I grew up in Toronto in the 50's and 60's not far from the Estonian House, Eesti Maja. My mother wanted me to join in the activities of the Estonian youth but I was against it and consequently had very little to do with anything Estonian. But an interesting thing happened to me when I acquired a friend who lived in Estonia and she invited me to visit. I booked a ticket to fly to Tallinn on August 20, 1991. The night before, Russian tanks had cruised the streets of Tallinn as the coup d’etat in Moscow played out. The Finn Air 747 plane left for Helsinki half empty.

On the Friday, August 23, it was the 52nd anniversary of the 1939 Molotov Ribbentrop Non-Agression Pact subjugating Estonia to Russian occupation and there was a demonstration at Pikk Hermann which we attended. I found myself standing next to my fellow countrymen and women, watching the flag hoisted, as the shoulders of the woman in front of me heaved up and down and a handkerchief continually going up to her eyes. My friend Lya said, "We have all agreed to eat potato peels, if necessary, to get our freedom". While the crowd sang young girls in traditional costume ran amongst the nearby rosebushes, unaware of the monumental changes occurring, a fact not lost on me as I stood there feeling incredibly astonished that I, a fringe Estonian, was witnessing this wondrous history in the making. Ceremony over, we drove the back country lanes where many people stood by fires at the side of the road waving the blue, black and white flag. Cars flashed their lights on and off and I encouraged our driver to honk. It was a night of unparalleled solidarity, marking the second time Estonia was independent in the 20th century.

Back in 1971 census figures showed that the Estonian ethnic group in Canada was frozen. A low reproductive age group, compounded by assimilation into non-Estonian marriages, and no immigration from Estonia to speak of, were strong indicators the Estonian population was endangered. The population in Estonia was l.36 million people as of August 2003, about 900,000 being blood Estonians. The birthrate overall in the country is 13,000 to a death rate of 18,355. This translates to a low fertility rate of 1.3 children averaged out per woman. Worldwide there are approximately one million Estonians, with roughly 160,000 Estonians living outside their homeland. Estonian communities larger than 1,000 people can be found in only 11 countries.

Looking at the state of our organizations and churches it is clear that we are short of people. The few able-bodied volunteers are overburdened. Lennart Meri spoke these poignant and haunting words in 1994: "Are these the first signs of weariness? No, we are not weary, and we will not become weary.. We have never tired throughout the seven centuries of carrying our country within ourselves." If our ancestors could carry their country in their hearts for seven centuries, twenty-eight generations, I am certain that we can and will muster the resolve and energy to keep our Estonian heritage alive and flourishing.

Märkmed: