Legion formalizing Remembrance Day plans
By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Strathmore Legion has set its executives for the year following an election and is looking to formalize its Remembrance Day plans.
The Royal Canadian Legion Branch #10 held its elections on Sept. 22 to select a new executive team that will work through to November 2021. Alan Auger remains branch president, while Abbie Wilcox-Giroux was elected first vice president and Bruce Westgard second vice president.
Kevin Clark is the Poppy Chair and Sgt. At Arms, a position which ensures meetings remain in order. The Sgt. At Arms also attends ceremonies, such as Remembrance Day, Colour Parties and flag bearing.
The new service officer is Dawn Clark, who will help any veterans that come to the branch for assistance.
Claire Wiseman, hired for public relations, will finish the group’s website and manage its Facebook page. Jenny Schumann is the acting past president and membership chair. Karen Oliphant is responsible for bingo, and Teresa Stark rounds out the executive team.
With many of the executives being in their second year of the position, they have more confidence to get things done, said Auger. “Everyone has a bright outlook and a lot of good ideas, so I see us prospering here.”
The group is working to formalize its Remembrance Day plans, but is planning either an indoor or outdoor ceremony, or a combination of the two, he said. “We’re just getting ready to put them on paper,” said Auger.
The ceremonies will not be held at the town’s Civic Centre, and instead will be held at the branch, where “it’s a little easier to control the crowd,” said Auger. “Weather depending, we might be able to do it outside in front of our cenotaph right at the branch, and hopefully we can block off part of the street and have people join us there.”
Due to COVID-19, there will be no marching, the cadets will not participate and the laying of the wreaths will be different. Instead, the ceremonies will feature speakers and a roll call of the local veterans that have passed, said Auger.
During the meeting, the group also discussed its finances, including bringing in a new point of scale system, which will “help bring us into the 2000s,” said Auger. “The tills that we use at our branch are a little antiquated, so this new system will help us track inventories and make it easier to do pricing.”
They also decided not to lock-in funds from guaranteed investment certificates (GIC) in case they are needed. Since reopening, the branch has “not quite been breaking even,” said Auger.
However, slowly but surely, more people are coming back. “We’ve got event plans, people are coming in booking their Christmas parties, ceremonies of life and other events, so we’re gaining a little momentum.”
The legion has been helped by partnering with PJ’s Diner, which is providing the legion with food service, including a new wing night on Thursdays.
“It’s brought a lot of new faces, and I think it’s brought a few new memberships in as well,” said Auger. “When people come into the legion, they realize what it has to offer, and that it’s not just an old boys club – our doors are open and we invite people to come in and check us out, and PJ’s has helped us do that.”