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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, June 23, 2010 · 4 Colonel Geoff Parker fondly remembered by fellow cadets Continued from page 1 Many of these memories dated back to his youth when he was a cadet with the Lorne Scots 1188 Oakville Cadet Corps. George Chisholm, who commanded the cadet corps at the time, remembered Parker as a regular attendee who was always willing to lend a hand and who participated in just about every activity. As Parker was tall and skinny, Chisholm said, he soon attracted the affectionate nickname Parkeroo, but, all joking aside, he took cadets very seriously and excelled in his work there. "Geoff put a lot of himself into army cadets and in return he got a lot out of it. He attended four very good summer camps and after spending six weeks in the Northwest Territories he was selected to attend the national army cadet camp in Banff, Alberta. The following summer Geoff was one of 50 cadets from across Canada to take parachute training in Edmonton," said Chisholm. "Before he went on the course he came in to see my wife and was very worried he wouldn't pass the physical because he was underweight. She advised him to eat lots of Carnation Instant Breakfast and drink lots of water just before going in to see the doctor. The jump wings Geoff wore as a regular soldier he earned as a cadet." Despite becoming one of the rising stars of the Canadian military, Chisholm said Parker still found time for his old cadet corps and NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER MEMORIAL: Colonel Geoff Parker's wife, M.J., and his two children Alexandria, 9, and Charlie, 11, attended the memorial. returned to Oakville in 2007 to talk to them in a presentation about all the cadet corps had done for him. "The main goal of the army cadet program is to develop better citizens for Canada," said Chisholm. "It was obviously successful with Colonel Geoff Parker." The letters of some cadets, who served with Parker during his youth, were also read during the memorial. One former cadet, who is now the owner and operator of an IT company in Kansas City, remembers how one embarrassing moment led to Parker and himself becoming good friends. "As you'll recall Geoff took army cadets very seriously. He took exceptional care of his uniform, always acted professionally and didn't let his friendship (with other cadets) get in the way of his duties. Great life lessons for me and I learned a lot from Geoff, not from what he said, but by observing how he carried himself," said the former cadet. "Nonetheless, on the day of our final parade Geoff approached me with a panic-stricken look on his face. He was wearing his uniform, immaculate as always, and asked if I had my car with me. As he was talking I noticed he had bright white tube socks on and no parade boots. I couldn't help but laugh and I saw for the first time an embarrassed Geoff, trying very hard not to look so sheepish. To this day I can still see the expression on his face, struggling to keep a serious expression while in a ridiculously vulnerable position." The former cadet did have his car with him and he and Parker discreetly, and hurriedly, departed to get Parker's boots. The former cadet said he and Parker connected during this event and became friends as a result of it. Former cadet Lisa Vernon, now the founder and director of a bilingual school in Australia, wrote that Parker was not without a sense of humour and at one point soaked her beloved teddy bear in water and hid it in a freezer. Vernon said the frozen bear made a satisfying thud sound when she hit Parker with it in retaliation. Parker's best friend, Doug Wilson, described childhood memories of Parker piling into the Wilson family Chevy Biscayne, along with his brother, several members of the Wilson family and several dogs, as they embarked on the eight-hour journey to the family cottage. Despite having vastly different personalities, Wilson said their friendship endured. He said Parker was someone Wilson and his family could always count on. "Growing up, Parker was a pair of hands we could count on. Cutting wood, digging holes, moving, painting, if there was a job to do Parker would be there willingly. He had an amazing sense of timing. He would miraculously appear the morning of the job. It got to the point where you could predict his unpredictability," said Wilson. "`Don't worry, Parker will show up.' And he did." Wilson said it was a dream come true when Parker became part of Wilson's family by marrying his cousin M.J. who, along with his children Charlie, 11, and Alexandria, 9, fulfilled Parker in ways far beyond what the military could do for him. Parker's wife and children were present for the memorial, but chose not to speak. Parker's Aunt Jean Neuert did speak, following the ceremony, which she said was beautifully done. "The speakers had a wonderful message," she said. "It touched our hearts. It was a thing of beauty." Neuert said she remembered Parker as a rascally little boy, who would always try to get his older brother in trouble whenever he could. That said, she believed he secretly looked up to his brother. During his address, Orear said memorials like this one are not only for the soldier who has died, but also for the families who, he said, really do serve with them. "Whatever battlefield, whatever place of conflict, whatever duty a soldier sees... he or she sees with the family behind," he said. "There is no news report, there is not even a weather report out of Afghanistan about which families do not worry and wonder and hope. As much as we are here to acknowledge the service and the life of Colonel Geoff Parker we are also here to acknowledge the families of those who serve and especially those 147 families who have lost a loved one in this conflict." In his brief remarks, Oakville Mayor Rob Burton called Parker one of the best representatives Oakville has ever had and also stated that a plaque to remember him, unveiled during the ceremony, would be incorporated into the George's Square memorial. In his closing remarks, Orear advised those present that Parker could be remembered best by taking something of what he was and living it in their own lives. "You'll take some of his strength, some of his ability to speak the truth, even when it's difficult, you'll take some of his fierce passion, his loyalty, even some of his trouble making, you'll take that and live it somewhat in you're own life," said Orear. "By doing so, you will truly remember and you will truly memorialize him and you will become a memorial and a marker far greater than even the most glorious monument of stone and bronze could ever be."