UNITY — Unity Legion Branch No. 90 welcomed community members to join them in raising the Canadian flag Sept. 23, for the first annual National Legion Week.
Each Legion was asked to participate, and with the installation of the new flag pole, the branch felt an inaugural flag-raising followed by coffee and cake was a suitable event to host.
The event had 11 members present, who were able to visit with the public. Branch president, Lorne Kohlman, addressed the audience with many thanks to the members who helped with planning the event, the RCMP for attending and the public for taking the time to come out. He also gave thanks to the Town of Unity for the assistance with installing the new flag pole.
The Legion currently has roughly 40 members on paper, and at one point the branch had 235 active members. With the decline in membership, the building has started to fall into disrepair. Kohlman said that there was a point when the lounge located in the basement was open seven days a week, with members coming and going as they pleased. He adds they are always welcoming new members as the current membership is slowly aging away.
Veterans in and around the Unity area have been meeting regularly since 1919, and in 1930, became part of the Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Command. With 104 years of meetings, the Unity Legion Branch No. 90 continues to participate in Remembrance Day Services in the local schools within Unity and Macklin.
With November approaching quickly, many of the members wanted to remind the public that the Remembrance Day Poppy Campaign will be starting soon, and they are looking forward to seeing a good turnout for the Remembrance Day service.
