More than 250 teenaged cadets from Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship Quadra will take to the B.C. Legislature Lawn on Saturday, Aug. 1, as part of their annual Ceremony of the Flags performance.
The performance will feature a 96 member guard, 75 cadets manning the flag party and naval field guns and a 55 member marching band.
The cadets come from across Canada and are 14- to 18-years-old. The distinctly Canadian Ceremony of the Flags was originally created and performed by the Royal Canadian Navy in 1967 to celebrate Canada’s Centennial. The national flag of Canada and the flags of each province and territory are paraded together in a celebration of nationhood.
The ceremony combines elements of the ancient ceremonies of The Tattoo, Sunset Ceremony and Retreat and is a showcase of military precision, pageantry and discipline.
Cdr. (Ret) Dave Yates, President of Navy League of Canada will be the guest of honour and reviewing officer for the performance.
HMCS Quadra is a cadet summer training center in Comox, B.C. The training center is currently home to 600 cadets undergoing two, three or six-week training courses, supervised by more than 200 staff cadets and Canadian Forces members.
Sea Cadets is a national youth program for boys and girls aged 12 – 18, jointly sponsored by the Department of National Defense/Canadian Forces and the civilian Navy League of Canada.
The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. with the contingent stepping off Cormorant Street through downtown Victoria on Douglas Street then onto Wharf Street, then Government Street towards the legislature.
It will conclude at 9 p.m.