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Current Senior Regimental
Appointments of The Calgary Highlanders

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Colonel-in-Chief Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has been
Canada's monarch since she ascended to the throne of the United Kingdom in 1952, being
crowned on 2 June. In 1981, Her Majesty consented to become Colonel-in-Chief of The
Calgary Highlanders. She receives regular reports from the Regiment on its
activities, and last visited Calgary in June 1990.
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The Regiment
received a new Queen's Colour from Her Majesty while parading before her with the King's
Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC). The Calgary Highlanders were one of the last Canadian
infantry regiments to replace the Union Jack with the new flag of Canada. Her
Majesty continues to take a keen interest in all of her Canadian Regiments.
From the Canadian Heritage Site:
"When the regiments of the
British and Canadian Armies were first formed, many had a royal patron who agreed to
become the ceremonial commander of the unit or its “Colonel-in-Chief.” Perhaps
foremost among the reasons for such patronage was the desire to reinforce, within the
ranks of the regiment, a loyalty to the Crown through this personal relationship with a
member of the Royal Family. The Colonel-in-Chief remains in close contact with his/her
regiment and takes a very personal ongoing interest in its well being and that of its
members. One of the most colourful and significant moments in the life of a regiment is
when its Colonel-in-Chief presents new colours: a flag bearing the insignia of the
Colonel-in-Chief, the regiment and, oftentimes, its battle honours). Old colours are
retired and given a place of honour as the new colours are first presented and marched
past the members of the regiment."
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Honorary Colonel Colonel Robert James Sinclair Gibson, CLJ, MMLJ
Robert JS (Bob) Gibson was born in Bently,
Alberta in 1946, the eldest son of a homesteader farming near Rocky Mountain House, and
was raised in a number of Alberta towns. By his fifth birthday, Gibson's father had
become employed with the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs as a farming instructor,
and the family of six moved to High Prairie. His childhood included activities with
cubs, scouts, sports teams, as well as service with the King's Own Calgary Regiment's
Cadet Corps in Gleichen.
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Colonel Gibson
graduated from Bow Valley Central High School in Cluny, Alberta, and joined the Royal
Canadian Navy as an officer cadet. After his initial year at the University
of Alberta, he worked for several years as a surveyor in the seismograph industry
throughout Western Canada. After leaving seismic, he returned to the University of
Alberta for another year and became a realtor, later joining Southland Canada and becoming
District Sales Manager for thirty-one 7-Eleven stores.
Becoming involved in real estate development led to a stint as Area
Manager for Western Realty Projects with responsibility for Southern Alberta. In
1976 he accepted a position as President of United Management Ltd., and ultimately
Managing Director of Alsten Holdings, Ltd., the holding company of the Singer Family of
Calgary, where he still serves.
In 1986, Colonel Gibson had acquired the
Bobtail Ranch in Penticton, BC, where he raises a commercial herd and pedigree Angus
cattle with his wife, Brigitte. His other interests have included sailing, flying,
and the military, and is a certified offshore sailor, fixed wing, and helicopter
pilot. He has served as Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the 15th Edmonton Medical
Company, and assumed the same position with the Calgary Highlanders in August 2001.
That December, he assumed the position of Honorary Colonel with the Regiment.
Colonel Gibson sits on a number of committees
related to the Army Reserve and is active in many charitable works through the Order of
St. Lazarus as well as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award program. He has two sons and
three daughters.
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Honorary Lieutenant
Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel Skip MacDonald
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Commanding Officer
Lieutenant Colonel
Mike Vernon
Lieutenant Colonel Vernon was born in
Windsor, Ontario, in 1963. The son of a career army officer, he moved
regularly from base to base across Canada. He was an army cadet for four
years and during that time completed the Basic Parachutist Course. In
his final year of high school, he joined the Canadian Scottish Regiment
as a private. |
In 1981, Lieutenant Colonel Vernon attended
Royal Military College in Kingston, graduating four years later with a
Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. He was commissioned in
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, and completed a Master of
Arts degree at Dalhousie University in Halifax before joining his
regiment's Second Battalion in Baden-Soellingen, West Germany, in
September 1986.
In Germany, Lieutenant Colonel Vernon served
as a mechanized rifle platoon commander, completed the Basic Mortarman
Course, obtained his German jump wings, and played on his unit's rugby
team. When the battalion was repatriated in 1988, he was posted to Royal
Roads Military College as a newly-promoted captain and squadron
commander. One year later, he went to 3 PPCLI as second-in-command of C,
and later Administration, Company. He finished his Short Service
Engagement as a leadership and tactics instructor at the Infantry School
at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown. As a secondary duty, he edited the
quarterly Infantry Journal.
On leaving the army in 1994, he and his
wife, Sherri, moved to Calgary and shortly thereafter he spent a month
in Croatia as a freelance journalist. On his return, he began working
for CBC Newsworld as a researcher and later television news program
producer. He is currently a videojournalist for the CBC TV supper hour
news program "CBC News at Six". During the spring of 2002 he was
assigned to cover Canadian troops in Afghanistan and spent two months in
Kandahar, Kabul, and Bagram.
Lieutenant Colonel Vernon joined the Calgary
Highlanders in 1999. Since then, he has completed a number of staff
courses and served as the operations officer, officer commanding A
Company, and deputy commanding officer. In 2003 he was the deputy
commanding officer of Task Force Four, assigned to fighting forest fires
near Okanagan Falls, BC. In 2006 he completed the Combat Team Commanders
Course in Gagetown, New Brunswick. He was promoted to his present rank
and assumed command of the Calgary Highlanders in October 2007.
Lieutenant Colonel Vernon is married to
Sherri White Vernon and they a nine year-old son. In his spare time
enjoys reading , traveling, listening to music, mountaineering and
sailing.

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Deputy Commanding
Officer Captain
John Alden, CD |

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Officer Commanding "HQ"
Company Captain
Kyle Clapperton |
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Officer Commanding
"A" Company
Major Michael Owens
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Regimental Sergeant Major
Master Warrant Officer
Emmett Kelly, CD
Master Warrant Officer Emmett Kelly was born in Montreal, Quebec, where he
attended public school and later Dawson College. During his college years,
he joined the Primary Reserve as a rifleman in The Black Watch (Royal
Highland Regiment) of Canada, enlisting in 1982. In 1985 he completed the
Infantry Section Commanders Course at L’Ecole de Combat R22eR in addition to
his training as an infantry communicator, basic machine gunner and basic
parachutist. While with the Black Watch he advanced from the rank of Private
to Warrant Officer, and served in all possible positions within the rifle
company, including an extensive amount of time with the Reconnaissance
Platoon. In 1990, Warrant Officer Kelly was employed as a Platoon Second in
Command during Operation SALON, the Canadian Forces' response to the OKA
Crisis, and was attached to 5ieme Regiment Artillerie Leger de Campagne.
Warrant Officer Kelly left Montreal and transferred to Calgary in August of
1995 where he joined the Calgary Highlanders as a Platoon Warrant Officer.
From 1995 to 1999 WO Kelly filled all possible senior administrative roles
in the rifle company in addition to tasking as a platoon commander in 1998.
In 1999 he took a three year Class B position at the Western Area Training
Centre, Wainwright, as the Training WO where he completed the QL7 Infantry
course and was promoted to Master Warrant Officer in April of 2001. He
assumed the position of HQ Company Sergeant Major for the Land Force Western
Area Training Centre, Wainwright, during that time. MWO Kelly returned to
the Calgary Highlanders in 2002 where he has been employed as the "A"
Company CSM, HQ Company CSM and Quartermaster Senior Instructor. In January
of 2008 MWO Kelly completed the CWO Qualification Course at the Canadian
Defence Academy, St Jean Sur Richelieu, Quebec.
In
civilian life MWO Kelly is the Operations Manager for a major construction
management company. He is married with one son and two daughters. |
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Pipe Major
Mister Michael Giles
Pipe Major Giles has been piping for over 18 years. He began his piping
career as a boy piper in the Canadian Scottish Regiment Cadet Corps in Victoria B.C.
Showing an aptitude for the pipes Mike progressed quickly and was playing with the
Regimental band by the age of 13 and continued to for 10 years. During this time
Mike also played as Pipe Sergeant with a civilian competition band on Vancouver island
called The Pacific Gael, with Rene' Cuson a well known piper and judge from the
island. |
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In his early twenties Mike moved to Vancouver and took over
as Pipe Sergeant of a well known band called Triumph Street and after a year took
over as Pipe Major. The band then merged with a former Grade 2 band called Sir John
A MacDonald. Work brought Mike to Calgary in 2004 where he played for fun with the Calgary
Police Pipe Band. In November of 2005 Mike found his way back to his true
love, military piping by being appointed Pipe Major of the Calgary Highlanders. Mike
brought a wealth of Military and Civilian piping experience to the Highlanders and looked
forward to a tremendous growth year with the band.
Pipe Major Giles' first year
resulted in a level of competitve success not enjoyed since Pipe Major Don Maxwell's
tenure; the Pipes and Drums earned the Best Pipe Band award for the Calgary Stampede
Parade, as well as Top Canadian Band overall. In High River in August 2006, the band
placed first in the Grade III Medley Competition of a field of five bands.
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Drum Major Mister Jim Stewart
While his son Donald was learning to play
bagpipes in the Cadet Pipes and Drums, James (Jim) Stewart was no stranger to the bandroom
or Armouries balcony. His keen interest in the workings of the regimental Pipes and
Drums paid off when Pipe Major Rhodes enticed him to join the band as a civilian
volunteer. For a time, the Regiment paraded two Drum Majors; Kent Griffiths and his
protege, Jim Stewart. Born in 1946 in Campbeltown, Argyllshire, Scotland, Stewart
brought a booming parade square voice to his appointment, with an appropriate Scottish
accent. Stewart's previous military experience had been as a submariner in the Royal
Navy from 1964 to 1972. In July of 1980 he moved to Calgary and worked steadily
afterwards as a City of Calgary Building Inspector. He and his wife Margaret also
have a daughter. The Drum Major's uncle had served as a drummer in the Argyll and
Sutherland Highlanders. |
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