The Royal Canadian Legion Saskatchewan Command Commemorative History Booklet 292 The Norquay Branch 351 of The Royal Canadian Legion is located in east central Saskatchewan, one hour’s drive northeast of Yorkton. It is located in the heart of excellent hunting and fishing country. The Norquay Branch received their charter on May 21, 1949. Charter members were: D.E. Anderson, O.N. Anderson, H.A. Bjerke, A. Currie, A. Haugen, W. Hanson, D.A. Johnson, C.M. Johnson, S. Jorgenson, J.A. Keillor, W.S. Kowch, V. Moore, L. Robinson, G. Stuart and A. Woodall. The first President was Comrade Les Robinson, and Secretary/Treasurer was Comrade Robert Keillor. The Masonic Hall was purchased for $1,500.00 by the Legion with a former Veteran, H. Bjerke, loaning them the money. At that time, there were sixty-five members, so renovations were made. A kitchen, bathrooms and a lounge were all added over the years. Currently, there are fifty-three members located in Norquay, Pelly, Hyas, Stenen, Mikado, Sturgis, Yorkton, North Battleford, Saskatoon, Calgary, and one member in Edinburgh, Scotland. Fundraising has always been a challenge for the Branch. Bingo was the original way of raising money, but later on, beer and wing night and potluck suppers have been held. Over recent years, the Norquay Legion has donated to many fundraisers and projects in the community: $1,000.00 to the Norquay Hospital; $1,500.00 to the Communiplex; $2,000.00 to the Norquay Curling Rink; $1,000.00 to renovate the town campgrounds; and $500.00 to the Norquay Library. The Norquay Branch also has family picnics at Sandy Beach in June and a family curling bonspiel in March to try to get new members out to join the Legion. Meetings are held on the second Thursday of every month in August through June. Remembrance Day is a busy day for the Legion. Members march three blocks from the Legion Hall to the Communiplex to attend a service honouring all men and women who fought and died for their country. After the service is over, members march back to the hall and sit down to enjoy a catered dinner. May The Royal Canadian Legion stay strong for many years to come. LADIES’ AUXILIARY TO NORQUAY BRANCH 351 Norquay Branch was organized on Charter Night, June 26, 1967, with the following Charter Members: Aileen Anderson; Alice Anderson (deceased); Clarice Brass; Vera Decterow (deceased); Olga Kostiuk (deceased); Anne Prokopchuk (deceased); May Stuart (deceased); Pearl Walch (deceased). The aim and purpose of the Ladies’ Auxiliary was to assist and promote the welfare of Veterans. They have been active throughout the years, with the most worthy projects. They have also supported many other worthy causes, alone, or in conjunction with the Royal Canadian Legion. Together with the Royal Canadian Legion, the ladies have given financial and physical assistance to many worthy causes, with the largest financial assistance to the local Communiplex for the Electrical Contract of $16,000.00. This was a one-time donation made by the Royal Canadian Legion and Ladies’ Auxiliary, although they gave other donations to the Communiplex during the different stages of its construction. They have also donated funds on a regular basis to the local Health Center. They have assisted The Legion with their Track & Field Program by giving assistance to young people to travel to a Saskatchewan city, to be coached and assisted by professionals. If they do very well, they may be good enough to go to the Dominion Meet. The two groups have worked together on many projects. The Ladies’Auxiliary has had many of their own projects. First and foremost, are visits to, and gifts for, local Veterans. They give to The Veterans Fund - a donation that covers Veterans outside the Norquay area in Veterans’ homes or who are alone. There are members who regularly look after these Veterans. Other worthy projects the ladies have helped with, to name a few, are the Health Center, Gateway Lodge, The Yorkton ICU, Saskatchewan Abilities Council, Telemiracle, school bursaries, Paraplegic Fund, assistance to the Boys Scouts and Girl Guides, as well as assistance with other school projects. The ladies have assisted the Royal Canadian Legion with maintenance, operations of, and furnishings for their Legion Hall. They have looked after the kitchen completely, seeing provisions, dishes, pots, pans, appliances, etc., were always ready for use. Raising funds for all these projects has not been easy. Luckily, they have had some very dedicated, hard working members who were always ready to do their share. Most of their income came from bingo, but the early, very hard to earn funds came from Raffles, Bake Sales, Catering, Cook Book sales, etc. Every second year, the ladies meet at a Zone Rally in a central area of the Zone. They have had the honor of having one of their own members elected as Zone Representative, Alice E. Anderson, who held office from 1971-1975. Every second year, they also meet at a central area for Zone, District and Biennial Conventions. These rallies keep the ladies informed about the work being done by the Royal Canadian Legion and the Ladies’ Auxiliary. NORQUAY BRANCH 351 (Cont’d...)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM0NTk1OA==