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W ednesdsay N ovem ber 10, 1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER A3 Inquest hears eyewitness account of tragedy (Continued from page 1) Captain (N) John A. Keenliside, Chief of Staff, Canadian Forces College, Toronto inspects Donovan Dulmage and RCSCC Oakville. HMCS Oakville remembered at comm issioning of sea cadet corps By Amber Clarke SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Oakville's past and future were officially introduced to each other with the Saturday commissioning of the #178 Royal Canadian Sea Cadets Corps (RCSCC) Oakville. The ceremony took place at St. Jude's Church 58 years after the cadet corps' name sake, HMCS Oakville, #178, was commis sioned before an audience of civilians and military personnel on Nov. 5, 1941. "For those of us getting up in years we tend to look to the past, and its up to you (sea cadets) to look to the future," said Captain (Navy) John A. Keenliside, Chief of Staff at the Canadian Forces College, Toronto, dur ing his address to the cadets and audience. To honour the warship, the newly formed sea cadet corps adopted the same number as the HMCS Oakville, #178. A WWII Flower Class Corvette, the HMCS Oakville, #178, was designed for submarine hunting and escorted convoys that made the transatlantic run during WWII. `T he Oakville wasn't a big boat, but a fast boat. Corvettes would sprint away from the convoy and do anything and everything they possibly could to save the convoys," explained Alex Moore, executive officer of #178 RCSCC Oakville. On August 28, 1942, the HMCS Oakville sunk a German U-boat and is one of only three corvettes confirmed to do so during WWII. Photos by Peter C. McCusker Dignitaries attending the commissioning of the cadet corps included: (1 to r) Gary Wintermute, President Ontario Divison, Navy Leagues of Canada; Susan Wintermute; Oakville MP Bonnie Brown; Oakville Mayor Ann Mulvale and Elaine Nielsen, President Navy League Oakville "It was one of the few corvettes to sink a Sea cadets choose to focus on one of four submarine. It's been confirmed The Oakville navy trades - gunnery (excel in dress, drill collided with the sub several times and sev and department), bosun (known as the jackeral crew members boarded the submarine," of-all-trades and pros in seamanship), sail or said Moore. music. The #178 Royal Canadian Sea Cadets One of the big attractions for youth is a Corps (RCSCC) Oakville is a mixture of 37 chance to spend a summer on the HMCS junior and senior sea cadets, age 12-19 years Ontario, a shore-bound ship dedicated to the old. Many are already experienced sea cadets training of sea cadets. who were attending other corps before #178 And sea cadets are prepared for a wide RCSCC Oakville was formed. array of career choices. They now meet and parade every "It's a great recruiting element for the Wednesday night at the Legion in downtown Canadian Forces, but cadets develop the life Oakville, and are anxiously anticipating the skills and self-discipline to do anything or be construction of their own building, set to anybody," said Moore. begin in September 2000. The HMCS Oakville was purchased by The Navy League Oakville Branch is pur the Venezuelan Navy in October 1945 and suing land from the Town of Oakville and an remained in service until 1962. In the early architectural firm is donating the plans. 1980s Harry Barrett, former mayor and cur Bronte Harbour Marina will provide slips for rent vice-president of the Oakville Historical sail and powerboats and a sponsor is raising Society, learned the HMCS Oakville was in $1 million for the building. The location a Venezuelan shipyard, explained Linda remains to be announced. Gignac, historian with the Navy League of The sea cadet movement aims to promote Oakville. citizenship, physical fitness and self-disci Since July 1999, Gignac has been in con pline in Canadian youth. To foster comrade tact with the Venezuelan ambassador in ship and pride in a common purpose, devel Ottawa and is pursing the ship's fate. She has op skills in leadership and handling and nav asked for information on its whereabouts and igating a ship, and aquatint cadets with the present condition, and put in a request for a sea element of the Canadian Forces. picture of the ship and any viable artifacts to be sent here. The corps' colours were presented by A stone memorial dedicated to the offi Captain (N) John A. Keenliside, Chief of cers and crew who served on HMCS Staff, Canadian Forces College, Toronto. Oakville is located in Tannery Park. A coroner's inquest has been convened to investigate the circumstances of the blaze, which took the life of popular Oakville teacher Lynn Fedoruk, 44, along with her children Adam, 15, and Amanda, 12, and Bonnie Letchuk, 45. Shortly after 4 a.m. on the morning of the fatal fire, Sgt. Atkinson and fellow police officer Constable John Ophoven were dispatched to 2007 Salavator Blvd. Constable Ophoven testified that when he arrived on the scene, firefighters were already out front of the home. "I basically surveyed the scene," he said. "There was no immediate sign that there was any fire inside." Constable Ophoven said he quickly walked down the west side of the house, where he discovered the source of the fire. "As I proceeded up past the garage, I heard a pop of glass breaking," he testified. "My next step, I saw the northwest comer of the house in flames." After discovering a "significant fire" in the family room at the back comer of the home, Constable Ophoven told the inquest he ran back to the front of the house to alert firefight ers to the location of the blaze. The police officer also testified that he scanned the upper floor windows of the two-storey home with his flashlight, shouting, "Is anybody there?" "I do believe I heard a faint female voice," he said, admit ting he couldn't make out any distinct words. "I was trying to confirm whether I heard that voice, so I continued to yell up at the windows." Constable Ophoven told the jury he believes he heard the voice a second time, and shouted to warn firefighters that someone might be trapped upstairs in the master bedroom. At that point, he returned to the street to control bystanders and traffic, he said. About 4:20 a.m., firefighters pulled the first victim from the home. The other three were brought out over the next eight minutes or so, the inquest heard. Resuscitation efforts were started immediately, but all four died at the hospital from smoke inhalation. When asked whether he had any doubt whether firefight ers did the best possible job fighting the fire and rescuing peo ple inside the home, Constable Ophoven said he couldn't offer an opinion on firefighting procedures. "I can tell you that 10 minutes seemed like a long time," he said. Oakville firefighter Captain Randy Flegel told the inquest that when the two police officers arrived on the scene, he and his three member fire crew were unreeling fire hoses from the truck. Although not specifically informed by his dispatcher that a 911 call had been placed from the inside of the home, Captain Flegel said he assumed there were people inside given the location and time of day. However, Captain Flegel added, the blaze in the family room had reached a critical stage and had to be dealt with before firefighters could safely enter the home to initiate a rescue operation. "I suspect we have people inside, but if we can't get in safely, we can't get there," he said. "Are you satisfied, as you sit here today, that you and your crew did everything possible to get those people out, given the situation?' asked Doug Carr, assistant town solicitor appearing at the inquest on behalf of the Oakville fire depart ment. "Yes," replied Captain Flegel. He added that after hearing the upstairs smoke alarm the four people in the home likely had two minutes or less to escape from the house before it began to fill with choking smoke and toxic gases. On the first day of the inquest, jurors heard that the home had three smoke detectors installed, but only an upper level one was operating. The fire was deemed to be accidental by the Ontario Fire Marshal's office, and was either caused by careless smoking or a halogen lamp igniting a chesterfield. The inquest is scheduled to continue on Wednesday and Friday of this week. It is being held at the Oakville Quality Inn on Bronte Road. Heart attack likely cause of death after motorist loses control of car A 79-year-old Oakville man died after apparently suffer ing a heart attack while driving on Rebecca Street,Monday afternoon. Halton Regional Police report that John Ingle was driving a Dodge Colt west on Rebecca Street, just east of Kerr Street, at 3:35 p.m. when he suffered an apparent heart attack. The car then struck a pickup truck parked in the driveway on the south side of the street. Ingle was taken by ambulance to the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital where he died shortly afterwards. A police investigation continues. 'jP /w A si/t' o P ^ /tA s i& tm c K y ^ T h e O a k v ille G reat Gifts, G reat Prices! 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