December 2021 President’s Report

Happy New Years to all. May this year bring you all health and happiness as we try to live with and deal with Covid-19. As you are aware the Legion and Schooner’s Pub fall under Alberta Health Guidelines. What does this mean for us? In order for us to open and operate as a restaurant, it means no pool, no billiards, no darts, and no recreational activities. Face masks are still required when you enter the Legion or the Pub and of course the QR Code will be checked at the door by the staff. Meetings are still allowed, providing the groups follow AHS numbers rule and social distancing, masking and QR Codes are followed.

These are not rules that we enjoy implementing but we have to follow them to remain open. We have had the AHS inspector drop in on us on several occasions to check on whether we are following the guidelines. Luckily, we were able to pass inspection because we have been very strictly following the rules. Believe me, we are all frustrated by Covid as we enter the third year.

December 10/11 Robertson Memorial hosted the 8 Ball Doubles for Pool District 6. We had 8 teams. A great big thank you is extended to Darwin Bernhart for organizing the tournament. The winners were 1st Place Thomas Russell and Guy Smith and 2nd Place Darryl Plotsky and Darwin Bernhart. Deputy District Commander Gail Pontarillo ran the pool tournament and we thank her for doing such a great job.

December 18th, we held our first Veterans Supper since 2019. It was a wonderful evening of friendship and camaraderie. There were 63 people in attendance consisting of veterans and their guests. A delicious meal of turkey and roast beef was prepared and served by Diane and Amanda. A big thank you to Holly and Will for helping to set up the room.

The Missing Man Ceremony has become an integral part of our Veterans’ evening. Thank you is extended to Malcolm Glass and Wayne Donner for your performance. Jeremy Alcorn, Rod Dorn and Dave Burgess gave us an overview of their programs, Vet Build and Op Together We Stand for Veterans. They shared their vision “to create a therapeutic space where veterans can feel understood and build a sense of community to support each other and create improved mental health through a shared therapeutic journey.” Please see the information sheet at the end of this report. Dave also shared information about Vet Build that invites veterans to get together the third Saturday of each month. I have also attached information at the end of the report. Stay tuned for a date in the future for a focus group to see what we can do to assist veterans in dealing with PTSD.

Because we held our Veterans’ Dinner so close to Christmas, we decided to provide a little Christmas cheer. The Veiner Liner Dancers provided a wonderful display of their precision dancing to Christmas music. Their enthusiasm was contagious. Thank you to the dancers for adding to our evening.

The highlight of the evening was the introduction of our veterans by age groups. The youngest veteran was in his 20’s and the oldest was 101. We were thrilled to have Roy Gale, 101, George Hope, 99 and John Reynolds, 90 in attendance. I have included pictures at the end of this report. Thank you to all our veterans for your service and dedication to your Legion.

As you know, we cancelled the Christmas week Meat Raffle and the New Year’s week as well. Our plan is to start them back up on Friday January 14. If you would like to volunteer, please call the office and let us know. We also have a casino coming up on Jan 20/21. If you would like to volunteer, please call the Office. Your Legion needs you. Please step up.

On December 31, the British New Year was held and turned out, after a slow start, to be a great success for all those who attended.

On behalf of the members I would like to thank all our loyal patrons, our tireless staff, and the Executive. Together we have kept our Legion and Schooner’s Pub viable and in the black.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any concerns, suggestions or questions, 403-527-7184 EXT 1.

Keep safe,

Sheila Donner

President