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 is with a heavy heart that we announce 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 will be held at Branch 60 on Saturday, June 10 from Noon to 4 p.m. with the service scheduled to start at approximately 12:30 p.m.

Our sincerest condolences go out to her husband Bill, children Kathy (Steven) Millington, Karen (Doug) Sherrington and Trent (Liz) Ralston and their families.

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.  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. 

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!

Celebration of Life for Burlington Veteran Douglas Ross Rickard - Sunday, June 4

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 last 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. 

A Celebration of Life to remember Cpl. Rickard will be held at Branch 60 on Sunday, June 4 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. 

Membership Committee resumes weekly meeting

The Membership Committee has resumed its weekly Tuesday availability 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.

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.!