Membership at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 260 is on the rise, following a new executive and upgraded facility.
Legion president Wayne Coulter said they have 178 paid members at Branch 260 with more signing up or returning. After being closed for nearly eight months last year due to renovations, he said it’s rewarding to see the community come out and support them.
“I’m a little bit selfish, I actually like to help people. In that aspect, I’m selfish to make myself happy by making other people happy,” Coulter said. “That’s what the Legion is about, helping the veterans and the community, they go together.”
Coulter was elected president of the Legion last November when they reopened shortly after Remembrance Day. He said he took the role on because he wanted to see the Legion thrive. Thanks to the work of the new executive and volunteers,he said they’ve been able to get the Legion open three days a week and by the end of the month will be open four days a week.
The Legion is currently open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursdays, and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Coulter said if their volunteers are willing, they’ll open Wednesdays as well from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“It’s a team effort. There is absolutely no singularity here, it’s all for one and one for all,” Coulter said. “The volunteers we do have are fantastic.”
One of the new members of the executive is Bobby Jack Evans, a director who heads up the Legion’s public relations team. Evans moved to the South Cariboo from the Lower Mainland two years ago after retiring from preaching. A veteran of the Royal Canadian Regiment, he said no matter where you go in Canada the Legion is a safe place for veterans.
“Once you’re born an army brat, service is in your blood, so the Legion was the place for me,” Evans said. “As I’ve migrated in my career across Canada to different parts of the world, one thing I’ve noticed is that you always sought out a Legion because you knew it was a safe haven.”
Evans said he joined the Legion to help out and ensure its legacy and operation get passed on to the next generation. He and Coulter both agree that it’s key to get young veterans and people involved in the Legion. With the amount of newcomers who have moved to the Cariboo since the pandemic, they’re hopeful more people will volunteer and connect with their community.
“We want a bigger, busier and brighter future not only for the Legion but for the impact the Legion has on the entire community,” Evans said. “If you got a heart to volunteer we have opportunities within the Legion.”
The Legion is a great place to nurture a talent and find mentors, Evans said, especially if you’re young. Whether volunteers want to work in the kitchen, help tend bar or assist him in operating the club’s social media, there is a place for them.
“Young people need a place where they can come and feel safe and learn. There are still a number of vets here and (young people) can hang out with us. Some of us can tell stories,” Evans said.
Coulter said veterans are still their primary focus. They’re ready to support any veteran, military or police, with any mental health or physical need. He encourages them to reach out to the Legion and ask for Ernie, their service officer.
“That is part of our mandate, to assist veterans,” Coulter said. “Ernie is a vet as well and is exceptional at what he does.”
Membership to the Legion is $55 a year, which Evans said equals roughly one dollar a week. He encourages any member of the public to join.
“A lot of people have it in your mind that to be a member of the Legion you have to be either serving or a formally serving military or RCMP personnel,” Evans said. “The way our membership is designed now pretty much anyone can be a member of the Legion and join. When they join they get the benefits of this place as their safe haven.”
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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