Montréal, Quebec
Mr. Alain Stanké arrived in Quebec in 1951 and since then he has worked in the field of communications. He is the author of more than 30 publications, essays, biographies, special reports and documentaries. In 2001, Mr. Stanké did research, gave presentations and conducted interviews in order to write the television documentary La plage maudite [the damned beach]. Through this documentary, Mr. Stanké shows his commitment to Quebec's heroes by highlighting the lives of five Veterans who landed on the beaches of Normandy in 1944. Since then, he has worked on many projects, of which several were for Radio-Canada, depicting the lives and stories of Veterans such as Lieutenant Colonel Charles Forbes. The documentary Ne tirez pas! [don't shoot!] was shown on Radio-Canada last year and the documentary on Lieutenant-Colonel Forbes Le dernier des fantassins [the last combat soldier] will be shown soon. He is currently filming a documentary entitled Des jeunes de cœur [young at heart], about a weekly breakfast club where 150 Veterans from the Quebec City region gather together. This morning get-together, which has been happening for 15 years now, showcases the importance of and the need for open discussion among those who have lived similar experiences in times of conflict. Mr. Stanké is presently preparing a series of thematic vignettes for Veterans' Week 2011, which will be aired on Historia, a French-language television channel. Thanks to his considerable talent as a communicator, Mr. Stanké has performed an invaluable service by commemorating the contributions and sacrifices of Canada's Veterans.