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EESTI ELU reedel, 8. jaanuaril 2021 — Friday, January 8, 2021
Hunnius, Gerry Carl (Gerry) July 10, 1926 – October 23, 2020 Gerry passed away very peacefully, at the age of 94, in North Hastings Hospital in Bancroft. He had been living in retirement on Paudash Lake for the past 20 years. The last ten years of retire ment were not easy. Gerry was legally blind, had COPD, loss of hearing, advanced dementia, and mobility issues. Particularly being blind was hard because he had always been an avid reader and followed political issues with great interest. The toll of dementia as it spiked down ward over the past 2 years was devastating, but he main tained a positive attitude throughout, until the moment a week ago when he announced “machine kaput”, he knew he was ready to go. Born von Hunnius, near Tallinn, Estonia into a Baltic German family estate, Gerry lived across eras of social trans formation. As first-born son, he was being groomed to manage the estate, within the loving embrace of his grandmother – his father and mother having left Estonia for a more exciting life in Europe. At 13 his ex tended family moved to occu pied Poland under the good offices of Herr Hitler, in order to flee the impending Soviet occupation and its brutality. As a naval cadet in officer training, he escaped actual combat, but endured bombardments in Hamburg and the hospital city of Carlsbad. All this, while his father, Arthur was interned in a Nazi concentration camp for his active opposition to Hitler through brokering arms to Republican forces in Spain and arranging for Jews to escape on ships through Rotterdam. And at the same time, Gerry was “adopted” by his Uncle Hans who was a member of the SS. All that before the age of 20. After the war, Gerry escaped in broad daylight from an in ternment camp, traded his watch for a bicycle to which he attached a home-made Estonian flag. He bicycled through parts of Germany and successfully located his father. Like others, he lived by his wits, working a
Foreign minister: No change in relations with Russia this year ERR, January 2021 Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) says 2021 will bring no substantive change in Estonia’s relations with the Russian Federation, which he called a good thing. Talking to private radio station Raadio Kuku’s “Välis määraja” show, Reinsalu said: “If you are asking if there will be any change in our relations
farmers’ field for an egg and a straw bed in the barn, a far cry from minor aristocracy. Inflation was hyper-rampant. By accident, en route, he en countered an Esto nian who worked for the Estonian gov ernment in exile in Britain, from whom he obtained those “oh so necessary” papers. His father had connections across Europe from pre-war days, and he managed to get Gerry a job working for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency. In 1949, he had a choice to go to Aust ralia or Canada, and he chose Canada. Upon arrival, he fulfilled his two years’ obligations to the government, as a displaced per son, as a servant and gardener for a demanding employer in Quebec, and then working as an orderly in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. At this time, he dropped the “von” from his name, as he did not want to be identified in Canada as heraldic or upper class. He worked a variety of jobs, from selling encyclopedias and add ing machines to managing an assembly line of women workers for Charles E. Frosst. But his heart was in his university studies as an evening student. Over 8 years he completed his degree in political econo mics from Sir George Williams University (now, Concordia) and began his first radical step in critical thinking and political activism by forming with a few others with like minds, the Asian Studies Group. The group held lectures, spanning a broad range of political views and backgrounds. This was during the McCarthy era in the States (Canada was not im mune) and by inviting the 3rd Secretary of the Soviet Em bassy to speak, Gerry first came to the attention of the RCMP. The principal of the University vindicated the Asian Studies Group, but the die was cast. So began a life of political activism, ranging from anti-war activities and peace research, through worker solidarity cam paigns introducing the concept of workers’ control, through campaigns to promote conser vation and protect the environ ment. Gerry studied the Yugo slav experiment with workers’ control in small enterprises. He
[with Russia] this year, then the answer is no, and I think this is a positive thing, not a negative one.” Reinsalu added that nonethe less, unpredictability in relations with Russia is on the rise, but that Estonia does not view its relations with its eastern neigh bor as a separate entity from its foreign policy and international relations as a whole. He said that he believes that “the background of unpredic tability in relations with Russia can certainly increase. And we know that Russia has also had one method of finding political
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was interested in collectives, cooperatives and some kibbut zim. The contradictions in modern industrialization caused by class interests pushed him to study the mechanisms through which oppression occurred, and which, over time stymied the long-term success of labour union contracts. He was keenly interested in Marx’s concept of worker alienation but he never called himself a Marxist. Nor did he ever join a political party. His support for concepts such as Participatory Democracy and the Extra-Parliamentary Oppo sition were, in a good sense, left-wing populism. A spur in the side of ordinary folk to get involved and yes, challenge the sclerosis of our antiquated parliamentary system. He was happiest at the head of campaigns. He helped form the Canadian Universities and Colleges Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in Montreal, and while he was at the University of Toronto studying for his MA in Political Science, he was the Executive Secretary of the Canadian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (following a simi lar stint with the Canadian Campaign for the Control of Radiation Hazards). He then toured both East and West European countries for one year on behalf of the Canadian Peace Research Institute to initiate dialogue between social scientists on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and formed an organization modelled on the Canadian Pugwash Movement of nuclear physicists opposed to nuclear war. The International Peace Research Association was formed in Holland in 1965. From there, he became the first General Secretary of the International Confederation for Disarmament and Peace, based in London, England. This orga nization brought together peace activists in 52 peace and antiwar organizations in 17 nonaligned countries, including Yugoslavia (in the Soviet sphere) ranging from Quaker organizations to those support ing non-violent direct action to achieve multilateral disarma ment. The ICDP helped co ordinate several international actions which helped bring a close to the war in Vietnam.
(to be continued)
legitimacy for various actions internationally.” Elections to the Duma, the Russian parliament, take place this year, Reinsalu noted, with serious competition expected between the ruling United Russia party and other parties, which he said would be a sign that the current power structure in Russia has a legitimacy issue, which needs to be borne in mind. On January 1, Estonia started its second year of a two-year stint holding a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
Time-lapse video project team on the roof of Tartu College, from left: Taavi Tamtik, Sean Hooper and Tarmo Remmel.
Time-lapse video will record IEC’s historic construction
Estonian Canadian Museum and Archives. He is the point person for the camera’s home base. “This project is a friendly collabora tion between Tartu College and IEC and We only have one chance to record gives an interesting way to present the history in the making, and three in progress of the project to the whole trepid members of the local Estonian world,” Taavi said. “Since technology community are making sure we don’t will be an important part of the new lose a single moment of how the new centre, it fits nicely with that mandate International Estonian Centre (IEC) will as well.” To launch “operation time-lapse”, take shape. the trio scaled the roof of Tartu Tarmo Remmel, Sean Hooper and College, which is located immediately Taavi Tamtik put their imaginations and adjacent to the site of the new centre, technical know-how to work and have and hooked up the camera during a devised a clever plan to record the con mammoth 4.5 hour installation process. struction of the IEC through time-lapse It will stay in place for the duration of photography of its downtown Toronto the construction which is expected to site. All three are donating their time begin in early 2021. and equipment to bring the project to “The roof of Tartu College provides life. a great vantage point – it’s a tall build “The centre will welcome Estonians ing and the camera captures the build from all over the world and this project ing site perfectly,” Tarmo said. allows everyone with access to the The camera operates 24/7 and Internet to follow along with this pro feeds images into a computer that is ject, providing a truly international monitored by the team at their respec scope to the construction of the IEC, “ tive home bases. The sturdy camera is said Tarmo, project manager. heated and can withstand Toronto’s “We will video record and live varying cold and hot temperatures. stream the whole process in HD and “It’s a very exciting time in our then produce time-lapse videos as community’s history,” Tarmo said. “My weekly updates that allow progress to daughter Kalli is five, and she’ll be be observed in short video clips. A able to look at these images when time-lapse of the entire construction is she’s an adult and feel pride in and also being planned,” he explained. connection to her roots. This is for our Tarmo is an Associate Professor future generations, and builds on the with the Faculty of Environmental and incredible foresight our grandparents Urban Change at York University. He is had in keeping the Estonian spirit also a self-confessed “technophile” alive.” who often mounts a small camera onto Check back to www.estoniancentre. his ski helmet so he can record his ca for access to live-streaming and descent down the hills. time-lapse video content once con “I love tinkering with technology,” struction begins. he confesses. The idea for the project took shape International Estonian Centre when Tarmo and Sean started chatting Survey: Your opinion is important! about how valuable it would be to We look forward to breaking ground record construction of the new centre. for the International Estonian Centre in Sean owns an audio-visual services 2021! business and has staged major arts We invite you to participate in a and music productions for events such survey to provide insight for the as Toronto’s Luminato festival. He is Communications Committee. Our new donating use of the special camera home will be a beautiful reflection of that the team mounted onto the roof of our heritage, our present and our Tartu College and that will record future. construction progress. Don’t forget to include your email Sean and his wife Taimi are active and name at the end of the survey for members of the Estonian community. a chance to win one of two $50 Visa Taimi has been involved with the cards! (Survey will close on January Kungla Folk Dancing troupe for a num 12, 2021.) ber of years and is currently a board To access the survey (available in member and instructor. English), go to: “I’m proud to be part of this project, https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ and to lend expertise and equipment to FHT7D8T make it happen,” Sean said. “We’re looking forward to presenting the foot Let’s keep in touch! age we capture in some innovative • Visit our website www.estoniancen ways.” tre.ca for regular updates Taavi is building manager at Tartu • Sign up for our monthly email news College and is also responsible for letter at www.estoniancentre.ca technical support to Eesti Elu, Toronto’s • Follow us on Facebook: @ Estonian newspaper and VEMU, EestiKeskus
