The Quadra Education Foundation (QEF) is pleased to announce our fall campaign to establish a scholarship in memory of LCdr Gordon Brown, CD, who served as Director of Music for the Quadra School of Music (QSM) from 1988 to 1993, completing a career spanning more than 40 years in the Royal Canadian Navy (Regular Force and Reserves). To learn more about Gordie Brown, please see his biography below.
The new scholarship will be awarded annually to cadets, officers, or alumni of the Quadra School of Music who demonstrate excellence and an ongoing commitment to music education. To make this possible, we need your support. If you give by November 30, your donation will count towards #GivingTuesday, a global effort to raise funds and awareness of charitable causes. Visit our Ways to Give page to make your donation to this award, or to our many other scholarships. Over the coming weeks, we encourage you to share your stories, and memories, of Gordie Brown, or your own QSM stories. Be sure to add #HMCSQUADRA and #GivingTuesday in your posts. Many thanks to the QSM Senior Band Alumni Group of 1991 for coming forward with this idea to honour a great musician, leader, and mentor for so many both at QUADRA and in the Canadian Armed Forces. BIOGRAPHY LCdr Gordie Brown, CD, joined the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in 1950. After basic training, he was assigned to the Canadian Forces Band Naden in Esquimalt, BC. As a clarinet player, he rose through the ranks achieving his qualification levels. By the late 1950’s, early 1960’s he had become the principal Drum Major and held this prestigious position as a Petty Officer First Class until 1975. During this point in his career, his leadership abilities rose to the forefront. In 1976, he attended the Canadian Forces School of Music (CFSMUS) in Esquimalt, BC to take the QL 7 Conducting Course. Upon completion after a year, he was posted out of Victoria to another Regular Force Band. Not wanting to leave the area, he chose to release from the Regular Force. Cdr Tom Milner, then the Supervisor of Music and Commandant of the School of Music, decided to offer Gordie Brown the position of Reserve Training Co-ordinator and commission him to the rank of Lieutenant (Navy) in 1976. He held this position until the School moved to CFB Borden in 1986. Lt(N) Brown was able to promote the Reserve Music training program by hiring very competent staff. Reserve musicians came from across Canada to attend this school which operated side by side with the Regular Force student musician program. Lt(N) Brown was approached by HMCS QUADRA Cadet Training Centre in Comox, BC in 1988 to become the Director of Music of the large band program being offered during the summers. He was promoted to Lieutenant-Commander and held this rank until he retired. He completely revamped the program in a similar manner to the Reserve musician program by hiring experienced instructors and staff cadets. Again, his leadership and organizational skills were crucial to the success of the Quadra School of Music (QSM). LCdr Brown retired from QUADRA in 1993. He was able to visit the camp during the summer of 1994 to be presented with the third clasp for his Canadian Decoration (CD). This is a special honour meaning that you have served with distinction for 42 years. Shortly after this presentation, he died on August 3, 1994. A group of Sea Cadet musicians played with honour at his funeral in Victoria, BC. LCdr Gordie Brown influenced many military and cadet musicians throughout his career as both a Regular Force musician, a Reservist and as a Sea Cadet Director of Music.
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The Quadra Education Foundation (QEF) is pleased to be supporting 11 students in 2021, including current sea cadets, officers, and alumni who have served in HMCS QUADRA Cadet Training Centre.
The following are the 2021 QEF Scholarship Recipients with their current or former Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps (RCSCC) or unit, community, degree program, and post-secondary institution. Note some recipients are former cadets: Naval Association of Canada Scholarship:
Canadian Merchant Service Guild Scholarship:
Seaspan International Scholarship:
Rotary Club of Comox Scholarship:
Rotary Club of Cumberland Centennial Scholarship:
Long & McQuade Cadet Musician Scholarship:
Mark Draibye Memorial Scholarship:
Keith Hunter Memorial Scholarship:
Richard McLaren Memorial Scholarship:
Cynthia Lawless Memorial Scholarship
Keith Kohanzo Scholarship:
The QEF is able to support all of these deserving candidates thanks to the kind generosity of donors, alumni, and volunteers who donate their time, treasure and talent to achieve the Foundation’s mission. We thank them for their continuing support. The Quadra Education Foundation is pleased to launch a new scholarship in memory of Commander Mark Draibye (1930 - 2014), who served as Commanding Officer of HMCS QUADRA from 1992 to 1995, following four decades of service with the Royal Canadian Navy. He also served as CO of RCSCC BEACON HILL in Langford, BC.
This scholarship will be awarded annually with preference given to a serving HMCS QUADRA staff officer in the most recent summer training year. For this year, any officer or civilian instructor who served at QUADRA in a previous summer and who is employed as a staff officer or civilian instructor in 2021 will be eligible for this award. To make this possible, we need your support. Your donation will go directly to help an officer or civilian instructor pursuing post-secondary education this year. To give to the Draibye Scholarship, or any QEF scholarship, please visit our Ways to Give page. Help us honour a great officer and mentor, and support the next generation of leaders! On behalf of the Quadra Education Foundation, we wish everyone a Merry Christmas, happy holidays and all the best for 2021.
If you want to give the gift of education to HMCS QUADRA cadets, officers and alumni, please visit our Ways to Give page to make a donation. Tax receipts for 2020 will be issued for donations made on or before December 31. Photo by Glen Halverson. The Directors of the Quadra Education Foundation are extremely pleased to welcome the Honourable Janet Austin, OBC, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia as Honorary Patron.
Her Honour is honorary patron of many worthy endeavours, including community, military and cultural associations, public service organizations and in select circumstances and events. This honorary patronage highlights the success that the Quadra Education Foundation has achieved to date and encourages its goal to provide even more and larger scholarships for the cadets and alumni of HMCS QUADRA. Learn more about Her Honour here and follow her on social media @LGJanetAustin. Welcome aboard, Your Honour! The Quadra Education Foundation (QEF) is pleased to be supporting 20 students this year, including current sea and air cadets, alumni and children of alumni who have served in HMCS QUADRA Cadet Training Centre. This is the largest number of scholarships the Foundation has ever awarded.
Since it was established in 2016, the QEF has awarded 56 scholarships with a total value of more than $50,000, made possible by generous donors including organizations, corporations, individuals and alumni of HMCS QUADRA. The QEF also provided additional scholarships this year in recognition of the extraordinary circumstances faced by many pursuing post-secondary education. The recipients were officially announced at an online ceremony on August 17, 2020, in place of an in-person presentation at HMCS QUADRA due to the suspension of training and operations as result of the COVID-19 pandemic. They were joined by donors, representatives of sponsoring organizations and members of the QEF board of directors. The following are the 2020 QEF Scholarship Recipients listed with their cadet rank, sea cadet corps or air cadet squadron, community, degree program and post-secondary institution. *Note some recipients are former cadets or children of alumni: Canadian Merchant Service Guild Scholarship:
Naval Association of Canada Scholarship:
Royal Canadian Legion (Powell River Branch) Scholarship:
Long & McQuade Cadet Musician Scholarship:
Rotary Club of Cumberland Centennial Scholarships:
Seaspan International Scholarship:
Quadra Alumni Association Scholarship:
Keith Hunter Memorial Scholarships:
Keith Kohanzo Scholarship:
Cynthia Lawless Memorial Scholarship:
Richard McLaren Memorial Scholarship:
Heather and Frank May Scholarship:
Quadra Education Foundation Special Scholarships:
The QEF is able to support all of these deserving candidates this year thanks to the kind generosity of donors, alumni and volunteers who donate their time, treasure and talent to achieve the Foundation’s mission. We thank them for their continuing support. The Quadra Education Foundation is pleased to announce that the family of QEF Board Director Dan McLaren will be making a $1,000 scholarship available this year to a worthy cadet of HMCS QUADRA. The award will be named the Richard McLaren Memorial Scholarship.
Able Seaman Richard (“Dick”) McLaren was born in Owen Sound, Ontario, in 1895. He, along with his brother, Walter joined the Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve in 1914. He is believed to be one of the first 100 sailors enrolled in Canada’s infant navy. He was a Gunner. AB McLaren served aboard HMCS SHEARWATER, HMCS NIOBE, and HMCS RAINBOW. After World War One, he moved to British Columbia and remained working near the ocean in various capacities including Diver’s Tender, Second Mate on the North Vancouver Ferries and Supervisor at Rocky Point. He married and had six children. His son, Dick McLaren was a Petty Officer in RCSCC RAINBOW and attended HMCS QUADRA in the 1950s, in one of the very first cadet intakes. His grandson, Dan McLaren attended HMCS QUADRA in the early 1980s. His great-grandson, Sam McLaren, was baptized aboard HMCS QUADRA in 1999. The QEF thanks the McLaren family for their generosity in carrying on a proud tradition by supporting the next generation of leaders. Happy #ThankYouThursday! The Quadra Education Foundation is pleased to announce the results of our #GivingTuesdayNow campaign. Thanks to the support of many HMCS QUADRA ALUMNI and the family of Chief Petty Officer Keith Hunter, we have raised more than $7,200 to support eligible HMCS QUADRA staff cadets pursuing post-secondary #education. We are #grateful to everyone who helped to make this happen. Your generosity will make it possible to support more candidates through the Chief Hunter Scholarship! The Hunter family is deeply touched by this honour — they have kindly shared these photos of Keith from his early days in the Royal Canadian Navy and his retirement. If you are still interested in giving, there’s still time. Please visit our Donations page for details on how to make a one-time gift or consider a monthly donation: www.quadraeducationfoundation.com. Please also visit our Applications page updated information on how to apply for a #QEF scholarship in 2020, so please pass the word along to eligible cadets, officers and children of alumni. Thank you again for showing the #QUADRA spirit! #QEF #HMCSQUADRA #seacadets #aircadets #armycadets #giveback #weareinthistogether With the cancellation of training at HMCS QUADRA this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff cadets and officers pursuing post-secondary education are losing a critical source of income to fund their studies.
Despite this understandable, but disappointing news, The Quadra Education Foundation (QEF) will be moving ahead with awarding scholarships this summer to eligible cadets, officers and children of alumni. Please visit our Applications page for information on how to apply, including updates on changes to our policies as a result of the pandemic. Any questions may be directed to quadraeducationfoundation@gmail.com. In the meantime, stay healthy, stay safe. QEF Launches New Keith Hunter Scholarship to Support Staff Cadets, Joins #GivingTuesdayNow Campaign26/4/2020 The Quadra Education Foundation (QEF) is pleased to launch a new scholarship this year to support more staff cadets. It is named in memory of Chief Petty Officer First Class Keith Hunter (1933 - 2019) who served as Staff Cadet Training Officer at HMCS QUADRA from 1989 to 1995, following a 38-year career in the Royal Canadian Navy.
This scholarship will be awarded annually with preference given to a serving HMCS QUADRA staff cadet in the most recent summer training year. For this year, any cadet who served at QUADRA in a previous summer and who was selected to return as a staff cadet in 2020 will be eligible for this award. To make the Hunter Scholarship possible, we need your help. We are asking all HMCS QUADRA alumni and supporters to make a donation of any amount. Your gift will not only go directly to help a cadet in need, it will be matched through the generosity of an anonymous donor up to a certain amount. If you give to the QEF between now and May 5, your donation will be counted towards #GivingTuesdayNow, a global effort to raise funds and awareness of charities, such as the QEF, during the pandemic crisis. To donate, please visit our Donations page. We also encourage you to share your story of giving back to QUADRA — whether on social media by using the hashtags #GivingTuesdayNow #HMCSQUADRA in your posts. Please give generously, please give what you can. Help support the next generation of leaders especially during this challenging time. In the meantime, stay healthy, stay safe. |