Being true to the “Lotta Hitschmanova” spirit, they decided to donate what would have been their airfare to the organization that Lotta had founded.

Today is the 115^th anniversary of the birth of beloved humanitarian Dr. Lotta Hitschmanova, CC — a time to celebrate her life’s work, but also a time to celebrate some of the remarkable Canadians that she herself inspired.

Today I’d like to feature two dear friends who sadly are no longer with us: Helen Backhouse who died in February 2024 and John Backhouse who died in September 2023.

I owe a lot to Helen and John, as it is fair to say that if I had never met them, I don’t think I would have created this website in honour of Dr. Lotta. More on this later.

Helen and John were both life-long Unitarians and loyal supporters of Dr. Lotta Hitschmanova and her work with USC Canada (the Unitarian Service Committee, or as it is now called, SeedChange). Helen was a USC volunteer in the 1960s in Montreal, knew Lotta personally, was often her chauffeur, and ended up serving on the USC Canada Board of Directors.

In 2004, Rev. Katie Stein Sather gave a sermon at the Victoria Unitarian church that included something Helen had written about her volunteer work for Lotta and USC:

“I know that the Lakeshore church in Pointe Claire, Quebec was very involved, as I was part of the involvement. We collected, washed, mended and packed clothing for a number of years. I used to go with our VW bus to church sales and pick up all the left over used clothing. Sometimes there was just room for me to get into the van and drive it using the outside mirrors to see.

A typical USC volunteer group, pictured here in Victoria.

“Besides all the packing, there were a number of women who knitted for children, and others who made baby items, and these were brought to the church to be included in the boxes.

“As Pointe Claire is quite a large pharmaceutical manufacturing area, donations were given to USC. These did not go to the church but came to our house as it was felt that they would be safe there until picked up to be flown to the destination point.

“The church school made quilts to send to Korea, lots of fun and involved more than the children. Fathers using sewing machines were a great hit with the kids. The Montreal church also had a packing team.

“When we moved out to Calgary in 1972, I became involved with USC here. I had been on the USC board for a number of years prior to moving.

“Lotta was quite clear that she wanted me to be her driver when she was in town, for she was used to me, and felt that she did not need to entertain me. She could think about the interviews, etc that were coming up. This was fine with me.”

I first met Helen and John when they kindly hosted me at their home in February 2009, when I was giving a talk about Lotta at their Unitarian Church in Calgary.

At one point the three of us were chatting away in their kitchen, and I think it was John who first asked me those fateful questions:

“What’s happening at 56 Sparks Street in Ottawa? Are there plans for a big celebration around Lotta’s 100^th anniversary this year? It would be great to do something here in Calgary, if only we had some resource materials that we could work with….”

I took a deep breath, as I knew nothing had really been planned yet. However, the next day I sent an email to my USC colleagues in Ottawa about the Backhouses’ idea. And before you know it, a whole team leapt into action, with truly remarkable results.

And thus, because of this germ of an idea that sprouted in the Backhouse kitchen, USC Canada launched a nation-wide campaign celebrating the 100^th anniversary of Dr. Lotta’s birth:

• A special Lotta 100th television PSA was produced and broadcast across the country throughout 2009 and in subsequent years.

• Special CDs and DVDs on Lotta’s life were created and distributed to Unitarian congregations and other groups across the country, along with a DVD of Peter Lockyer’s 1988 documentary film, Soldier of Peace.
• Over 50 separate events commemorating Lotta’s centenary were organized from coast to coast.

One of these events was a Lotta 100th celebration in Ottawa on November 12, 2009, hosted by the late Bob Carty. Helen and John were of course invited, but they decided not to attend.

Being true to the “Lotta Hitschmanova” spirit, they decided instead to donate what would have been their airfare to the organization that Lotta had founded.

Bob Carty read out a note that Helen and John had written for this event:

“They did say that ‘in their experience any request Dr. Lotta made could hardly be refused. This was the model of how she worked. But she had a profound influence on our family and on our children.’

“So they’re organizing a celebration on November 29 at the Calgary Unitarian Congregation.”

And one of those children, their daughter Frances Backhouse, shares the following reminiscence:

“USC was a big part of my childhood and helped open my eyes to inequities in the world and our ability to address them.

“Having Dr. Hitschmanova come and stay with us on at least one occasion (I was probably around eight years old the first time) greatly impressed me. My first close-up encounter with a celebrity!”

The Lotta 100 celebrations across Canada, sprouting from a seed planted by Helen and John, created a unique energy, something I had never witnessed before.

People across the country felt the urge to publicly share their “Lotta stories”, what she had meant to them, how they had first met her, and so on.

And it was this energy, in large part inspired by Helen and John Backhouse, that led me so many years later to create this very website in honour of Dr. Lotta.

Thank you Lotta for inspiring generations of Canadians to take action and help others in need far away. And thank you Helen and John for your contributions, both big and small, over so many decades!

David Rain