KEEPER OF THE LION

The "Keeper of the Lion" is traditionally the youngest officer at 427 Squadron. The Lion itself is a bronze statue that was presented to the Squadron in 1943 by the president of the famous movie production company Metro Goldwyn-Mayer, a company with close ties to the Lion Squadron. Legend has it that the Lion went missing for almost twenty years after the War before being found used as a door-stop by Wing Commander Davie Ross. Since that time, the "Keeper of the Lion" has had the duty of never letting the Lion get out of sight. Lately, the Lion spends most of its time in the Petawawa Base Museum, coming out for official Squadron functions such as the Gathering of the Lions and the Change of Command ceremony in 2008. According to Orders, the Keeper of the Lion has the following responsibilities:

• Ensure the safety of the Lion. This is Paramount. The danger does not come from other Lions, but from outsiders;
• Bring the Lion to any official function or when requested by the CO;
• Retrieve the Lion from the museum and return it to the museum following the function;
• Ensure with museum personnel that only you and the CO can pick up the Lion and
• Be aware of the museum opening and closing hours.

Thanks to Captain Matt Snider