Branch Info

Next General Meeting:

Wednesday, June 18th at 7:00pm

Address: 5037 52ave.

Vegreville, Alberta, T9C 1M2

Phone: 780-632-3900

Email: rclbr39@telus.net

Branch Executive

President: Terry Kuzyk

1st Vice President: Kathy Dmytriw

2nd Vice President: Ria Radcliffe

Past President: Diane Fausak

Treasurer:  Susan Essery

Secretary: Karen Roberts

Service Officer: Diane Lydom

Sergeant-At- Arms: Gregory Cuthbertson

Bar Steward:Connie Bay

Bookkeeper:  Angela Mitchell

Executive Members: Ellen Essery, Cindy Hayter, Morgana Larsen, Collette St. Pierre, Heather Short

Air Cadets: Kathy Dmytriw / Cpt. Shelby Anderson

Bartending: Ellen Essery

Bingo: Diane Billingsley

Breakfast: Connie Bay

Catering: Diane Fausak

Ladies Auxiliary: Cindy Herbert

Membership: Ellen Essery

Poppy: Heather Short

Steak Fry: Cindy Hayter

Website Manager: Karen Roberts

Legion sponsorship cheque presented to Cpt. Shelby Anderson by 1st Vice-president Cmd. Kathy Dmytriw.

Only months after the end of World War I local surviving veterans recognized the need for an organization to represent them and their needs and in January 1919 a founding meeting took place that resulted in a Great War Veterans Association unit being formed in Vegreville. The GWVA represented local veterans until the Canadian Legion of the British Empire ex-Service League was created from more than a dozen veterans’ organizations in 1926. Vegreville Branch was chartered on January 19, 1927 and has been an integral part of the community ever since.

The first major milestone of the Branch was the purchase of the Dobbins Block which was large enough for a clubroom, social area, dance floor and allowed for rental of retail space on the ground floor. In 1929 a community Memorial Window was placed, and dedicated, in the local United Church of Canada.

When the World War II veterans started returning plans were made to erect a cenotaph and this was completed, in a central community location, in 1953. In the mid-1970’s a stone wall, with black granite plaques to match the cenotaph was added listing the names of the local war dead from both of the world wars.

Also in the mid-1970’s plans were undertaken to establish a recreational area for members and their families. This has become the very successful Lac Bellevue development, a quick ninety minute drive from home. A long term lease on 50 acres of Crown land now hosts over eighty camping lots and several permanent buildings that provide a regular getaway for local members plus those of other Branches in the area.

Realization of a generational shift among users prompted the next major project; replacement of the existing Legion Hall with one that was all on a single level. In the 1980’s a group of members began investigating options and the Branch bought a vacant commercial building, added to it and relocated to a new, downtown location in 1989. This modern 5400 square foot facility has space for a clubroom, a hall for social events, a games room and meeting room. As population shifts occurred in smaller communities Vegreville has become the centre of Legion activities for a large rural region, only fitting since many of the veterans who created the Branch lived in the surrounding County of Minburn or adjacent villages and counties.

Vegreville was honoured during World War II by having a ship of the Royal Canadian Navy named after it, one of only ten communities in Alberta to be so recognized. The ship was a Bangor Class Minesweeper and patrolled the Gulf of St. Lawrence as well as the English Channel, being part of the D-Day invasion force. In 2006, the centennial of Vegreville becoming a town the Town of Vegreville paid for the creation of a mural that extends across the entire sixty foot front of the building and shows HMCS Vegreville passing through the gates of the St. Lawrence during one of her trips on patrol. The Branch is proud to have on display the ship’s bell, a quarterdeck flag and a battle ensign.

The Branch continues its community involvement by annually conducting a Poppy Drive and Service of Remembrance, runs an extensive Poster, Poem and Essay competition in three communities and provides scholarships for qualified students. We also sponsor 341 Mundare Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Cadet Corps, various minor sports organizations, pay for the purchase of medical equipment that is of benefit to the community and assist a senior’s fitness group.

As with most Legions much of its success is as a result of having an active Ladies Auxiliary. The original Auxiliary was formed to assist the GWVA in 1922 and a reorganized Royal Canadian Legion Ladies Auxiliary to the Branch was chartered in 1944.

Most of the members today are family members of those who served but the dedication and pride is evident in the amount of commemorative and community activities undertaken on a regular basis.