A renewed Freedom Flag to fly in Sundre honours the history of South Vietnam and the friendships forged when refugees sought to resettle in Canada.
Former Town of Sundre councillor Myron Thompson presented Mayor Terry Leslie with the new standard — a banner that features a yellow backdrop with three horizontal red stripes running across the middle — during the July 30 meeting.
Despite a blackout affecting much of the municipality that left council chambers dark until later during the meeting, Thompson was able to recollect a brief retelling of events that led the flag to first fly in Sundre many years ago.
“This is in regards to the period of time in the ’70s when the boat people from Vietnam came to our town as refugees,” Thompson told council, adding several families were sponsored locally.
“Many of these Vietnamese people joined certain churches and became very active in the community almost immediately and spent a good number of years in our town and had jobs and were working.”
Although these individuals — including Nam Tran, who for a time worked at Sundre Motors — relocated to other communities such as Calgary, where some even started their own businesses, “Sundre has always been, in their view, their new home,” said Thompson.
At the time, Nam Tran joined an initiative to remember South Vietnamese history and heritage while celebrating the great experiences of refugee families who were welcomed with open arms in Sundre, he said.
“They started showing up at our parade,” he said, adding that while they were unable to attend this year, a delegation had been to nearly every one for many years.
“They carried a huge Freedom Flag of the Vietnamese community that found a new life here and wanted to recognize Sundre as one of the strong points that made such a success out of them and their lives. They are all now naturalized citizens and a fine bunch of people.”
Decades ago, Thompson was serving as a Sundre councillor and recalled when members of the refugee community came to present the municipality with the Freedom Flag, requesting the banner be flown by the town.
“I think we’ve been doing that ever since.”
Despite a temporary controversy that stemmed from the fact the flag did not represent the communist government of Vietnam with some opining the standard should not be flown in an official capacity, Thompson, who by then was serving as a member of Parliament, said he helped sway the outcome of that discussion.
“The decision was to allow the Freedom Flag to fly, and it’s been flying, as far as I know, ever since.”
More recently, Nam Tran brought a new flag to Thompson as the prior standard was worn out, and the former councillor then brought the banner before Linda Nelson, chief administrative officer, who felt he should present the colours, along with a brief historical recap of their significance to the community and the refugees who started to build their lives anew in Sundre, to council.
“I love when they come to Sundre — they always want to take me out for lunch!” Thompson said, eliciting laughter from council, before proceeding to offer Leslie the flag.
Click here for a 2012 story featuring a documentary that was made at that time about the Freedom Flag.
