Ashbury College - Ashburian Yearbook (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

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26 THE ASHBURIAN The frothing wake of the ship curled through the blue water like a writhing white snake, all the way to the horizon, hazy in the distance. I leaned over the rail and saw the water slipping swiftly by the ship's sides. like dark green marble mottled with flecks of white foam. Be- hind is Canada, ahead is England. We docked at Liverpool at 10.30 p.m. The next morning, after the excited confusion of identifying our luggage in the noisy custom's shed, we met the rest of our group. A bus was waiting for us and we set off to XYorcester via the lovely old town of Chester, with its gabled and half-timbered Tudor houses and its Roman wall. In Worcester, we stayed in private homes, and this unique feature of the C. Y. M. was followed in all the other cities we visited. Personally, I found this feature one of the most rewarding aspects of the trip, because it gave me the opportunity of meeting families which, as a tourist, I would never have met. King john is buried in Vllorcester Cathedral, and we visited his tomb. lYhen he died, he ordered that he be buried between the two saints whose bones lie beneath the floor of the Cathedral. In this way, he hoped to slip into heaven between the two saints when St. Peter wasn't looking. London was next on our itinerary. Our bus sped along the M. 1, and London was waiting for us that night with all its lights ablaze. During our week here, few of the famous and historic landmarks es- caped our scrutiny. The Tower of London, St. Paul's, the Houses of Parliament, and the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace were all carefully inspected. The day we took the boat train for Paris, the sun was shining, and the cliffs of Dover sparkled white as we crossed the Channel. The City of Light was, for me, the high point of the trip. Like all the tourists who come to Paris, I rode to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and stood spellbound before the breathtaking panorama of the most beauti- ful city in the world, spread out at my feet. The Seine glided white and blue under its bridges, and there, on an island of green, were the twin, square-topped towers of Notre Dame. To the left of the river the Arc de Triomphe, looking like the hub of a wheel which had as spokes, broad tree-lined boulevards. And off in the distance, on a hill behind Montmartre, stood Sacre Coeur, white like a jewel in the sun- light. Our four days in Paris were all to short. From Paris to Brussels, where I stayed at the home of the Belgian boy on our trip. The two things I remember best are the Grand Place de Brusselles, with its medieval Guild Halls, and the famous statue of the little boy. After four days in Brussels, we spent three days in Ypres, the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the First lYorld VVar. llere, in St. Georges .Nlemorial Chapel, the Quest held its annual vigil. From Ypres, we drove through the picturesque Belgian country- side to Ostend. crossed the Channel, and headed for Scotland. Our

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THE ASHBURIAN 29 COMMONWEALTH YOUTH MOVEMENT A deafening blast from the steam whistle resounded in my ears. Far below, in the bowels of the ship, the massive engines grumbled into motion. XVith a mounting sense of excitement I realized our de- parture was imminent. The passengers, trying vainly not to betray their excitement, crammed the dockside rail three deep, and waved frantically to friends on the quay. Out of nowhere streamers appeared, and soon a jungle-like tangle, red, blue, yellow, every colour of the rainbow, festooned the ship's side. Two squat, snub-nosed tugs churned and butted the huge ship into the swift-running channel. Friends on the quay grew smaller and smaller, and faded into an in- distinct line of waving hands. Our holiday had started. However, I was not sailing for a standard guide book tour of Europe. I was fortunate enough to be selected a member of the Can- adian contingent of the Commonwealth Youth Movement Quest of 1961. The C. Y. XI. is dedicated to the ideals of peace, brotherhood, and understanding. Through its annual Quest, students from the far- Hung lands of the Commonwealth are brought together for a summer, and by sharing the common experience of seeing Europe together, they forge a bond of brotherhood and understanding. Last summer I lived with boys and girls whose skin was not the same colour as mine, whose religions were unknown to me, whose homes were foreign to me. I came to know, understand, and respect the hopes and ideals of people so different from me. I returned home with many of my preconceived ideas and prejudices washed from my mind. Our group hailed from fourteen Commonwealth and two non- Commonwealth countries: Aden, Basutoland, Bechuanaland, Belgium, Canada, the Falkland Islands, Fiji, Germany, Gibralter, India, Klalaya, Mauritius, Northern Rhodesia. Swaziland, the United Kingdom. and Pakistan. The Canadian contingent had gathered in Ottawa on july -Ifth. VVe were entertained at a reception at Government House, and it was a real pleasure to have the opportunity of meeting so gracious a couple as Governor-General Vanier and his wife. XYe also spent a very con- vivial afternoon with Sir Saville and Lady Garner at the British High Commissioners residence, Earnseliffe. TYhile touring the Parliament Buildings, we were introduced to Prime Minister Diefenbaker, Canada certainly accorded us a tremendous send-off to a memorable summer! We sailed on july 6th from Montreal, aboard the Empress of Canada . I had no idea of the incredible vastness of the St. Lawrence River until we sailed down it for two days. On the third morning. I awoke at sea. Nhat an exhilarating sensation it is to stand at the stern of the ship on the gently rolling deck and breathe the salty ocean air?

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THE ASHBURI.-IN 1 final two weeks were spent in private homes throughout Scotland. I shall never forget the magnificent hospitality of the people who made our visit so enjoyable. In Dundee, Inverness, Edinburgh, and on a ggantic sheep farm in Galloway, I was entertained royally. The last night of our trip. we saw the Tatoo in Edinburgh Castle. The next day, with the skirl of the bagpipes in our ears. we sailed for home. I. Ifwixo - KVI DEBATING A renewed interest in debating this year resulted in a record twenty-two debates for the team, of which 1+ were won, and 8 lost. It is interesting to note that the Debating Team had more fixtures than any other school team, a fact which by itself points to a Renaissance in what debators call The Superior Sport . The season opened in October, when Steven and Haslam journeyed to Perth and argued the negative of the topic, Resolved: That the VVest should abandon Berlin . Ashbury won by the score of H5-72. For the first time, Ashbury sent four debators. Haslam. Ewing. Greenstone and Lash, to the NIcGill High School Debating Tourna- ment, from which we emerged a creditable fifth, with tive wins and three losses. Haslam was third out of ninety-six debators in the in- dividual rankings. U Greenstone and Lash defeated Perth, this time at Ashbury, as a warm-up for the International Speech Festival. At the Festival, held in Toronto, stiff competition and hard luck rent us asunder, and we returned home with only one win to show for six starts. In the English Schools Debating Tournament at Ottawa University. however, it was a different story. The team, this time consisting of Haslam, Ewing, Steven and Menzies, emerged in fourth place with four wins and no losses. The final Hxtures of the year were part of the Independent Schools Debating Tournament, contested annually between L.C.C., B.C.S., Stanstead and Ashbury. Haslam and Ewing narrowly defeated L.C.C., and the team, this time consisting of Haslam and Menzies, journeyed to L.C.C. to take on Stanstead College. After an exciting debate. we emerged the happy victors. This year's team, the most successful on record, wishes to thank the person who made it all possible, Xlr. I. H. Spencer.