Page 12 - News On 7 October 2021

CANADA BIDS FAREWELL TO ITS FIRST FEMALE GENERAL
On June 19, 1987, Sheila Hellstrom became the first women to achieve the rank of brigadier-general in the
Canadian Armed Forces. Family, friends, commanders and colleagues gathered in Ottawa during the week of
September 22nd to bid a final farewell to Sheila Anne Hellstrom, a Royal Canadian Air Force veteran and the first
woman to reach the rank of brigadier-general in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Hellstrom was known for her confidence, compassion and fortitude in a male-dominated profession where
women had long been relegated to secondary roles. She mentored women, opened doors for them, and oversaw
sweeping changes in the roles they would assume both inside and outside the military ranks. A native of
Lunenburg, N.S., she died last Dec. 7. She was 85.

Judy Harper, now a retired navy captain, first met Hellstrom in 1980, when Harper was a newly minted major under the combined services of
the day and Hellstrom—a lieutenant-colonel and base administration officer at the time—was on her way to a new job at National Defence
Headquarters in Ottawa. Hellstrom would become a constant throughout Harper’s career. “Whenever I saw Sheila over the years, she had a
big smile and friendly welcoming manner, giving confidence to those of us trailing behind her, reassuring us that in taking on jobs not
previously done by women, we were not going a step too far, not asking for too much,” said Harper. “We were just doing what came
naturally, and we were selected for our positions. She was our role model and mentor in many ways.” Hellstrom graduated with a science
degree in biology from Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B., where she had enrolled in the military’s Reserve Officer Training Plan. She
joined the military full-time in 1956. In those days, women’s roles were largely limited to food services, personnel administration, nursing
and other medical specialties. Women who married or got pregnant after joining were expected or required to resign.
By the time Hellstrom left 34 years later, society—and the military—had changed drastically. Women were serving in virtually every branch,
including the combat arms. By last spring, 32 had risen to general or flag officer rank, peaking at 15 serving in June 2021.
On June 28, 2021, amid a raging controversy over sexual misconduct in Canada’s military, RCAF Lieutenant-General Frances Jennifer Allen
was appointed vice-chief of the defence staff, the highest military position achieved by any Canadian woman. To read more go to:
https://legionmagazine.com/en/2021/09/canada-bids-farewell-to-its-first-female-general/

MADOC LEGION
We are looking for volunteers to assist with the "2021 Poppy Campaign". No experience required. Lots of fun. Meeting on Saturday, October
16th at 11am at the Legion. Hope to see you there. Thanking you in advance

Did you know that some Canadian
women were granted the right to vote
federally in 1917 as a way to boost
support for conscription during the
First World War?

The Wartime Elections Act was a controversial law passed on 20 September
1917. It extended the federal vote to some women – Nursing Sisters serving in
the Canadian Army Medical Corps and relatives of service members.
But it also discriminated against many immigrants and took the vote away
from thousands of people, including citizens from countries who were at war
with Canada.
Here Nursing Sisters vote in the 1917 federal election while stationed at a
Canadian hospital in France. Learn more: http://ow.ly/HvXU50FNv9A