FOCUS ON PHILATELY

by Ingert Kuzych

Ukrainian connections on 2002 Canadian postal issues

There are a number of reasons I collect stamps from Canada in addition to those of Ukraine. First off, I think it's a great country. I grew up in Detroit and visits to neighboring Windsor (just across the river) or Toronto (several hours east on the 401 expressway) were common excursions as a youngster, teenager and college student. The people were/are always very friendly and the ubiquitous cleanliness and natural beauty of the country always made for a favorable impression.

Secondly, in my opinion, Canadian stamps are some of the best-designed in the world. It's obvious that a lot of thought and planning goes into their composition, yet the stamps always seem fresh and original.

Finally, there are well over a million citizens of Ukrainian heritage in Canada and they have had a substantial impact on the growth of the Dominion. Many of their contributions have been (and continue to be) recognized on postage stamps. Over the past decade, almost every year, one or two stamps have had a Ukrainian connection.

This year, however, Canada Post has outdone itself with Ukrainian-related depictions on several different postal products and all in just the first six months of the year!. The four items honor five different men in the fields of sport, government and art.

Hockey tie-ins

It all began on January 12 with the release of two ice hockey-related products. The first was a special envelope honoring the 75th anniversary of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club. Although founded in 1917, the team first went by the nickname Arenas (until 1919) and then the St. Patricks before switching to Maple Leafs in 1927. In addition to the team crest on a jersey, the souvenir envelope features a photo of the most famous goal ever scored by a Maple Leafs player (Figure 1). It occurred in the 1951 Stanley Cup finals, when William "Bashing Bill" Barilko scored while airborne in sudden-death overtime against the Montreal Canadiens to win the game and the series. It was the last goal the Ukrainian-Canadian from Timmins, Ontario, ever scored. Just a few months later the plane carrying the 24-year-old player and a pilot friend on a private fishing trip in northern Ontario disappeared. The largest air search in Canadian history failed to find the plane, and it was not until 15 years later that the wreckage was finally discovered.

Although he played only five seasons as a pro - and as a defenseman was never a high scorer - Barilko played on, and was an integral part of, four championship Toronto teams.

For this year's Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Canada Post issued a pre-stamped postcard worth $2 (Canadian). Sponsored by various organizations, the card was prepared to raise funds for amateur hockey. Half of the funds raised by the sale went to the Canadian Hockey Association.

The postcard allowed mailers to send their best wishes to the men and women of Canada's national hockey teams participating in the Olympics. The scheme seems to have brought luck to the Canadian teams as they both won gold medals in the finals over the U.S.

One side of the card showed a painting of boys playing hockey on a frozen pond (Figure 2). The other carried the reproduction of the Wayne Gretzky All-Star stamp from 2000. Mr. Gretzky's Ukrainian background and many accomplishments as a player have been well documented on the pages of The Ukrainian Weekly. Now retired, Mr. Gretzky served as the successful general manager of the 2002 Canadian men's Olympic hockey team and thus added another page of success to his already bulging résumé.

Governors general

On February 1, Canada issued a stamp marking the 50th anniversary of a Canadian first becoming governor general. When Adrienne Clarkson was sworn in as Canada's 26th governor general in 1999, she not only became the ninth Canadian to hold that office, but she continued a tradition that began when Samuel de Champlain became governor general of New France in 1612. The post of governor general has survived the French regime, British colonial rule, and Canada's Confederation as a country in 1867 to become the nation's oldest public office. As representative of the monarch, the governor general is responsible for carrying out the duties of head of state for Canada.

The earliest governors general were members of the British aristocracy. In 1947, with implementation of the Canadian Citizenship Act, Canadians were no longer British subjects. So, when Vincent Massey took over as governor general in 1952, he did so as a Canadian. Nine persons have served in the position over the past five decades; all of their names appear on the stamp, which also shows the lion crest from the governor general's standard and an outline of Rideau Hall, the governor general's residence in Ottawa (Figure 3).

Two of the nine governors general listed on the stamp are of Ukrainian background. Edward Schreyer (Figure 4) was born in Manitoba of a pioneer Austrian farm family, which traces its origin to Pidhaitsi county in Halychyna, Western Ukraine. This area was under Austrian Hapsburg rule in the 19th century when Mr. Schreyer's ancestors came to Canada.

Upon his installation as governor general, he inserted some Ukrainian text into his speech, the first time such a symbolic act was ever carried out by a Canadian Head of State. Mr. Schreyer served as governor general from 1979 to 1984, having earlier held the position of premier of Manitoba from 1969 to 1977. Interestingly, his popular wife, Lily, has a similar bi-cultural origin tracing her roots to Bukovyna, which also was a Ukrainian province in the Austrian Empire.

Ramon (Ray) Hnatyshyn (Figure 5) served in Canada's highest post from 1990 to 1995, after having held various offices including Canadian minister of justice and attorney general. His tenure as governor general coincided with the centenary of Ukrainian immigration to Canada celebrated in 1991. He also visited Ukraine in an official capacity in 1994. Mr. Hnatyshyn himself is the son of another prominent Ukrainian from Saskatchewan, the late Sen. John Hnatyshyn.

Sculpture

The most recent postal issue (June 10) with a Ukrainian connection is part of a two-stamp set (Figure 6) honoring renowned Canadian sculptors Leo Mol (with his figures of "Lumberjacks") and Charles Daudelin (and his abstract creation "Embacle").

Leonid Molodozhanyn, who shortened his name to Leo Mol, was born in Volyn in Ukraine in 1915 and learned the art of ceramics in his father's pottery workshop. He studied at art academies in Berlin and the Hague before emigrating to Winnipeg in 1948. He held his first exhibition the following year and quickly developed a reputation for his realistic sculptures as well as fine stained glass windows. The beautiful Taras Shevchenko monuments in both Washington and Buenos Aires are his creations, and Mr. Mol is now recognized as one of Canada's finest-ever sculptors.

In 1992 the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden, spanning some three acres, was officially dedicated in Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg. The garden and associated gallery came into being when Mr. Mol donated more than 200 bronze sculptures to the city. The immaculately landscaped park with figures of prominent people, religious leaders, the human form and wildlife - has won several awards. It is the only sculpture garden in North America dedicated to the works of a single artist. Completed in 1990, "Lumberjacks" is depicted on the stamp in its sculpture garden setting.

Epilogue

The above-described postal products are excellent examples of Ukrainian topics or thematics in philately. Many Ukraine collectors, including myself, search out foreign stamps with Ukrainian connections. Such Ukrainian-topic issues can form a fascinating (and yet quite inexpensive) adjunct to a regular Ukraine collection. Perhaps such postal releases are something you should consider adding to your own philatelic holdings.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, July 7, 2002, No. 27, Vol. LXX

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