RCL Ladies Auxiliary celebrates 75 years

By John Watson Local Journalism initiative Reporter

The Royal Canadian Legion (RCL) Branch #10 Ladies Auxiliary hosted a tea on June 4 to honour three milestone occasions simultaneously.

Brenda Knight, president of the ladies’ auxiliary, said it was exciting to have such a large turnout and to be able to meet in person to celebrate.

“The event is in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the RCL Ladies Auxiliary Branch # 10 in Strathmore. We’re celebrating 75 years, we are celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee for 70 years and we are also doing a salute to the Great War Memorial Hall for 100 years,” said Knight. “It is amazing that all the community came out to support us … It’s great to turn off the TV, turn off the internet and have a social day today.”

Knight said the Ladies Auxiliary has been working in and serving the community, conducting donations adding up to “tens of thousands” over the past 75 years.

A tea to celebrate an anniversary is something the auxiliary tries to host on an annual basis. This particular event was quite a unique opportunity to host.

“We try to do an annual tea every year, (but) this one, we have more this year than we have ever had because of the anniversaries,” said Knight. “It worked out really well. We did do a celebration on Her (Majesty’s) 65th five years ago and this one is 70 years. I’m hoping that it is not the last, but it is what it is.”

Live entertainment, videos dug up from the basement of the memorial hall, tribute to the queen and a tribute to the building on video were put on for those in attendance.

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee occurred from June 2 to 5, officially and celebrates Queen Elizabeth II’s reign of 70 years.

The Great War Memorial Hall will officially turn 100 in July, for which the Legion is currently working to organize.

The tea was open to the public as opposed to being an exclusive event, and as Knight explained, was operationally quite similar to past events held by the Ladies Auxiliary.

“It’s been fun. We have had a few worker bees getting everything together from the wine glasses to the water glasses shined to the cutlery polished. The ladies have been working really hard to get this pulled off today,” said Knight. “Our teas are actually quite similar, we usually have fancies and dainties and sandwiches and homemade scones and biscuits.”