The Royal Canadian Legion, St. George Branch #605, celebrated its 60th anniversary on Saturday, November 23, 2024.
During the event, members of various Legions, such as Dunsdon Branch #461, Paris Branch #29, and Lynden Branch #500, were all in attendance to show their support and congratulate the fellow Legion.
To kick off the celebration, James Keenan, President of Branch #605, said that he was proud of all that the Legion has accomplished since its inception in 1964.
“The commitment of the Royal Canadian Legion is to support veterans and their families, youth, seniors and the community. Sixty years ago, 14 men signed the charter creating Branch 605 of the Royal Canadian Legion, and with the signing began our commitment to the long tradition of service and support,” said Keenan. “I look back at the accomplishments of our Legion and our members over the last 60 years, and I look back at the accomplishments of my 18 predecessors during their stewardship of Branch 605, over the last 60 years and I am humbled. Humbled by the years of dedicated service and support of our veterans and the community. Our members, staff, volunteers, community partners and the community at large have all played a part in our successes.”
He then thanked his comrades for all their contributions and urged them to continue on with the good work.
“Comrades, please accept my heartfelt thank you to all of those who have faithfully carried out the traditions of our branch, who have participated and who have helped to make Branch 605 a successful contributing organization within the community of St. George over the past 60 years,” said Keenan. “This anniversary, let us commemorate our past, rejoice in the present and set our sights on our continued success, happy anniversary.”
Shortly after, Larry Brock, MP for Brantford-Brant, Will Bouma, MPP for Brantford-Brant, David Bailey, Mayor for the County of Brant, and Kevin Davis, Mayor for the City of Brantford, all took turns speaking about the Legion and presented Keenan with various certificates.
Jack Gemmell, the District B Commander, brought congratulations on behalf of the senior elected officers and the staff on the Ontario Command floor.
“It’s an honour to be here to celebrate your 60th. …Before I got here today, I was going through my files outlining what you’ve done over the last few years since COVID-19, and I must say, it was great to see how much this branch has been growing financially and with membership over the last few years, you’ve done a fantastic job here,” said Gemmel. “One of my favourite things about being part of the Legion is the generosity of all the branches in District B, of which you are part of in 605; at our last convention in Burlington, the branches of District B, from their Poppy funds, donated $178,000 to the various veterans programs at the Legion. It’s the hard work of the members and the generosity of your communities that help you do this and help us keep these programs running. I feel very humble and very grateful to the branches in this district, or as I call them, my branches. You’ve done a fantastic job and I want to say keep up the good work.”
After a few more speeches, the luncheon and a short break to look at photos taken throughout the years, Lori Borda, 1st Vice President for Branch #605, Dianne Hodges, the Zone B2 Commander, Gemmell and Keenan all helped present long-serving members with award for their service in the Legion.
Overall, Keenan said that while Legions may have slightly changed over the years, having a place where veterans of the past, present and future can come and be together, is an important resource.
“I had 32 years in the military but I only recently joined the Legion and I have to say, it’s nice to have the support,” he said. “We still get new veterans joining Legions across the country all the time, veterans of Afghanistan who have come home and are looking for support, and I think that Legions will continue to have an important role to play in their journeys.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
