All posts by Dinger

About Dinger

A sea cadet at RCSCC LION from 1963 to 1968, I joined the Naval Reserve at HMCS STAR in 1968 as a Bos'n. I was an Officer Cadet in the ROUTP, commissioned in 1971, and awarded my watchkeeping ticket in 1973. I served at sea, at one time or another, in all five Gate Vessels and HMCS FORT STEELE & CHAUDIERE as well as the Coast Guard icebreaker Louis St. Laurent and served as OIC of the patrol vessels RALLY and RAPID. At STAR from 1968 to 2007, I served as XO twice and then as CO from 2002 to 2005. I rounded out my career by serving as SSO Training at NAVRESHQ in Quebec City in 2008, retiring in 2009 as CO of HMCS HUNTER in Windsor. I was Executive Director for the Friends of HMCS HAIDA till 2011 and have been an active volunteer onboard HAIDA since she arrived in Hamilton in 2003.

DHH Donation

Through the good offices of Captain (Ret’d) Steve Waldron of the 31 Service Battalion Museum, we received several books from the Department of History and Heritage of the Canadian Armed Forces. Excellent additions to our library available to members of the ship’s company.

Change of Command

On Tuesday evening, 8 July, LCdr Kevin Ng became the 38th Commanding Officer of HMCS STAR, assuming command from LCdr Michael DiBerardo. The ceremony took place in front of HMCS HAIDA and was presided over by Captain(N) Geoffrey Hamilton, Central Region Captain.

LCdr Kevin Ng, 38th CO of HMCS STAR
LCdr Michael DiBerardo, 37th CO of HMCS STAR
From left to right: STAR 25 – Cdr Robert Williamson; STAR 29 – LCdr Doug Martin; STAR 30 – LCdr Neil Bell; STAR 31 – LCdr Glenna Swing; STAR 33 – LCdr Shekhar Gothi; STAR 34 – Cdr Glenn Woolfrey; STAR 35 – Cdr Stephen Churm; STAR 36 – LCdr Marie-Sonya Sowa; and STAR 38 – LCdr Kevin Ng. STAR 37 – LCdr Michael DiBerardo was returning from being “rowed ashore” by RHIB.

RIP John Deadman

Fondly remembered by many, John was a long-time participant in the activities of the Naval Association of Canada – Hamilton Area Group.

Hamilton Spectator 5 July 2025 John Carruthers Deadman, 94, of Ancaster died on Thursday, June 26, 2025. He was born on December 14, 1930, to Helene Deadman (Trenaman) and William Deadman in Hamilton, Ontario. John attended the University of Toronto for a B.A. and later his M.D., specializing in psychiatry. During his career he worked at Whitby Psychiatric Hospital, Queen’s Park in Toronto and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton, and taught at McMaster University.

He married Frances Helen Taylor in August of 1958 and they had three children, Peter (Linda), Stephen and Richard (Carol). Grandfather to Lee, Matthew, Sean, Alex, Gwen, Tom, Charlene, Juliana and Daxton. After the passing of Fran in 1994 he married Beatrice Bill in 1997, stepmother to Lynda and Bronwyn. Bea passed in October 2023.

Services are entrusted to Dodsworth and Brown Funeral Home – Ancaster Chapel. A funeral service will be help on Wednesday, July 9th at St. John’s Anglican Church in Ancaster (272 Wilson St. E) at 11 a.m. An interment will follow at St. John’s Anglican Cemetery follow the service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund in memory of John.