The Royal Canadian Legion Saskatchewan Command LEST WE FORGET 207 years, bingo was held in the Memorial Hall. Currently, the Social Committee has reinstated Friday night bingo at the clubroom as a popular fundraiser. The Branch operates a bar which is volunteer operated. Present membership of the Oxbow Branch is seventy-one. BRANCH PRESIDENTS: 1933 to 1946 - J.L. Hart; 1947 - W.G. Outhwaite; 1948 - RA. Shay; 1949 to 1950 - A.B. Brown; 1951 to 1959 - R.D. Wardrope; 1960 to 1961 - J. Vizniowski; 1962 to 1964 - B. Hodgson; 1965 to 1966 - W.W. Hames; 1967 to 1969 - D.J.E. Holtz; 1970 - W.G. Rodenbush; 1971 to 1973 – F. Dyer; 1974 to 1976 – R.G. Holt; 1977 - F. Henger; 1978 - C.C. Bull; 1979 to 1981 – R.H. Lowdon; 1982 to 1986 R.D. Wardrope; 1987 to 1988 - G.A. McNab; 1989 to 1990 - Duane Barber; 1991 to 1993 – R.M. Bentson; 1994 to 1996 - Bill Bait; 1997 to 1998 - George Stevens; 1999 - J.B. Pott; 2000 - G.A. McNab; 2001 to 2003 R.M. Bentson; 2004 to 2006 - Bill Ringguth. OXBOW BRANCH 187 (...Cont’d) Long Service Awards, presented on September 5, 1995. Left to right, front row: Fred Henger, Paul Baerwald, Gordon Stewart, Roy Wardrope, Henry Bartolf, Art Brown, Doug Haigh. Back row: Alex Grodeski, Keith Paton, Jack Dixon, Roy Shay, Frank Dyer, Jim Armstrong, Bud Corbett, Fred Whiting, Ed Holtz. The Preeceville Branch #188, B.E.S.L. was formed in 1933 with G.H. Hawkins as President and Henry Harvey as Secretary. Meetings were held in Mr. Harvey's home or a room in the back of the theater or the John Deere building or other homes. In 1950 or 1951, an aircraft hangar at Yorkton was obtained and Mr. Henry Fellows was hired to move it to Preeceville. The building was too big to move by road so it traveled very slowly across fields during the winter of 1951-52. It was nearly lost crossing the Assiniboine River (a place known as Iverson's Crossing) about a mile south of town. Some phone calls for help resulted is assistance from the Army Base in Regina and the Pas Lumber Company. The building was placed on a concrete foundation at 218 Main Street and rooms were prepared for a Legion Club Room and later Cadet quarters, gun storage and firing range on the upper levels. Veteran John Grimsrud and his wife, Mary, who had a café, kept the workers well fed at their own expense. In 1950, the Ladies’Auxiliary was organized with Mrs. Mayme Mattison as President and Mrs. Marie Lundeen as Secretary. The Auxiliary was very active catering for weddings and other banquets, sponsoring Craft & Bake sales, raffles and selling Auxiliary Cookbooks. The kitchen was very small with one cold-water tap and one small sink. Water was heated in a boiler on the stove. Banquets were not serve yourself. The food was in bowls or platters served to every table, and no disposable utensils. Most of these items were brought from homes. The cooking was done at home and even the gravy was hauled in cars to the hall. One summer in the 1970s, there were eleven weekend weddings in a row. Quite a few cars had gravy stains when that was over! About this time, the Legion decided to build a 90’ x 30' addition. This made a dining area 70’ x 30' and a 20' x 30' kitchen, fully equipped with walk-in cooler and three double sinks. In time, this was stocked with enough utensils to seat and serve 250 or more persons. The Auxiliary was disbanded in December 2000. Their funds were turned over to the Legion at that time. In 1955, the Legion sponsored an Air Cadet Squadron and provided financial assistance many times. This group is still an active presence in the community. They do a poppy blitz in November and have a significant part in the Remembrance Day service. The Legion at various times has supplied uniforms for school sports teams. The Legion sponsored weekly bingos from 1990 to 1999 with the profits going to many improvements. Some of these are three new furnaces; new roof; siding & windows; new doors; handicap washroom; maple hardwood dance floor; P.A. system; new tables; 400 new chairs; paneling on walls of main hall and dining area and a new chimney. (A strong wind brought the old brick one down with a crash heard several blocks away). The sponsoring of bingo was turned over to the local Air Cadets in 1999. Until the local school built their gymnasium in 1972, the students used the Legion hall for all indoor sports free-of-charge. With aging members and high utility bills, we are in the same financial bind as everyone else. In order to stay viable, we will likely be closing the hall (at least £or the winter). PREECEVILLE BRANCH 188
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