamunder the 4:00 mark in the 200 IM, witha time of was 3:52.61 this placed Laurenin the gold medal finish. This feat allowsLauren to compete at the Regional AllLevel Swim Meets. Lauren also came homewith a silver medal in the 100 Breaststroke.Haley Rowden 8 yrs old, placed second in200IM. Patrick Thrower, 11 years old pickedup a second in 50 free and a third in 50 fly.Gursevak Uppal was on fire taking the goldmedal spot in the 100 breast and 100 back,a second in the 200 IM and a third in the200free for 8 and under boys. ChristopherHammond came home with two bronzeplace finishes in the 100 back and 200 free.