The Royal Canadian Legion Saskatchewan Command LEST WE FORGET 175 bingos, whist drives and raffles helped to raise money. Raffle prizes were varied: a movie camera, a record player, grocery hampers, even two watercolour paintings were donated by Mrs. Highland. In 1953, the school contest for written essays on Remembrance Day was first sponsored and is still being promoted today. In 2005, due to the disrepair of the building and rising costs, the Membership turned the building over to the Village of Earl Grey. Branch #137 is presently working on two projects: a military history of area Veterans, and the erection of a Cenotaph in the Guy Foster Memorial Park. This is their way of keeping alive the memory of those who fought. Current membership in the Branch is 20 members. When the Legion & Ladies Auxiliary hosted the curling, they made all the meals, which were a big hit. The Ladies’ Auxiliary won the Provincial Curling Championship on March 11, 1965, and the team consisted of skip Ann Shaw, lead Min Krupp, second Marion Smyth, and third Helen Anderson. In 1968, the ladies won the Zone Curling and here is a photo of that team. Many of the younger Legion members joined the curling team in 1976-1977, which was nice to see. The Ladies’ Auxiliary have also been proud to have been part of, and sponsor, children for the Royal Canadian Track and Field Camp, and Scholarships and Bursaries for education. All of the Branch’s members, both past and present, are volunteers and have been happy to serve community and country especially to help Veterans. Most of all, the Earl Grey Ladies’ Auxiliary have enjoyed a good time together, with laughter and comradeship, and with that so much can be achieved. LADIES’ AUXILIARY TO EARL GREY BRANCH 137 Twenty-two ladies got together and held a first meeting on August 12, 1953. They banded together after having a supper made by the Legion men on November 11th! It was quite bad! After 1953, the ladies made the suppers consisting of turkey, potatoes, salads, vegetables, home made buns, etc. Quite a feast, after the suppers that the men put on from 1946-1952! The ladies that attended that first meeting were: Mrs. Joe Austin, Agnes Binnie, Laura Burmeister, Frieda Butz, Annie Ellias, Mary Hunter, Helen Huber, Amelia Kiel, Grace Kiel, Madge Kiel, Truce Manz, Ethel Pinkney, Dolores Pinkney, Frances Pinkney, Margaret Pinkney, Annie Peerless, Rose Pinkney, Elsie Renner, Anne Shaw, Edith Shearer, Marion Smyth, Bertha Wagner. The Earl Grey Ladies’ Auxiliary was officially chartered on July 12, 1956, and the charter consisted of ten names: Agnes Binnie, Laura Burmeister, Frieda Butz, Madge Kie1, Dolores Pinkney, Margaret (Peggy) Pinkney, Rose Pinkney, Lydia Rick, Marion Smyth, and Bertha Wagner. To raise funds to help the Legion, we wrote to Eaton's and Simpson's Department Stores for donations of material. Then the ladies all gathered together and made the material into quilts, which were raffled-off to make money. The venture was very successful and those first monies were used to purchase new cutlery and dishes for sixty people and to put on November 11th lunches. Sometimes, there weren't enough plates, so the ladies would bring extra from home. This was no longer a problem after a few years, as unfortunately our members dwindled mainly due to either deaths or sickness. During those early days the Legion was in very poor shape, so the ladies got together to help with painting and maintaining the hall and making curtains to brighten it up. They purchased tables and chairs, which are still used today. The building is in even worse shape today, but now the membership is not large enough nor do they have the resources to fix it up properly. The Ladies’ Auxiliary have remained industrious throughout the years and have decorated many floats for all the parades. The two biggest ones were for the Saskatchewan Jubilee in 1955, and the Canadian Centennial Parade in 1967. That year a centennial quilt was made and raffled-off, which turned out to be a very lucrative fundraiser. Other projects the Ladies’ Auxiliary started were making Christmas parcels for Veterans living alone, consisting of clothing, including sweaters, shirts, slippers, gloves, and of course some home baking. All of these parcels were delivered personally by the ladies and all of the Veterans enjoyed receiving their gifts. The ladies have assisted the Legion with cabarets, making lunches for farm auctions and hosting Poppy Day Teas. The Ladies’ Auxiliary have helped with the November 11th services held in the community hall over the years and have been happy to have ministers from every religious sect participate and welcome the whole community. After the service, the ladies supply and serve a special lunch at the Legion hall. Everyone has a wonderful time and over the years, they have often had someone play the piano with singing along to the wartime songs. They have a wonderful time and really enjoy each other’s company and camaraderie. EARL GREY BRANCH 137 (...Cont’d) Front row: Anne Shaw, Bill Shaw, Geoffrey Williams Back row: Linda Fyfe, Joyce Bundus, Mrytle McLeod, Donna Rumpel, Lynn McLeod, Avril Williams, Ken Hornung, Laurie Mohr, Harvey Wicks, Gladys Johnson Left to right: Ann Shaw, Helen Anderson, Marion Smyth, Madge Kiel
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