The Friends of the Base Borden Military Museum is a registered charity that supports the efforts to preserve and protect the legacy that is CFB Borden. Occasionally, it takes on special projects, focused on a particular area of history or a special milestone connected to the history of CFB Borden.
Special Projects
CURRENT PROJECT:
The Tank
The Flakpanzer Restoration project is led by a dedicated group of volunteers, that are restoring a 70 year old German antiaircraft tank from the Second World War; the Flakpanzer. The team includes people of diverse backgrounds with a similar interest in military and history. We are passionate about restoring parts of our history that remind us how our brave soldiers fought against technologically advanced machines like the Flakpanzer.
Future Special Projects
NEED
The 100th Anniversary of the RCAF
The motto of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Sic Itur Ad Astra – Such is the pathway (this is the way) to the stars, inspired the concept for the monument to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the RCAF.
The design, a pathway, a tall vertical shape moving 21’ upwards into the sky. The monument is also tilted backward toward the sky to give a sense of upward thrust. The addition of illuminated circles representing stars accentuates the pathway, as we observe stars as circles in the night sky. The circles are illuminated by the interior of the monument filled with LED lights.
The back of the monument is curved like the fuselage of a plane, which references the shape of both historic and modern airplanes. This shape gives great structural strength to the monument.
The monument is constructed of high-grade aluminum with a spectacular blue painted surface. The selected blue colour combines the blue of the Air Force uniforms and the blue of the sky.
The pathway sits atop a solid granite base into which is carved the RCAF motto, Sic Itur As Astra.
Bringing a Vision to Life
This all began with a meeting between Honorary Colonel Van Kessel, MacKinnon, and Hay to identify a way in which we could commemorate the 100th anniversary of the RCAF. We discussed many different ideas ranging from static displays, renovations to existing structures and monuments. The core idea became the concept of a landmark beacon emanating from the birthplace of the RCAF here at Canadian Forces Base Borden shining to the skies symbolizing the “Pathway to the Stars”.
Our next step was to engage Marlene Hilton Moore – the same local artist that designed the Borden Legacy Park and Vimy Memorial Marlene’s concept of illustrating a beacon symbolizing Ad Astra “the Pathway to the Stars” is what we unveiled today.
