It’s a major milestone for one of Manitoba’s most active legions.
Gladstone’s Legion Branch #110 celebrated its 90th anniversary this past weekend, alongside the 50th anniversary of its clubroom. The day included a town tour, a donation to the local food cupboard, a high tea with dignitaries, and an afternoon of formal presentations at the Legion building.
Nick Beavington, a long-time Legion member and past president, says the day was a huge success, despite the rain.
“We were very fortunate to have the Lieutenant Governor of the province come out,” notes Beavington. “One of her big projects was to go to the United Church where our food bank is, and she made a large donation there of bags of food for that purpose.”
Packed schedule and big turnout
Beavington says the celebration continued with a tea, followed by the official ceremony at the Legion.
“We had the William Morton Collegiate Institute jazz band there, a piper, and representatives from the RCMP,” adds Beavington. “There were several dignitaries including our MLA, two reps from the provincial executive of the Royal Canadian Legion, and two from our rural areas—our district and zone commanders.”
He estimates around 125 people attended, including several veterans, past presidents, and community members. Also in attendance were Riding Mountain MP Dan Mazier, Agassiz MLA Jodie Byram and Gladstone Mayor Darryl Shipman.
“We could have had more,” he remarks. “But there are so many things on the go these days that people have other obligations. Still, we did well.”
A look inside the Legion
The Gladstone Legion Clubroom was built in 1974 and paid off in just seven years. Beavington says it’s still serving them well.
“There’s always maintenance, and maintenance isn’t cheap,” continues Beavington. “But we were fortunate during COVID to do a suspended ceiling with new lighting and speakers. It really dressed it up and reduced our hydro bills.”
The building is open to the public and serves as a gathering place for the community, offering everything from social events to pool and crib tournaments.
“In Gladstone, we’re slightly different because we don’t have a hotel anymore. The last one burned down,” notes Beavington. “We do have VLT machines that are open to the public. There’s good staff, full-time staff. We’re open at 11 a.m. and close somewhere around midnight six days a week.”
The Legion is open Monday through Saturday and closed Sunday.
A strong and generous membership
The branch currently has about 280 members, with some living in other provinces.
“Our membership is strong, our executive is strong,” says Beavington. “We’ve got 12 executive members and it’s been paying for itself. We’re very fortunate that we can give away surplus monies at times.”
That includes $12,000 to the local school band for new instruments, and $50,000 last year toward the community pool.
“We do several smaller requests through the year that we like to participate in,” he adds.
The branch also plays a role at the provincial level. Beavington notes their member Ernie Tester is currently the provincial president, although his term is wrapping up shortly.
“We participate in conventions, cribbage tournaments across the country, and pool tournaments,” he remarks. “There’s other activities to get involved in if you wish.”
The building is open to all, and new members are always welcome.
“We had an individual in there that said he stays in the campground in the summer,” says Beavington. “He’s a retired RCMP officer and said, ‘I’d like to bring my membership here.’ So he did. We’ll take new members anytime if they’d like to participate.”
Beavington ends by thanking Her Honour Anita Neville, Manitoba’s Lieutenant Governor, for attending.
“I think she had a great day,” he says. “She was supposed to leave at 2 p.m. I think it was 2:45 p.m. when she finally left town. We’re very, very fortunate to have that happen.”
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