The Royal Canadian Legion Saskatchewan Command LEST WE FORGET 231 On December 1, 1967, the new Branch Hall was opened, complete with a lounge in the basement. The lounge remains open six days a week and the hall is used for bingos, weddings, socials, music festivals, court and auction sales. An organizational meeting was held on May 14, 1945 to form a Ladies' Auxiliary to the Carnduff Branch of The Royal Canadian Legion. There were fifteen charter members, with several new members joining the first year. War brides were welcomed and each was presented with a blanket. The Auxiliary did a lot of catering, both in the Legion Hall and in the school auditorium. However, the Legion Hall was located in the Town Hall on the upper floor. This meant that the dishes had to be hauled down two flights of stairs to the auditorium and then back again to be washed. This all changed in 1967, when the new hall was built with a modern kitchen. Over the years, a large dishwasher and steam table were added to help with the enormous catering jobs that could sometimes reach two hundred people or more. Catering is still a major part of the fundraising. In 2006, there are twenty-seven members, which included eight Life members. With the decline in the Auxiliary membership, the group is thankful for the help of the Legion members. Through the years, the Legion and Auxiliary have supported such things as the skating and curling rink, the swimming pool, the Senior Citizen's Home, medical expenses for families in need, the Lions Band, Telemirade, a Student Memorial Award, Track and Field Camp, and the local Cadets. In preparation for the Homecoming Celebrations in 2005, both the Auxiliary and the Branch made a contribution to the restoration of the Cenotaph. Despite declining membership, the Branch and Auxiliary continue to be successful because of the help of the community and the dedication of the members. CARNDUFF BRANCH 216 (...Cont’d) The Branch started with approximately 58 members on April 21, 1939. The Branch was officially chartered on May 10, 1939. Today, membership stands at 6 ordinary members and 7 associate members. Fundraisers were handled like every other Branch; smokers, dances, booths at sports days, poppy and wreath sales, etc. The Ladies’ Auxiliary started on February 28, 1940, and the charter was cancelled in 2001. They started with 15 members and they were a true Auxiliary to the Legion. Also during the war years, buying, packing and shipping parcels to our local armed forces personnel overseas was one of their most important projects. Many other activities like sponsoring students to the Track and Field program were first and foremost also. Visiting the sick and sending food hampers at Christmastime was very important to the community. November 11th saw members marching to the hall in all sorts of weather. What a sight it was to see everyone marching so smartly. Today, we drive to the church and the Legion Hall. Meetings were held at various churches, the Cupar Town Hall and the old Legion Hall in the early years and now the new Legion hall. All the members are all volunteer officials now. The Royal Canadian Legion has sponsored the scouting movement in Cupar for over 50 years. In 1997, the Cupar Legion received a Certificate of Congratulations for this sponsorship. Scouting was very active until we ran out of children in the community. The Legion benefited in later years from the Scouting movement as a lot of the children went on to become part of our Legion colour party and helped in laying wreaths at the cenotaph. The Cupar Legion sponsors the National Literary and Poster contest within the schools and the work is always displayed on November 11th in the Legion Hall for everyone to view. Judges are picked from the crowd to judge the entries to go on to the next level of competition. Throughout the years, the fundraising has gone towards the purchase of electric beds, lifts, slings, etc., for the Cupar and District Nursing Home. There currently are some Veterans in the residence. CUPAR AND DISTRICT BRANCH 217
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