JOOP GERRITSMA, "UEL: KEEPERS OF CANADA'S HISTORY," WELLAND TRIBUNE (APRIL 15, 2000).

Copyright Tribune (Welland) 2000)

WELLAND - Canadian family values and morals "are constantly being eroded by drugs and porn, and the average Canadian does absolutely nothing about it."

It is one of the reasons why Ed Scott, outgoing Dominion president of the National United Empire Loyalists' Association believes there is still a place for the association in the Canada of today.

"We try to promote family values and a belief in God," he explains.

While he believes that in general "our cultural distinctiveness is being eroded" by American television, he is also seeing some hopeful signs. History programs on American TV are giving some Canadians reason to get more interested in their own history and in preserving it, he says.

During his two years as president of the national organization, Scott, who is from Welland, says he has found overwhelming proof that people across the country "are becoming more aware of their history," and if they have an Empire Loyalist background, "they want to preserve it," he says.

In fact, when he says farewell as Dominion president next month, he'll report that the membership of 2,000 as of March, is up by about 100 from last year.

"We've got more members joining now than we had a few years ago. Therefore reports of the association's demise "are greatly exaggerated," he says. "I would like to say it will go on forever."

He doesn't see any threat at the moment to the association's continued existence, but he can't explain the sudden interest in the UEL either, other than to say, "I guess we are doing something right."

Although there is an increase in younger members, most new and current members are in their fifties and sixties. People in their thirties and forties are busy raising families and making a living, stopping them from getting involved with the UEL.

The largest concentrations of Loyalists are in Ontario and in the Maritimes. Quebec is represented rather thinly, with three branches which among them, have some 80 members. This is barely more than the total in the Col. John Butler (Niagara) chapter in this region. Its membership has fluctuated around 70 for the past few years.

The low membership in Quebec, Scott believes, is not because of the francophone influence, but because "the anglos have left Quebec. Their children are leaving the province."

What is holding each of the 29 local branches across the country together? Scott believes it is in part the camaraderie during branch meetings, the joint interest in genealogy and the interest in everything that is connected with the Loyalist heritage. Such as archeological digs and restoration of Loyalist sites.

The members "relate to each other as members of a family. They may have disagreements, but they stay together. I was always welcomed very warmly" when visiting as branch anywhere in Canada."

The branches of the association through its head office in Toronto, are also contributing to Loyalist-related projects across the country, says Scott.

In Halifax, for instance, Loyalists donated money toward the old St. George round church, a Loyalist church that was heavily damaged by fire a few years ago, to the restoration of the restoration of the burial vault of prominent Quebec Loyalist Sir John Johnson, who came from the Mohawk Valley in New York and who is remembered because he helped settle some 1,000 Loyalists in Ontario and Quebec. His vault was bulldozed by the then-owner of the land in the 1950s.

Scott himself took part last spring and summer is an archeological dig of the Col. John Butler site in Niagara-on-the- Lake. He calls it "grass-roots history."

But Scott freely admits not all Loyalists are loyal.

"Some people join just to get the certificate proving they are Loyalists, to hang on the wall and you never hear from them again."

Scott is proud he could play a role in the Ontario government passing legislature that proclaims June 19 as United Empire Loyalist Day in Ontario in 1998.

He is also pleased with the fact that the government has includes Loyalist history in the curriculum of Grades 3 and 7 in all elementary schools in the province. The association has published a handbook for teachers to help them in teaching Loyalist history. He hopes that by getting to the children, they will be able to reach the parents.

When Scott was still first vice-president he was actively involved in recruiting new members. One of his main tools in doing so, was the Internet.

"When I was at a convention in Edmonton, someone told me the E in my name did not stand for Edward, but for e-mail," he laughs.

During his two-year term as president, which is ending in May, he started a burial documentation record for known Loyalists. The project aims at finding and recording the location of all graves of Loyalists in Canada, collecting information about the site and the person buried there, and a photograph of the site.

It is a long-term project, and he hopes it can be completed in the next two years.

But even the venerable United Empire Loyalist's Association is "renewing" itself. Besides immersing itself in the Loyalist history that started with the American Revolutionary War of 1776, the association is now also getting involved with the history of the War of 1812.

"That war," he says, "is not recognized as part of Canadian history. But many of the soldiers who fought on the Canadian side, were the sons of Loyalists.

Scott is leaving the presidency of the national organization with many good feelings.

"I made a lot of personal friendships," he says. "It has been an interesting two years."

Is there anything he did not like about the past two years?

"Well, what I disliked most about this job is the drive down the QEW to Toronto (for meetings at head office) and finding a parking spot."

But he added it was only a minor irritant compared to the "fun" he has had.

TAKE NOTE

United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada:

- 29 branches across Canada.

- 2000 members, all descendants of United Empire Loyalists.

- About 200 members in the U.S.

- Next annual convention: May 6 at Renaissance Hotel Fallsview Hotel, Niagara Falls.

- No. of delegates registered: 142, banquet participants: 200

- Convention guest speaker: Ontario Lt. Gov. Hilary M. Weston

- Outgoing Dominion president: Ed Scott of Welland.

- Incoming Dominion president: Bill Terry of Simcoe, now first vice-president.

- Local branch: Col. John Butler (Niagara) Branch.

- Local president: Beverly Craig

- Members in Niagara branch: fluctuates between 60 and 80