Remembrance Day an important event for Penticton’s Royal Canadian Legion

PENTICTON – The Penticton branch of the Royal Canadian Legion continues its tradition of being of service to the country’s war vets.

The organization takes on added significance as Remembrance Day approaches. The legion will again spearhead Remembrance Day ceremonies Wednesday, Nov. 11.

This year two ceremonies take place; one indoors at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre and one at the cenotaph in Veterans Memorial Park beside the courthouse.

Ron Bannister with the Penticton Legio  says services get underway with a parade march from the curling club to the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre starting at 10 a.m. Inside services begin at 10:30 and should finish at approximately 11:30 a.m.

This year’s additional outside service will take place between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. at the cenotaph. Bannister says the Penticton Fire Department expressed interest in holding the outside service, so the Penticton Legion prepared a format for them.

“Remembrance Day is very important to the legion. We put a lot of effort into the day,” Sergeant-at-Arms Bill Woods says, adding the poppy drive leading up to Nov.11 is one of the their biggest fundraisers.

In the past three or four years, the legion has put youth in the forefront, with cadets also playing a role in the ceremonies.

The Penticton Legion currently has a roster of 600 members, comprised of people who have served their country, or people who are interested in helping those who have served, Woods says. The branch has a service officer who liaises with government to help vets and their dependents  who have issues get the assistance they require.

But Woods says they don’t have as many modern vets as they would like.

“Many of them think of the legion as an old boys club where they don’t have much in common, but they actually do,” Woods says. He thinks the length of time between major conflicts plays a role in that line of thought.

“It’s a change for them, more so than for vets of World War Two, which happened close enough to the First World War that some fought both wars," he says.

"It’s been a long time between major battles, from the Korean War until the war in Afghanistan, with no major conflicts involving Canadian soldiers. A number of our young soldiers weren’t prepared to handle some of the things they witnessed."

The Penticton Legion keeps an active schedule. The kitchen prepares daily luncheons, and the branch plays host to jam sessions, meet draws, pool and dart games. The branch even has its own dart team in the city’s pub league.

Wednesday’s parade to the convention centre will feature vets, RCMP officers, the Legion colour party, reservists, cubs, scouts, brownies and other service groups as well as the Penticton Pipe Band. Following the ceremony, Bannister says a short video is shown, which is meant to bring the message of remembrance home with some strong emotion.

“We try to bring a tear to everyone’s eye. We’ve been pretty successful in the past,” he says.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community? Create a free account to comment on stories, ask questions, and join meaningful discussions on our new site.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.
Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

Steve Arstad's Stories