by Janine Fawcett & Kimberly Schmidtke
On Monday, June 24, The Royal Canadian Legion Winchester Branch 108 held our annual Honours & Awards Celebration at the June General Meeting. During this Celebration we commemorated some of our members’ outstanding service to our Branch, to our community, and to the Legion, as well as awarded several members with various levels of service pins.
It was our privilege to present Dale Myers with the Legionnaire of the Year award. This award is given to a member who goes above and beyond in their service to our Branch. On top of the many jobs Dale has done for the Branch over the years, he was instrumental in starting and managing our Veteran Banner Program, which is a program that allows families to highlight their loved ones who are Veterans in our local community. The Branch is now entering our fourth year of banners! These banners are displayed on the poles of Winchester’s downtown core from October through Remembrance Day each year. It has truly added a sense of pride and remembrance to our community.
The Branch Service Medals are awarded to branch members that show immense dedication to our Branch and its values.
The first recipient of a Branch Service Medal is always the first person to volunteer for any job that needs to be done. He is always helping with setting up and tearing down meetings and events, and has spent countless hours doing jobs both big and small around the Branch. The biggest of which was helping to renovate the Veterans Lounge, which is now a stunning environment of Remembrance and highlights amazing memorabilia dedicated to the Veterans in our community. A former Legionnaire of the Year recipient, we were pleased to present Gil Yendall with the Branch Service Medal.
Shawn Doolan is a person who truly defines the phrase “Lest We Forget”. He has undertaken some of the biggest projects that exemplify remembrance, and the goals and missions of the Royal Canadian Legion as a whole. He currently holds the offices of Winchester Branch 108’s Second Vice President and Poppy Chair. Shawn launched the annual pilgrimage to area cenotaphs, bringing much needed attention to the monuments in our community. He was instrumental in getting the cenotaph on Van Camp Road beautifully revamped, and was part of the organizing committee for the poppy display at Sweet Corner Park in Winchester as well as on the clock in Chesterville. A Veteran himself, he has also helped bring the Veteran Banners program to fruition. One of the most inspiring things he has taken on was during this past academic school year. He has been working with staff and students from NDDHS on the Crosses of Remembrance project, which will be unveiled this fall. He ensures, with every project he undertakes, that our veterans and the sacrifices they made, will never be forgotten. For service that is unwavering, we proudly presented the Branch Service Medal to Shawn Doolan.
A Life Membership Award is presented to an individual that shows outstanding Legion service after ten years of continuous membership. The Life Membership nominees were recommended by Branch 108 and were approved by Ontario Command. This year’s awardees were both former Winchester Branch 108 Presidents.
The first Lifetime Membership awardee was Barry Holmes. Barry has been a member of the Legion for over 43 years, and served over half of those as a branch executive. He has held many roles over the years, including President. Barry has always believed strongly in the values and purpose of the Legion, and has spent decades serving the Branch, the Legion, and the community. We thank him for his resolute and continuing service.
The second awardee for a Lifetime Membership was Donald Swerdfeger. Don has been a member of the Legion for over 36 years, and has served on the executive for several of those years as well as serving as Branch President. Don has since gone on to serve as Deputy Zone Commander, Zone Commander, and currently is the Deputy District Commander. In addition to his service to the Branch and the Legion, he has spent countless years serving the community as a coach, umpire, and referee. Branch 108 was honoured to present Don with his Lifetime Membership Award, and we thank him for his ongoing service.
Not only were these devoted members recognized for their outstanding service to our Branch, but Wayne Burns, Allen Van Bridger and David Van Bridger all received their 50-years of service Medals and Pins. Service Pins were also given to 14 members for their 45-years to 5-years of membership to our Branch. Lastly, Executive Medals and Bars were presented to executive members who have served a term on the executive.
The evening was an incredible celebration of the dedicated members that make our Branch what it is. Winchester Legion is fortunate enough to have some of the most remarkable members as part of its Branch. Another huge congratulations from the Executive to all who received Medals and Pins, and again, we thank you for your dedicated Service to Branch 108 and the Royal Canadian Legion.