Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadian) Business Luncheon

Lt Leland Kirkham

The Regiment shall, from time to time, host a business luncheon to invite members of the community, supporters, and Friends of the Regiment in an effort to bring together a forum for interaction and discussion. That was the basic explanation that was given for the business luncheon event. What was missing from this brief description was not only how to add a true Strathcona flair to the event, but also that the Luncheon was just a couple months away and invitations had yet to go out. The end result, other than a bit of chaos, was a very successful meet and greet for the various invitees, including the Honourable Laurie Hawn, the Honourable Tommy Banks, Korean War Veteran Harry Pinchin, Edmonton Salutes members and No Stone Left Alone founders, and the new Division Commander Brigadier-General Simon Hetherington.

The day kicked off in true army fashion with Captain Erik “Best I can do is $50” Giajnorio having to sort out the majority of last minute issues, including the entire display area not being blocked off as planned. By the time anyone realized there was an issue it had already been dealt with and the whole Regiment had come together to provide vehicles, personnel, and transport in support of the setup. After some welcome speeches, Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Lubiniecki “promoted” the Division Commander to Master Corporal, thus granting him the Tank Crew Commander qualification. This would enable him to command a Leopard 2A4 Tank for a car crush event. With Trooper Howard “High RPMs” Gilbert as the driver, Master Corporal Lance “Chicken Wing” Banman in the gunner hole, Lieutenant Leland “Juice Box” Kirkham as the loader, and Brigadier General Simon “Master Corporal Sir” Hetherington as the crew commander. The star of the car crush was an unsuspecting Grand Marquis graciously donated to the Regiment by Hachey Auto.

After the car was left in ruins, there was a chance to mingle and do some show and tell demonstrations for the guests before heading in to lunch. Through this event the Regiment welcomed new and old friends as only Strathcona’s do, particularly during the sit down meal which provided an excellent venue for the officers and community members to discuss various topics and learn from each other. Many of the guests ended up staying late into the afternoon, with some of our Friends of the Regiment staying well into the evening helping the subbies finish the remaining wine.