Trisha Cornforth, German news reporter for "Der Kanadier" newspaper as well as for CFN/RFC radio and television, from the end of 1978 to the end of May 1994 The original "Der Kanadier " was the weekly newspaper for the Canadian Forces in Europe. It was published in Lahr in the Black Forest, Germany, from 1 July 1970 until 25 May 1994, i.e. until just before Canadian Forces Base Lahr closed down in mid-August 1994.

Look forward to a Lahr reunion in July 2004
Thank you for your positive comments on a suggested reunion in Lahr. We have talked to the city of Lahr representatives and are now looking at the practical aspects of organizing a German-Canadian Friendship Week at the beginning of July 2004 which will be exactly 10 years since the official departure of the Canadian Forces.

Are there any members of the Baden Rube Band out there who could come along for the occasion, or any other special interest groups who'd also like to get involved? Of course, people from Baden-Soellingen are also invited and some activities could be organized in Hügelsheim, for example, as part of the whole event.

The Lahr Brats association are planning a reunion in Halifax in 2003 and then a reunion in Lahr in 2007. We think it's great that such reunions are taking place and they certainly don't detract from our efforts to encourage Canadians to return to Lahr - not everyone can take leave at the same time anyway!

Let me emphasize once more that we have no intention of organizing flights from Canada or accommodation in Germany - we will concentrate entirely on setting up a series of visits, get-togethers and festivities in the Lahr area. Therefore it will be up to each participant to arrange their own travel and places to stay before, during and after the event. If anyone wants to organize anything for groups from Canada they certainly can, but we will not be directly involved. Maybe it will be possible to land at Lahr airport by then (see below) but we'll have to wait and see...

Wiggins Group start planning for Lahr airport
Wiggins Group, a British company run from Manston airfield in Kent, S-E. England, is now the majority shareholder in the Lahr Airport Company (Laher Flugplatz GmbH). The British group has achieved a good reputation by building up air cargo transport in the last few years. At the end of last year Lahr Airport Company had finally managed to obtain an official air transport licence (without night-time flights, due to protests about noise from surrounding communities). Wiggins paid about DM 5 million for about 75 per cent of the shares in the airport company but the actual runway and taxi-way still belong to NATO for emergency use if necessary. Wiggins will however also try to develop the whole of the airfield terrain.

Wiggins recently held a big meeting with local businesses to determine their needs in air freight or anything else that could be established at the airfield. This opening-up and declaration of support for the development of local commerce has helped to dissipate the feelings of suspicion and mistrust that have so often surrounded the airfield in the past few years. The Wiggins consortium is mainly interested in air freight, which they say could be considerably increased in Germany, but they have not ruled out the possibility of passenger flights in future if a need arises (although permission would then have to be applied for if and when the time comes). For example, flights in connection with the family amusement park "Europa Park" in Rust, which concluded another record season in summer 2000. It has just inaugurated a huge pavillion-tent called the Europa Dome seating several thousand spectators for entertainment, TV shows and special events.