The Lorne Scots Regimental Association Newsletter January 2026
- Capt (Ret'd) Stewart Sherriff, CD
- Jan 11
- 7 min read
Welcome Home!
December had a very happy start for the Regimental Family. Corporals Cook, Denisi and McCowan arrived back in Toronto on 2 December after a six-month operational deployment with the Canadian-led NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia on OP REASSURANCE.
The operation is currently the Canadian Forces' largest overseas mission, with over 2,000 personnel deployed. Air, sea and land elements work with other NATO members to enhance collective defence and deterrence measures in Eastern and Central Europe.
The CAF did manage to take some of the joy out of the return home by flying them to Ottawa and then busing them to Dennison Armoury, rather than flying direct to Toronto. They did, at least, get a highway coach for the last leg of the trip. Regardless, the three Corporals are now home and enjoying the holiday season with family and friends.
A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to those who have returned and especially to those who are still overseas on deployment through the holiday season.
A Belated Happy Birthday Celebration
From Honorary Colonel Gary Love
On December 2, the Lorne Scots participated in a 90th birthday celebration for our Colonel-in-Chief, His Royal Highness, Prince Edward, The Duke of Kent at the Tower of London, the Headquarters of our allied regiment, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
Attending from the Regiment were Lieutenant-Colonel MacInnis, Honorary Colonel Love, Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel Duthie, and from the Pipes and Drums; Pipe Major Federico, Master Corporal Cramer, Master Corporal Haigh, and Private Kelly.
The event began with our Pipes and Drums taking the spotlight by marching the Duke of Kent’s car into the Tower courtyard to the sound of the Campbell’s Are Coming.
Upon the Duke’s arrival, a reception was held in the Fusiliers’ historic headquarters that gave each of His Royal Highness’s regiments, The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, The Scots Guards, The Rifles, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and the Lorne Scots, a chance to sit with him and convey the latest news on what the regiment is doing. Needless to say, our Colonel-in-Chief was eager to hear and asked many questions. During the reception, a string quartet from the RAF Association entertained the 90 or so military guests who were gathered.
The reception was followed by a special musical performance that included contributions from each of the five regiments.
Despite originally having no other role than escorting His Royal Highness into the Tower, the Pipe Major was able to confirm that our Pipers and Drummers knew all the scheduled music and they were able to integrate seamlessly into the performance. Master Corporal Cramer was also drafted into the Highland Dancing segment and gave an outstanding performance along with three of the pipers.
The finale was a set by the massed Pipes and Drums.
At the conclusion of the event, our Pipes and Drums again escorted the Duke’s car out of the Tower with our Regimental march ringing throughout the Tower.
We received many compliments on the excellent musicianship of our pipers and drummers. We should all be very proud of how well they represented the Regiment. His Royal Highness and family conveyed their gratitude that we were able to attend the event, and our Allied Regiment were happy to again see the Primrose Hackle worn with pride.
Well-deserved recognition
On December 11th, Major (Ret'd) Paul Hale received an early Christmas present from Her Excellency The Governor General – The Meritorious Service Medal (Civil).
The medal was awarded for his work in fostering mental health and well-being among members of the Canadian Forces. His citation reads,
“Paul Hale is an outstanding leader of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Association (PPCLI). He spearheaded the association’s efforts to foster mental well-being and suicide prevention among members of the Canadian Armed Forces. As a result, a network of responders specializing in mental health first aid has been established throughout the military community.”
Paul has continued to work expanding the awareness and availability of mental health and wellbeing training to the Reserves after stepping down as Chair of the PPCLI Association. He organized and helped conduct a series of workshops at the Regiment in 2024 and 2025 and hopes to expand this to the brigade level in the future.
Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition Paul.
More Recognition
Two outstanding cadets from 2990 Cadet Corps received the Army Cadet League Medal of Merit at the December CO’s parade.
The Army Cadet League of Canada Medal of Merit was created in 2025 to recognize outstanding Cadets across the country who represent the values of the Cadet program through attendance and participation in Army Cadet training, community service and good citizenship, promotion of healthy living and mental and physical well-being, a thorough grasp of Army Cadet training and skills, leadership, dress and deportment and communication.
The Medal is awarded at four levels.
The first is the Medal with the Roger bar. There is one award for every 250 cadets in a province. To be nominated, a Cadet must be a minimum rank of Master Corporal and have completed Silver Star training. There were 26 of these awards in Ontario in 2025.
The second is the Medal with the Howard bar, awarded to one in every 500 Cadets in a province with the rank of Warrant Officer, who have completed Gold Star level training. There were 13 awarded in Ontario in 2025.
The top Cadet annually in the province will receive the Medal with the President's bar, and the top Cadet in Canada will receive the Medal with the Walsh bar. You can find out more about the medal at
Sergeant Portious received the Medal with the Roger bar and Master Warrant Officer Farwaha received the Medal with the Howard bar.
Congratulations to both recipients!
Cadets on the Move
2990 Cadet Corps in Milton are moving.
For the majority of their 42-year history, the Corps has shared leased building space at the Milton Fairgrounds with RCSCC Chaudière. In late November, the Corps received word that the sublease was being terminated, and the Corps would have to vacate the premises no later than the end of December.
Given the short notice, this was a major shock for the Corps staff and Support Committee. This led to a search to find out what space was available to function as a new home and how much it would cost. The Corps is currently at just over 110 Cadets, so not surprisingly, it turned out that there aren’t a lot of spaces available at a reasonable price.
Despite the twists and turns of the search, a new home has been found. The Corps will parade in the cafeteria at Bishop Reding Catholic Secondary School from January through to the end of May. A storage unit has also been rented.
The Corps is now moving out of the Fairgrounds site and a search for a permanent home will continue.
Soldiers' Festive Appreciation Dinner
From Corporal Darren Kowlessar
Following the conclusion of the Mandatory Training Day on 13 December 2025, troops gathered for the annual Soldiers’ Festive Appreciation Dinner, which some of you may recall as the Men’s Christmas Dinner. While the name has evolved, the spirit of the evening remains firmly rooted in tradition, camaraderie, and a well-earned opportunity for all ranks to come together at the close of the training year.
In keeping with long-standing custom, the SNCOs and Officers took on the role of hosts—setting the tables and serving a generous holiday meal to the soldiers. Their efforts helped set the tone for an evening defined by good humour, shared stories, and strong esprit de corps that unfortunately (or fortunately) didn't make the photo album. The Regimental Senate also joined the dinner, reinforcing the close connection between serving members and the broader Regimental Family.
Lessons learned from last year were clearly applied, with individual cups of butter replacing the more ambitious “ball” format. While this adjustment improved command & control at the table, it did little to dampen the lively atmosphere that unfolded as the evening progressed—proof that some traditions transcend logistics.
One of those enduring traditions was upheld with enthusiasm: the youngest Private in attendance, Pte Puri, exchanged places with the Commanding Officer, while the Acting Regimental Sergeant-Major swapped ranks with MCpl Otall, much to the amusement of those in attendance.
After the feast, presentation of honours and awards recognizing outstanding service, leadership, and contributions over the past year were given to:
The Duke of Kent Award for Top Company: Campbell Company
Soldier of the Year: Cpl Kacso
Junior Leader of the Year: MCpl Hernandez
SNCO of the Year: Sgt Virwani
Junior Officer of the Year: 2Lt Sandhar
President’s Award for Leadership through Athletics: Cpl Kowlessar
Commendations
Pte Golichenko, Cpl Petitpas, Cpl Patel, Sgt Wigley, Sgt Phelps, Sgt Schorr-Bigg, Cpl Wilson, Cpl Ihejiahi H, Cpl Ragoo, Cpl Wigley, Cpl MacDonald N, Cpl Adamisin, MCpl Hernandez, Sgt Grgas-Svirac, Sgt Savage, 2Lt Hoffman
Commissioning Scrolls
HCol Love (including a late scroll for appointment as HLCol)
HLCol Duthie
Canadian Forces Decoration (CD) – Bar Added
LCol MacInnis
Cpl Schavo
Canadian Forces Decoration (CD)
Sgt (Ret’d) Davis
Cpl Raina
Cpl MacDonald J
The Soldiers’ Festive Appreciation Dinner once again proved to be a highlight of the regimental calendar—an evening that balanced tradition with recognition, laughter with gratitude, and reinforced the bonds that make the Regiment strong heading into the new training year.
Coming Events
How to contribute to the Newsletter
If you have a story about an upcoming event, want to pass on how an event went or something that may be of interest to the Regimental Family, please send a short write-up (100 – 150 words or so) with one or two good quality pictures to the Editor at stewart.sherriff3@gmail.com.
Please ensure that all people in any submitted pictures have agreed to have their images posted. The Association will assume that such permissions have been acquired before the picture was submitted.
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Any mistakes which may occur are entirely accidental and no malice or harm is ever intended.
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