The XUNICEF 2023 Reunion, Toronto : Fouad Kronfol

 

From Far and Near

They All Met Here,

As XUNICEF Members came to Cheer

Their Colleagues In the Reunion this Year.

Although it had been planned to hold the Reunion in 2020, the COVID pandemic put things on hold for almost three years and so this meeting was finally held from 25 -30 August this year. It has a special feature in that it represents the 30th XUNICEF Reunion in a series that started in 1990. It is also the second Reunion to be held in Canada after the one in 2008 in Montreal.

The three organisers, Niloufar Pourzand, Mahendra Sheth and Mahboob Sharif were working on this Reunion since its inception. Together with their spouses and the participants the total attendance reached some 65 persons. Of note was the fact that this included four young attendees who were not UNICEF staff but grand-children of UNICEF retirees.

The Chelsea Hotel at 33 Gerrard Street was the venue for the XUNICEF REUNION in Toronto. With its 1650 rooms it is one of the largest hotels in Canada. Located in downtown it is surrounded by, and part of, the steel, cement and glass "urban jungle" of Canada's largest city in its most populous province.

The Welcome Cocktail started things with participants greeting each other and exchanging information about their respective news since the last Reunion. Each one was given a blue T-Shirt, a Tote Bag and various documentation on the meeting, the city and other details. Name tags reminded participants of their colleagues from earlier years. The "Man of the Moment" was obviously Baquer Namazi , whose family's most difficult experiences with his and his son Siamak's imprisonment in Iran, was one of the events that XUNICEF colleagues all over the world had been aware of and many had participated in the demonstration of solidarity that involved circulating photos of colleagues holding a sheet demanding the release of Baquer and Siamak.

 

The first tour involved a visit to the CN Tower, the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere at 553.3 meters, from the top of which one can see the Niagara Falls on a clear day. With its glass floor one gets an incredible view of all the surrounding buildings underneath. The trip to the Harborfront Centre on Lake Ontario provided a contrast to the Tower and enabled participants to make a short cruise on a Tall Ship Boat. With August being the peak of the summer vacation season, the group's logistics was a bit perturbed as many other events were being held around town. Next to the town's Civic Centre and its City Hall was another large festive event featuring south-east Asian music, food, tourism etc.

Sunday was our main "cultural tours" day including the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario, both of which focussed on Canadian indigenous art, history and culture. The ROM is one the country's premier museums and has a rich collection of art from many eras and locations. Our time allowed only visiting the first level where the First Nations section featured a wonderful collection of artifacts related to the indigenous population of the country. At the AGO , with its more than 90,000 works of art making it one of the largest and most distinguished museums in North America ,also we were guided around the main works of important Canadian artists. The Gallery itself is an exceptional piece of architecture; its 1920's original structure having been transformed by the world famous Frank Gehry. This included the famous boat-shaped space called the "Galleria Italia". The lunch break allowed us to visit the "Distillery District" an area full of small shops, eating places, bars and fun things to do..We ate at Cluny's, an elegant French-type bistro.

The longest and most interesting day for many was the tour to Niagara Falls. This included a ride in the Hornblower boat, a tour of the Inniskillin Estates winery with tastings and a ride through the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, known as one of the prettiest villages in Canada. It is famous for holding an annual Bernard Shaw festival of plays and many other items related to his work. In many ways it complements the town of Stratford-on-Avon famous for its theatres which focus on William Shakespeare.

The final day was for me the highlight of our visits which included the Aga Khan Museum and its grounds located in North York. This remarkable 17 acre domain includes a spectacular museum as well as a place of worship . It is dedicated to provide a window into the artistic, intellectual and scientific contributions of Muslim civilizations to world heritage. The museum has a special exhibit on the Sufi poet Jalalil Din Rumi which is of much interest.

Our group had one meeting/discussion prior to the farewell dinner in which we discussed the location of the next Reunion (Manila/Philippines by acclamation, to be held in spring 2025), as well as other subjects related to the XUNICEFnetwork including possible MOU with UNICEF HQ, the News and Views publication, the need to encourage and receive new retirees, and finally the writing of the report on the Toronto Reunion. Ably chaired by Mary Racelis, our Doyenne XUNICEF member, we covered much ground which will be reported on as soon as sections are prepared.

The Farewell Dinner concluded the events of this Reunion. Apart from the food and drinks we were treated to dance music provided by a DJ and most participants showed their abilities on the dance floor with much gusto. We also had the pleasure of seeing a spirited belly-dancing show by an attractive young Turkish lady who charmed the group with her movements, grace and abilities. Many photos were taken in a special booth set up for the occasion, as well as with individual cameras.

Fouad