New Finland Community Hall history
• Flag Restoration • UnionJack • Red Ensign
• New Finland Community Hall • Lest We Forget • Blue Cross
• Bibliography
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Flag restoration
.....Thanks to the foresight of Mr. Stewart Kangas who salvaged the Union Jack and Red Ensign from the old Finn Hall in the mid nineteen sixties and saved them all these years. We now have the pleasure of seeing them again. Thank You Stewart.
Though the New Finland Hall no longer exists, the society feels that they will preserve this part of their early heritage in St. John's Lutheran New Finland Church. It really is history in the making as the community celebrates a blessing recalling their heritage. The New Finland Historical and Heritage Society supports the revival of Finnish ancestry and customs of the early district as well as the remembrance and development of community traditions. The flags represent the history of the New Finland District as they created a link of the Finnish community with their allegiance to the country of Canada. They provide a tool to link past events of the New Finland community hall with present and future generations, creating a community memory of the role and place of the New Finland District in early Saskatchewan.
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The Union Jack or the Royal Union Flag
.....The national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Union Jack or Royal Union Flag. The Union Jack is represented by the red cross of Saint
George which is bordered in white. This is on top of the saltire or white diagonal cross on a blue background of Saint Andrew. Saint George is the patron saint of Great Britain, whereas Saint Andrew is
the patron saint of Scotland. Ireland joined Great Britain in 1801, so the Union Jack incorporated the
white cross saltire set against a blue background. This diagonal cross blazon represents St. Patrick,
the patron saint of Ireland. This design for the Union Jack was first put into use January 1, 1801.
.....The Union Jack was first used in Canada as early as 1610. In 1867, the Dominion of Canada became a self-governing British colony and operated under the 1865 Colonial Laws Validity Act. This act set out British and colonial law, and identified colonial legislature with the British monarch as the official head. In 1884 the British Empire evolved into the British Commonwealth or Commonwealth of Nations. The Union Jack was adopted as the national symbol in 1901. When it is raised in Canada it shows allegiance to the crown as a member of the Commonwealth. The status of the British Commonwealth became official under the Statute of Westminster in 1931. The Union Jack was the flag of Canada throughout World War I (1914-1918) and was the only flag officially declared as the flag of Canada until 1945.
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Canadian Red Ensign
.....The Canadian Red Ensign is an historic flag used in Canada between 1921 to 1957. The particular colours of the Coat of Arms of Canada help to place the date of use in history. The sprig of maple leaves in the bottom of the Coat of Arms were initially green on the coat of arms to represent youth. The heraldic formal description allows the leaves to be depicted in either red or green. So, according to this blazon the change to the colour red representing the autumn leaf did not occur until 1957. King George V ordered the coat of arms in Canada, and it was available on the new Canadian Red Ensign. In World War II the Canadian Forces wanted a flag distinctive of Canada to recognise the service of Canada distinct from the British war effort. So, in 1944 the Canadian Forces adopted the Canadian Red Ensign and in 1945 the Canadian Red Ensign was allowed to be flown in front of Canadian parliamentary buildings and was recognized as Canada's temporary flag until a national flag was established. Before 1965, when a flag was required to separate Canadians and British, the Canadian Red Ensign was used. Prime Minister Diefenbaker established a community to ascertain the design of the new Canadian flag. The Canadian Red Ensign was replaced in 1965 with the Maple Leaf Flag which was the first official Canadian flag approved by parliament. The red of the Maple Leaf Flag represents "the English, loftiness, royalty, assurance & military virtues" and the white symbolizes "the French, probity & loyalty."1 Since this time, the Union Jack when flown in Canada shows its membership in the Commonwealth of Nations, and its allegiance to the Crown. The Canadian Red Ensign was "draped over the statue called Canada Mourning at the dramatic unveiling of the Vimy Memorial in 1936"2. Rick Archibald notes that as of 2008, the Canadian Red Ensign flies over the World War I memorial erected at Vimy Ridge.
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New Finland Community Hall
.....These two historic flags, the Union Jack, and Canadian Red Ensign, were saved and presented to the New Finland Historical and Heritage Society by Stewart Kangas in December of 2010. It was in 1914 that the New Finland Temperance Society constructed the New Finland Hall. The Ladies Aid and children's groups all helped to raise money towards the hall which rose up on the southeast corner, Section 36 of the J.K. Lauttamus farm as shown on the partial map of the New Finland District directly above. The hall had a box stove, hanging gas lanterns and a large stage at one end of the hall with heavy curtains. It was later, in 1927, that a fine hardwood dance floor was installed. The hall was a busy, festive gathering place. It was here that the school concerts were held. In the early days of the hall these school concerts were held near Juhannus as school was only attended six months of the year around the summer months. Later these school concerts celebrated the Christmas season. Patriotism was interwoven with many school concerts throughout the years of the Great War. The heart of many communities were with the welfare of those serving Canada in Europe in a life and death turmoil. In the schools English was taught and children learned how to become Canadian citizens learning ethnic British colonial values. The traditional Finnish midsummer festival, or Juhannus, held its dance in the hall on the Saturday closest to June 24, St. John's day. Following the festival, the community would enact plays acting out scripts received from Finland. Such Finnish plays were also put on during boxing day as a community event. The hall was also home to shorter plays put on for the community about every three weeks. The New Finland Temperance Society dissolved in the 1950s. Finally, in 1973, the hall was sold to Arthur Knuttila. The proceeds from the sale were placed into the St John's Lutheran New Finland church funds.
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Honour Roll In Memoriam
Honour Roll Post War Soldiers
Honour Roll World War I
Honour Roll World War II
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Flag of Finland or Siniristilippu ("Blue Cross Flag")
.....Speaking of flags, the residents of the New Finland District are also proud of their heritage from their native country. The flag of Finland also features a cross, the Nordic or Scandinavian cross which is depicted in blue on a white background. The white color symbolizes "white Finland" and the colour blue, the "land of a thousand lakes."3 These colours, blue and white were adopted in the design of the New Finland heritage costume for the New Finland district 1988 centennial celebrations. The Blue Cross Flag has been in use as a national symbol in Finland since 1912.
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Bibliography
2 Archibald, Rick (2010). "The Canadian Red Ensign". A Flag for Canada. www.flagforcanada.ca. http://www.flagforcanada.ca/Canadian-Red-Ensign.aspx. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
Barnett, Barnett (2004) (digitised online by Google Books). Constitutional & administrative law (5, revised ed.). Routledge. pp. 63-64. ISBN 1859419275, 9781859419274. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
"Canadian Red Ensign". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. November 15, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Red_Ensign. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
"Canada - history of the flag (1921-1957) (Canada)". © FOTW Flags Of The World website. http://www.fotw.us/flags/ca-1921.html. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
"Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion - Historical Flag Policy". Canadian Heritage. Government of Canada. 2009-04-01. http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/flag-eng.cfm. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
"Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion - The Royal Union flag". Canadian Heritage. Government of Canada. 2008-11-17. http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/union-eng.cfm. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
Charyk, John C (1983). Syrup Pails and Gopher Tails Memories of the One-Room School. Western Producer Prairie Books. p. 121. ISBN 0--88833-159-2.
3 "Finland's flag - Nordic cooperation". The Nordic Region - The Nordic flags - Finland's flag. http://www.norden.org/en/the-nordic-region/the-nordic-flags/finlands-flag. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
"Flag of the Finland". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. November 15, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Finland. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
"Flag of the United Kingdom". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. November 15, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_united_kingdom. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
Heard, Andrew (1990). "Canadian Independence". Simon Fraser University. http://www.sfu.ca/~aheard/324/Independence.html. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
1"History of Canada's Flag". Canadiana Connection. July 25, 2009. http://www.canadianaconnection.com/cca/canflag.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
New Finland Historical and Heritage Society (c2001). Editor: Nancy Mattson Schelstraete. Life in the New Finland woods : a history of New Finland, Saskatchewan. Volume 1. pages 61, 62, 67-69. https://sites.rootsweb.com/~cansk/Finnish/History/Volume1/ Wapella, Sask. ISBN: 0888649681. Retrieved 2010-02-02.
New Finland Historical and Heritage Society (c2001). Editor: Geri Huhtala Life in the New Finland woods : a history of New Finland, Saskatchewan Volume 2. pages 4,5. Published: Wapella, Sask. : New Finland Historical and Heritage Society, c2001. ISBN 0968857205
Spence, Ralph D. Right Reverend; Ray Peterkin. "Evolution of the Canadian Red Ensign" (http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/Flg-Pstrs/post4-eng.pdf). Canadian Heritage. Government of Canada.
"The Monarchy Today - Ceremony and symbol - Symbols - Union Jack". The Royal Household © Copyright 2008/09. http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/Symbols/UnionJack.aspx. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
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