Friendship Force of Ottawa
Welcomes Ambassadors
From
Queanbeyan/Canberra Australia
June 21 - 28, 2008
Dear Ambassadors of the Friendship Force of
Queanbeyan-Canberra:
Welcome to Ottawa. We are happy to have thisopportunity towelcome you into our homes, spend time with youandshow you some of the interesting sights of our Nation's Capital.
Several of our club members have been warmly welcomed on exchanges to Australia and we look forward to repaying that hospitality.
We hope you will enjoy the program that we have planned for you and return to Australia with fond memories and enduring friendships.
Yours in friendship,
Marie & Mel Thompson ED’s
A Warm Welcome to our Australian Friends!
On behalf of all of the members of the Friendship Force of Ottawa, I am pleased to welcome the Ambassadors of the Friendship Force of Queanbeyan-Canberra to our city and to our Club.
Under the leadership of Marie and Mel Thompson, our Exchange Directors, and their team, our Club has prepared an exciting program of activities. You have come to Ottawa at a beautiful time of the year and we are eager to show off our city’s attractions to you in the days to come. We all look forward to getting to know you better and make new friends.
We hope that, when you return to Australia, you will have fond memories of the time you spent with us in Ottawa and that our friendships will grow and blossom in the years to come.
In Friendship,
Jaap Schouten
President
Friendship Force of Ottawa
Ambassadors From Queanbeyan/Canberra
NAMES ADDRESSES AND CONTACT
INFORMATION REMOVED
Ambassadors / Night HostsCONTACT INFORMATION
Day Hosts
CONTACT INFORMATION / Dinner Hosts
CONTACT INFORMATION
Activities & Co-ordinators
Saturday June 21
7:10 PM Arrival from Winnipeg Air Canada AC1102
Evening with Hosts
Sunday June 22
Morning Free – Church if they wish
1:30 PM Meet at Rideau Hall Visitor centre
2:30 PM Tour of Gov. General’s Residence
Co-ordinators:
6:00 PM Welcome Party North West One party room
Co-ordinator:
Monday June 23
9:30 AM Meet at NCC info centre (corner Wellington & Metcalfe)
to view exhibits and NCC film
10:30 AM Meet at Parliament tour office near main entrance
10:45 AM scheduled tour of Parliament Buildings
Then Tour Leader to accompany ambassadors along Rideau Canal to National Art Gallery for lunch in Cafeteria (on their own)
Short tour of specified works
3:00PM meet hosts at location arranged between ambassadors & hosts
Co-ordinators
Evening: Friendship Dinners
Tuesday June 24
Morning: Drive with day hosts to 1000 Islands, having lunch on the way.
1:00 PM Meet at Rockport Boat Line (23 Front St. Rockport)
1:30 PM Boat departs for Tour of 1000 Islands
Then Drive with day hosts to cottages for BBQ and evening.
(Directions emailed to all attending )
Co-ordinator
Wednesday June 25
FREE DAY Choose from list or other activities
7:00 PM RCMP Musical Ride. Arrive a little early with hosts at RCMP Stables (N. end of St. Laurent Blvd at Sandridge Rd) (bring chairs or blanket)
Co-ordinators:
Thursday June 26
Morning Free for drive in Gatineau or other activities
12:30 PM Museum of Civilization (Hosts pick up approx 3:00PM)
Co-ordinators
Free Evening:
Friday June 27
Morning Free
2:30 PM Cumberland Museum (meet Margie Bott at Entrance -
a guide will be provided and entrance is free)
5:00 PM Bearbrook Farm - Tour of animal park
6:00 PM Bearbrook Farm - Farewell Dinner
Co-ordinators
Saturday June 28
Departure for Seattle
Suggested Activities for Independent time
Bytown Museum - 10:00 - 2:00 Thurs–Mon. ; Seniors $4 Others $6
Housed in Ottawa's oldest stone building, the Bytown Museum traces the history of Ottawa's early years from the construction of the Rideau Canal and the rough and tumble days of Bytown, to the city's emergence as Canada's capital and beyond.
Experimental Farms –Ornamental, Wildlife, etc gardens, Free
Agricultural Museum 9:00 – 5:00 60+ $5 Others $6
See a modern dairy barn in operation. In the Small Animal Barn you can meet sheep and lambs, pigs and piglets, chickens, rabbits and goats. In our Horse and Cattle Barn, you can see the Clydesdale horses and seven breeds of beef cattle.
Billings Estate - 613-247-4830 Seniors 2.25 Others 2.75
Architecturally unique house was built in 1827 for one of Ottawa's founding families. Exhibits of family possessions tell the story of five generations of the Billings family from 1812 to 1975.
Aviation Museum - 613-993-2010; 10:00 – 5:00 60+ $5 – Others $6
The Museum presents the complete story of Canada's aviation heritage from the pioneer era to the jet age. Over 130 aircraft chronicle the ancient dream of flight and the significant part played by Canadians in the development of aviation.
Science & Tech Museum - 613-991-3044; 9:00 – 5:00 60+ $5 – Others $7.50
Discover how great Canadians have affected our everyday lives with advancements in space, transportation and science. The first snowmobile, locomotives and even a virtual reality ride round out a visit complete with hair-raising science experiments and a wobble through the Crazy Kitchen.
Purdon Conservation Area (to see lady slippers) for info call 613-259-2421)
Located north of Perth
Museum of Nature - 613-556-4700 - $5 Free Sat 9- 12. Open 9-6 Fri – Mon 9-8 Weds & Thurs
Currency Museum of the Bank of Canada
10:30- 5:00 Free admission
Canadian notes, coins, and tokens, as well as currency from around the globe are highlighted in exhibits that reveal the story of money. One of the museum's most popular attractions is a Yap stone weighing over three tons.
National Art Gallery - 613-990 1985 Seniors $7 Others $9 Free Thursday after 5:00 Fri – Weds. 10:00 – 5:00 , Thurs 10:00 – 8:00
Boat and bus tours
Costs are $18 to $30
They can be picked up downtown.
There are two boat cruises: One along the Rideau Canal and another along the Ottawa River.
RCMP stables , museum and boutique Free 9:00 – 4:00
The guided tour will walk you through the stables where you may visit these mild-mannered horses in their tranquil environment. Also included is a trip to the Riding School where choreography for the musical ride is rehearsed, and a journey through the Farrier Station and Tack Room. A museum on the grounds houses the Queen's carriage used during her visits to Canada, as well as period costumes and Canadian artifacts.
Mackenzie King Estate
The summer home of the late William Lyon Mackenzie King is located in the heart of the Gatineau Park. Roam the wooded property on walking trails, visit the restored cottages, wander through formal gardens and the picturesque collection of ruins assembled by King.
Gatineaus – If arranged early enough hike with the Rideau Trail Club or visit Champlain Lookout, or nearby McKenzie King Estate & its gardens
Diefenbunker
Seniors $13.25, Others $14.85 Guided Tours only Mon. – Fri at 2:00 p.m. Sat. and Sun. at 11:00 , 1:00 and 2:00 Reservations required Call 613-839-0007
A huge four-story bunker, buried deep under a hillside outside Ottawa was meant to house crucial elements of Canadian government in a nuclear war. Exhibits and recreated areas provide a startling glimpse into Cold War history.
Almonte visit Textile museum - have lunch in restaurants
Wakefield has some very quaint shops and restaurants in addition to the Mill Inn
Ottawa Jazz Festival June 20th to July 1st
Shopping
Bytown Market Bayshore Shopping Centre
Rideau Shopping Centre St. Laurent Shopping Centre
About Ottawa
O
ttawa is the capital of Canada and the country's fourth largest municipality, as well as the second largest city in Ontario. Ottawa lies at the junction of three major waterways on the banks of the Ottawa River.
The Ottawa region was long home to First Nations peoples.
The first European settlement in the region was that of Philemon Wright from Massachusetts who started a community on the Quebec side of the river in 1800. Wright discovered that transporting timber by river from the Ottawa Valley to Montreal was possible, and the area was soon booming based almost exclusively upon the timber trade.
In the years following the War of 1812, in addition to settling some military regiment families, the government began sponsored immigration schemes that brought over Irish Catholics and Protestants to settle the Ottawa area. Along with French Canadians who crossed over from Quebec, these two groups provided the bulk of labourers involved in the Rideau Canal project and the booming timber trade, both instrumental in putting Ottawa on the map.
The region's population grew significantly when Colonel John By completed the Rideau Canal in 1832. It was intended to provide a secure route between Montreal and Kingston on Lake Ontario, by-passing the stretch of the St. Lawrence River bordering New York State (with the 1812 conflict with the U.S.A. being in recent memory). The canal was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2007.
In 1857,Queen Victoria accepted the recommendation of her senior officials and chose Ottawa as Canada’s seat of government. They recommended Ottawa firstly because It was the only settlement of any significant size located right on the border of Canada East and Canada West, second, the War of 1812 had shown how vulnerable the major cities were to American attack, since they were all located very close to the border while Ottawa was surrounded by a dense forest far from the border; third, the government owned a large parcel of land on a spectacular spot overlooking the Ottawa River.
Beautification of the Capital
In 1899, Prime Minister Laurier created the Ottawa Improvement Commission. The Commission began to beautify parks and to clean up the Ottawa River. By 1939, the Capital blossomed with parks and driveways, major public buildings, the erection of the National War Memorial and the preservation of forests in Gatineau Park.
Following the war, French architect Jacques Gréber developed a master plan for the region. He laid out the blueprint for the Capital we see today with beautiful boulevards, scenic driveways, urban parks and the preservation of natural forests in Gatineau Park. He insisted that the railway lines be removed from the centre of the Capital, creating a more peaceful and beautiful urban environment.
Maman outside National Gallery
World’s Longest Skating Rink – Rideau Canal
Ottawa Tulip Festival
Changing of the Guard on Parliament Hill