December 2022 President’s Report
Happy New Year! It is hard to believe a New Year is here already. I am sure that it will prove to be
another year of adventure for your Legion. 2022 was full of highs and lows and we are hoping that 2023
will prove to be a year of positive results.
The new executive met early in the month to determine who would chair the various committees.
Following is a list of the Executive and their Chairs:
President- Sheila Donner Poppy Committee/Poppy Campaign
1st Vice President-Bill Cocks Finance and Honours and Awards
2nd Vice President- Darwin Bernhart Sports
Past President- Lorraine Lozo Poppy Committee/Poppy Campaign
Executive Members:
1. Scott Schall: Sgt at Arms, Remembrance Day, Decoration Day and Cadet Liaison
2. Therese McCleave: Lotteries, Membership
3. Ken McCleave: Lotteries
4. Gary Wilson: Public Relations
5. Wes Krause: Archives/Historian
6. Roger Beebe: Maintenance
7. Bob Cable: Executive Committee Member
8. Wayne Donner: Service Officer
9. Ron MacDonald: Branch Padre
If you wish to volunteer to be on any of these committees, please contact the office- 403-527-7184; ext 1
Your help would be greatly appreciated.
December 14th I had the privilege of attending the Sea Cadet Corps Mess Dinner. What a wonderful
group of young people with exceptional leaders. The meal was prepared by parent volunteers and was
delicious. It is inspiring to have these young people helping with our Remembrance ceremonies as well as
our Poppy Campaign Many thanks is extended to them and their leaders.
The first Executive meeting of your new executive was held on December 8th. The meeting began with a
review of the Royal Canadian Legion mandate:
1. To keep remembrance alive and
2. To assist veterans and their families in need.
A great discussion ensued as all in attendance stressed the need to remember the veterans who were involved in the Cold War, with NATO and other Canadian conflicts such as the 700 Canadian troops in Latvia at the present time.
It was decided that the Executive would pursue a specific project identifying and asking for the input
from veterans in Medicine Hat who are not necessarily Legion members. This will be discussed and
developed further at the January Executive meeting for presentation to the general membership for their
input and involvement. This project is envisioned to be a permanent fixture/presentation in our Legion.
The Kid’s Christmas Party was held on December 18th. A big thank you is extended to Peggy Crouch,
Diane MacPherson and Janice Allan for all their help. Peggy made humongous gingerbread men for all the kids. They loved decorating them. 13 kids and their parents attended and had a visit from Santa Claus
who gave each of the children a bag of treats. Thank you to the new executive for donating the money to
purchase the treats and oranges for the kids.
The British New Years was a smashing success and a great time was had by all. Thank you to all those
who worked it and to those who attended.
Our Legion17@shaw.ca email is not working so please contact us at legionmh17@gmail.com.
At the December executive meeting, Scott Schall was thanked for his leadership with regards to VetBuild,
a project where Veterans with PTSD come together to talk and share and to build models. If you are
interested in joining them please contact the Office.
Members have been renewing their membership in the Legion and we thank you for that. Just for interest
you should know that of the $60.00 membership fee, Robertson Memorial gets to keep $17.00. The
remainder is remitted to Dominion Command to share with Provincial Command and to pay $9.95
towards the award-winning Legion Magazine. So, when you start thinking about what your Legion owes
you because you paid your membership, please think about how you can help the Legion. We need every
member to be involved in some way, especially now when times are getting tough and everything costs
more.
Pool and Darts continue to be popular in the Pub and the Branch. On January 14th our Branch is hosting
the District Pairs Darts. Tina and Diane have earned a spot in the play-offs. Wish them luck.
As of January 1st Pool Green fees in both the Legion and the pub will be going up. Non-members will pay
$!0/day and Members will pay $8/day. Still a very good price if you compare with other places that offer
pool in Medicine Hat.
A big thank you to all those who have given their support regularly to Robertson Memorial in 2022 in the
form of their energy, their time or their financial support. Without the donation of your time to our
Legion, the Legion as a viable Veterans’ Organization, would soon cease to exist. As you all know, the
Legion plays an important role in our community and is dear to the hearts of many. The Legion was 95
years old last year. Imagine the impact it has had on our community as we approach the 96th birthday on
January 10th.
2023 will require us all to dig deep with our time, our energy and our support as we keep an aging
building viable and save the money to pay back the $60,000 that we owe the Federal Government for the
Pandemic Loan.
Stay tuned as your executive shares the plans for our fund-raising efforts. May 2023 bring you good health and happiness.
Happy New Year!!!
Sheila Donner
President
