Lt. John Baines Calder of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment was slain by a sniper's bullet in northern Italy in December, 1944. It always bothered Madeline that he was not buried in Canada, closer to his family. In May 2009 she went with a tour group to Italy to commemorate the 65th anniversary for the battle of the "Hitler Line," south of Rome. The tour also went to the war cemetery near Rimini where Madeline and the group visited her dad's grave. The group included veterans who fought during the Italian Campaign against some of Hitler's best troops in WWII. Getting to know the vets and hearing their stories made a huge impression on everyone, including Madeline. We were fortunate to be able to be with Madeline and participate in a unique and very personal graveside service to honour her dad.

Madeline's Rock is one in a series of short films by Max Fraser called "Documentaries of Remembrance" that follow Canadians' journeys to Europe to honour the fallen.