Mayor proclaims LEGION WEEK
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward officially proclaimed Sept. 17 to 23 as Legion Week in Burlington to coincide with the national observance. She took part in a flag raising ceremony at City Hall on Friday, Sept. 14 and was joined by President Murray Sutherland, Past President Burns Macleod, City Liaison/Museum Curator Bob Ankrett, 1st VP & PRO Terry Scott and Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna.
Also, check out the story and photos at BurlingtonToday.com.
For more information on Legion Week, visit https://www.legion.ca/news/articles/2023/09/14/the-royal-canadian-legion-announces-national-legion-week
Poppy Fund cheques to Jo Brant and Juravinski
Branch 60 was proud to present cheques from the Poppy Fund to Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation and Juravinski Hospital & Cancer Centre recently.
Poppy Fund co-chairs Gerry Bardy (left) and Barry Moore (right) present a cheque to Leon Denbok, Chair of the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation.
Julian Foreman, Manager of Development for the Juravinksi Hospital & Cancer Centre Foundation, accepts a cheque from Barry Moore (left) and Gerry Bardy.
Burlington Central School Memorial Service
Branch 60 was honoured to assist with the memorial event as part of Burlington Central School's 100th Anniversary celebrations on Sunday, June 4. As part of the morning service at Veteran Square, current students or family members held up portraits and read tributes to 21 former BCS students who died in service or in training during the Second World War. See the photos below, plus see more at BurlingtonToday.com .
Here, a student honours Flight Lieutenant Robert Leslie Nash who was killed when his Canso aircraft crashed during a training mission on Vancouver Island in 1944.
20 current BCS students and Floyd Cooper, the brother of Flying Officer Walter David Dick Cooper, hold up portraits of those BCS students lost during the Second World War.
Remembering Douglas Ross Rickard
Friends, family and dignitaries gathered at Branch 60 on Sunday, June 4 to celebrate the life of Douglas Ross Rickard, our Dieppe Veteran who passed away in February in his 105th year. (More info on his life below.)
Branch 60's Bob Ankrett emceed the Celebration.
L/Cpl Rickard's daughter Marie Rickard thanked all who attended the Celebration.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward paid tribute to a man who she met on several occasions including his last two birthdays at Branch 60.
Burlington and Apeldoorn remain best of friends
Several members of Branch 60 were delighted to participate in Canada Netherlands Friendship Day on Saturday, May 13. It marked the 18th anniversary of the City of Burlington’s twinning agreement with the city of Apeldoorn and recognized the 78th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands by Canadian Armed Forces during the Second World War. Enjoy these photos from BurlingtonToday.com .
Remembering Jackie Ralston 1949-2023
It was with a heavy heart that we announced the passing on Sunday, April 30 of Life Member Jaqueline "Jackie" Ralston. She passed away following a brief illness in her 74th year.
Jackie was part of the fabric of Branch 60 for almost 50 years. She joined the Legion in 1976 and went on to serve in numerous capacities including 1st, 2nd and 3rd Vice President, Youth Education Chair, Zone Youth Education Chair, District Bursary Chair, Zone Deputy, Zone Commander and as President of the Branch 60 Ladies Auxiliary from 1989-1994. She also served as the Branch Army Liaison Officer and was in charge of the Charity Bingo program for many years. During the annual Poppy Campaign, Jackie helped organize the Cadets to canvass, delivered counter boxes and helped count the funds as they poured in.
Jackie was the "go to person" as she was a wealth of knowledge on anything Legion related.
As a trained chef and willing volunteer, she cooked and organized countless dinners and social events on behalf of the Branch. Her efforts provided funds for the Branch and contributed to the goodwill of our members and a close relationship with the citizens of Burlington who frequent our Branch for meals and entertainment.
Jackie joined the Ladies Auxiliary and served as Secretary, President and Treasurer. She has served as Zone B6 Commander of the Ladies Auxiliary and worked tirelessly to promote a successful partnership between the Branch and the LA. Most recently, she has served as Secretary of Branch 60.
Among her many Honours and Awards, she received a Life Membership in 2010.
President Murray Sutherland said "The passing of Jackie Ralston is a great loss to not only Burlington Branch 60, but to the entire Legion community. In my first year as President, it was Jackie who provided guidance on Legion protocol, which allowed me to function effectively as a first year President. Her knowledge of all the Legion was invaluable. Her tireless effort and knowledge will be greatly missed by Branch 60 and me personally. I express my personal condolences to her husband Bill and family."
A Celebration of Life and Legion Service was held at Branch 60 on Saturday, June 10. Photos can be seen HERE.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the Royal Canadian Legion Ontario Command Bursary Fund.
Honouring Comrade Burns MacLeod
Thank you to all who joined us in the Lounge on Friday, May 5 to honour Past President and long time Poppy Campaign Chair Burns MacLeod for his service to the Branch. Veterans Liaison Officer Dan Lauzon presented Burns with a plaque (veteran to veteran) and Burns delivered eloquent thank you remarks. You can see video of the presentation HERE starting with 1st VP Terry Scott. (Thank you to Comrade Ron Simpson for the photo and video.)
Branch 60 was pleased to present our three Burlington area Cadet Corps with cheques in April 2023. The Cadets are an instrumental part of the annual Poppy Campaign and the Legion is proud to support them as Cadet Corps provide challenging military, adventurous and community activities and aim to inspire young people to achieve success in life and to develop in them the qualities of a good citizen.
President Murray Sutherland (left) and Poppy Chair John Mattocks present a cheque to Liz Schroeder of Burlington Air Cadets 715 Mohawk Squadron.
Monique Goodman, Burlington Branch President of the Navy League, receives a cheque on behalf of Royal Canadian Sea Cadets - Iron Duke from Poppy Chair John Mattocks and President Murray Sutherland.
Poppy Chair John Mattocks presents a cheque to Captain Lisa Hogan, Commanding Officer of RCACC 2370 RHLI Burlington Army Cadets.
Youth Education Winners
Branch 60 was proud to present several Burlington students with medals and cash awards for their part in our annual literary and poster contest in honour of Remembrance Day. Pictured below, Branch 60's Debbie Lauzon presents Ira Sharma with her silver medal for placing 2nd for her colour poster. Anna Majid placed third and received a bronze medal. Both girls attend Makwendam Public School. Congratulations to all of the winners and Thank You for Remembering!
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 60 Burlington was deeply saddened by the passing of one of its valued members, Douglas Ross Rickard, who died peacefully at home the morning of February 22, 2023 in his 105th year. His wife, Jean, was at his side. The Rickards celebrated their 78th wedding anniversary last June, just days before Jean turned 100.
Mr. Rickard was among the last Canadian survivors of the Dieppe Raid during the Second World War. It was one of the darkest chapter’s in Canada’s military history but it was also marked by great courage and helped lead to important lessons to prepare for the D-Day invasion of 1944.
Douglas Ross Rickard was a member of the Royal Canadian Corp of Signals. He arrived at Dieppe in the early morning of August 19th, 1942 aboard a tank landing craft (TLC) containing three tanks. He was knocked unconscious by a shell blast but was revived by an officer and continued to receive and transmit messages until further damage to the vessel disabled an engine and forced the crew to retreat. With only one propeller working, they slowly tried to return to Britain. They were set upon by enemy fighters off the coast of England, and to avoid injury Corporal Rickard jumped overboard. He was able to remove his heavy boots and swam over a kilometer back to an English beach and safety.
Corporal Rickard continued to serve the remainder of the war in a variety of roles, returning to Canada in early 1946 with his British war bride, Jean. Already an accomplished artist, he continued his painting and held art director positions with several major publications including Maclean’s magazine. Before retirement, he established several Canadian companies which exported Canadian photographic equipment and art supplies around the world.
In recognition of his service, Corporal Rickard was awarded the 1939 to 1945 Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-45 with Dieppe Bar and, in 2021, received the French Legion of Honour Medal.
Corporal Douglas Ross Rickard proudly displays the French Legion of Honour Medal presented to him in 2021 by Col. Roger Vandomme, Deputy Defence Attache with the French Embassy in Canada.
The almost 5,000 Canadians who fought in the Dieppe Raid were among the more than one million men and women from our country who served in uniform during the Second World War. The efforts of all of these brave Canadians helped the Allies eventually achieve victory.
A video of the celebration of Corporal Rickard’s 104th birthday on June 25, 2022 is available HERE. A video of Corporal Rickard recalling his experience at Dieppe is available HERE. Plus, a video of Corporal Rickard being presented with the French Legion of Honour Medal is available HERE.
Membership Committee resumes weekly meeting
The Membership Committee is available every Tuesday in the Boardroom from Noon to 2 p.m. Please call the Branch in the event of inclement weather to ensure folks will be there. This is an opportunity to meet with Membership Chair Helen Horoky to update your membership and address any questions you may have.
Congratulations to Helen Horoky on being selected Branch 60's Legionnaire of the Year ! The announcement was made at the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on Dec. 19, 2022 by President Murray Sutherland . Helen has taken the reins of Membership Chair for the past couple of years and along with partner Gary Cox has been invaluable in assisting with most of our social events and keeping members informed through various posters.
Certificates of Merit were also presented to four members in recognition of their various volunteer efforts to keep the Branch alive and thriving. Thank You and Congratulations to Dorothy Lundy, Melanie Pepper, Dave Smith and Gerry Bardy all pictured below.!
Branch 60 was proud to host the 2022 Remembrance Day Service at the Cenotaph at Veteran Square on Nov. 11th. If you were unable to attend in person or watch the live stream, we invite you to watch it HERE .
Also, there are some fantastic photos on BurlingtonToday.com .
The Honourable Karina Gould, Member of Parliament for Burlington, cut the ribbon on Oct. 14, 2022 as the Branch gratefully acknowledged the various government grants for capital projects to assist with recovery from mandated closures and to improve accessibility within the building. Among other things, the federal government's grant to improve accessibility allowed the Branch to replace its old bar with a new wheelchair-accessible structure. You can watch the ribbon cutting ceremony HERE.
Branch 60 was proud to host members of the 2022 Ruck to Remember campaign on July 31, 2022. The 900km ruck march along the Bruce Trail from Tobermory to Niagara-on-the-Lake is in support of a Legion program called "Operation Leave the Streets Behind" which aims to get and keep veterans off the streets. We served them dinner and breakfast and provided overnight accomodation. Plus, we presented them with a cheque for $10,000. Pictured are Ruck team members along with President Murray Sutherland (far right) and Vice Presidents John Mattocks (far left) and Dan Lauzon (lower left). A Legion produced video of the 2022 Ruck can be viewed HERE.