CBN legionnaires look to the future at Spaniard’s Bay gala

By Local Journalism Reporter Olivia Bradbury

Royal Canadian Legion branches throughout Conception Bay North made a big effort this past year to band together and a plan a fitting tribute to mark the 100^th anniversary of the national organization’s founding.

A banquet to mark the event was held at the Spaniard’s Bay Legion on July 18, but there was plenty of work went into beforehand.

At a meeting in Brigus in January, District 2 Commander Gerald Mercer proposed that branches in the district form a committee to plan a centenary anniversary celebration. The committee that formed was made up of representatives from the seven Legion branches in District 2, including Branch #9 Spaniard’s Bay, Branch #15 Harbour Grace, Branch #22 Upper Island Cove, Branch #23 Carbonear, Branch #32 Bay Roberts, Branch #39 Dildo, and Branch #65 Brigus. The committee met every Thursday to work on the preparations.

Among the dignitaries who attended the event was Lieutenant Governor Joan Marie Aylward.

“Getting someone like the lieutenant governor to be our guest speaker who, heart and soul, is the Legion, is going to be a great honour, a great night,” Mercer said on the eve of the event.

As the Royal Canadian Legion embarks on its second century of serving veterans and retired Canadian Forces members and their families, it is continuing to broaden its membership.

Carbonear Legion vice president David Hollett said people do not need to be veterans to join the legion.

“I’m an associate member. I’ve never been in the military,” Hollett said. “And that’s the biggest hurdle for a lot of people is they didn’t know there were other ways to join the Legion.”

Hollett said the old stereotype of the Legion being an “an old white man’s drinking place,” is just that, a stereotype, and one ungrounded in truth. Hollett said the Legion is much more than that and helps not only veterans, but the larger community.

Many Legion halls serve as community centres in their town’s, a place where seniors and youth groups gather regularly for local events, the site of weekly bingos, and as the reception hall for many a wedding.

Over 200 people attended the 100^th anniversary banquet in Spaniard’s Bay. Along with the Lieutenant Governor, the guests included Avalon MP Paul Connors, Eastern Peninsulas MP Jonathan Rowe, Carbonear-Trinity-Bay de Verde MHA Riley Balsom, Justice Minister Helen Conway-Ottenheimer, and several mayors. Other notable guests included Royal Canadian Legion President Berkley Lawrence and Newfoundland and Labrador Command President Janis Boone.

It was Aylward however who generated the most buzz, and whose friendly personality added to the festive atmosphere.

“We are so proud, so happy, Your Honours, to have you here,” said retired naval Captain George Forward, a member of the Brigus Legion, who emceed the banquet, referring to Aylward and her husband retired judge Carl Thompson.

“Imagine, imagine, the highest-ranking official in this province,” Forward added. “There is no one but the king and the Lord God Almighty higher than those two in this province. This is fantastic. And they came here, to Spaniard’s Bay!”

Aylward was presented with a painting artist Fred Bulbeck that depicts the war monuments in all seven District 2 communities.

There were also musical performances. Twenty-three-year-old Cara Callahan, the youngest member of the Spaniard’s Bay Legion, composed and performed a song called “The Strong but Brave.”

The Singing Legionnaires, a group that was formed in 1967, also performed a variety of songs.

“They are Legionnaires who just love to sing,” Callahan said. “And they are booked solid. Over 80 engagements a year, and they’re always looking for new members.”

A small, round table with a single empty chair near the front of the room was dedicated to fallen soldiers. The table contained symbolic items including a red ribbon, representing the Legion members’ continuous determination to remember their fallen comrades; a slice of lemon, representing the bitter fate of the soldiers who did not return; and a pinch of salt, representing the tears of the families left to mourn those lost in war.

Forward described how the legion has evolved over the years. “It’s not just a drinking club for old white guys with medals,” he said. “There are more non-veterans in the Legion than veterans. There’s just as many women presidents as men.”

Forward said the Legion wants to support newer veterans as well as older ones. He said veteran care is more complicated today than it was in the past, and the organization needs to look out for younger veterans who return to the province to live after their service. “They’re in our communities, and they’re not self-identified,” said Forward. “Those are the vets who need our help. Those are the vets that the Legion is evolving to help… We’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ve got a lot of growing up to do. There’s stuff that will never change. We’re still the guardians of remembrance. We are still the bulwark of service. We are still the ones that maintain all the legacy of all those men and women who came before. But we’re also the organization that has the willingness, has the drive, has the support to change to meet the new obstacles that veterans face today… Remembrance is not simply about looking back — it is about carrying forward.”