A8 November 8, 2017
Estevan Mercury
Trobert Law Firm
306-634-2628
305 - 1133 4th Street Estevan, Saskatchewan 306-634-2616
#5 421A KENSINGTON AVE. www.remax-bluechip-estevan-sk.ca
301 Kensington Ave., Estevan, SK 306-634-3616 • www.bbaxtertransport.ca
Remembrance Day
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Royal Canadian Legion Estevan Branch No. 60
Estevan Comprehensive School Auditorium Saturday, November 11th, 2017 • 10:45 a.m.
Order of Service Veterans and Ladies Auxiliary March In
Lead by Vernon McLean
Invocation - Marian Huber
Introduction of Video Presentation
Master of Ceremonies - Comrade Geoff Thiessen
Comrade Dean Erickson
Processional Legion Anthem
Presentation by: Royal Canadian Legion #60
During the Reading the Legion Colours will be Advanced
Band Selections - Brass Ensemble
O Canada – Lead by Vernon McLean
An offertorium will be taken for Disabled War Veterans
Prayer Of Exhortation – Marian Huber
Pick Up Colours
Last Post – School Band
The Benediction - Marian Huber
Two Minutes Silence
“God Save the Queen”
Reveille – School Band
Ceremonial Procession - Elgar
Deposit of Legion Colours
March Off Colours
The Reading of the Roll of Honour
Service at Cenotaph
Legion Past President – Troy LeBlanc
Master of Ceremonies – Comrade Geoff Thiessen
The Act of Remembrance
Opening Prayer - Marian Huber
Amazing Grace
Last Post and Reveille
Flanders Field
Laying of Wreaths
Hymns of the Service - Tune-Melita
Closing Prayer – Marian Huber
Honour Our Veterans
Lest we forget.
November 11th
Schilling Box 700 Carnduff, SK • 306-482-3244 www.fasttruckingservice.com
80 King Street, E., Estevan, SK
Ph: 306-634-3689
HATS OFF TO OUR VETERANS
PERCY H. DAVIS LTD. CUSTOMS BROKERS
Email: mark@percydavis.com Phone: 306-634-5454 • Fax: 306-927-2271
ESTEVAN | 134 4th Street | (306) 637-4370
TOWN OF LAMPMAN R.M. OF BROWNING NO. 34
www.estevanmercury.ca
November 8, 2017 A9
Remember. 11.11 Lest We Forget SAVING YOU MORE
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BILLESBERGER LAW FIRM BARRISTERS AND SOLICITORS 1017 - 3rd Street, Estevan
Phone: (306) 637-3710
11.11
In honour of Remembrance Day, we will not be opening until noon.
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Lampman, SK 306-487-1611
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935 - 4th Street Estevan, Saskatchewan
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Senchuk Ford Sales Ltd.
118 Souris Ave. N., Estevan 306-634-3696 www.senchukford.com
A10 November 8, 2017
Estevan Mercury
Let us Never Forget 306-634-9707
Email: bobs.electric@sasktel.net Box 698, 81 Escana St., Estevan, S4A 2A6
Lest We Forget
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Remembrance Day
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Work continues on tributes at veteran’s park One of the centerpiece components for the Royal Heights Veterans’ Memorial Park is getting closer to completion. A Wall of Honour will include the names of people from the Estevan area who served in the First World War and the Second World War. It will compliment the cenotaph that is located in central Estevan, which has the names of those who perished in the two world wars and the Korean War. The wall has been a long-standing project of legion president Lyle Dukart, who started working on it nearly a decade ago. “I’m doing the final check right now to verify all of the names,” said Dukart. “Once I verify these names, I think it’s going to be a go. This is the third or the fourth time checking the names, so I’m hoping everything is
correct this time.” He hopes the names will be mounted this fall, but that’s not a guarantee because of the weather. Once they’re printed and ready, Dynamic Signs will place the names on the wall. Close to 1,000 names will be on the honour wall. Dukart said the project has taken longer than he had hoped. First he had to dedicate a lot of time to find all of the names of local residents who served during the wars, and verify the information is accurate. In the last couple of years, he has spent a lot of time double-checking the names, and adding the names of those they missed. “We’ve missed a few, gone back and added quite a few, and so on and so forth,” said Dukart. “It slowed down when we started doublechecking, and names were
still coming in.” Family members would come to the legion to tell them their parents served and should be part of the wall. He’s confident the Wall of Honour is as accurate as possible. “It doesn’t matter how much you do, you’re going to miss somebody,” said Dukart. There is enough room on the wall to add the names of those the legion missed, as well as those who served in peace time missions and such conflicts as Afghanistan, if someone wants to take that on in the future. Dukart suspects it might be easier to research the names of those who served in recent conflicts, thanks to the Internet and other resources. “For World War I, it was search through archives, your history books. We went through archives in Regina.
The Royal Heights Veterans’ Memorial Park will have a couple of tributes to people from Estevan who served their country through the Canadian Forces. It took a lot of hunting to find World War I, because the records here weren’t that great. I’m hoping that I have most of them.” The other big project in the park will involve the gazebo. Legion past-presi-
dent Tory LeBlanc hopes the concrete of the gazebo can be etched this spring. Then murals will be added in the spring. LeBlanc hopes to have students from the Estevan Comprehensive School in-
volved with the project. Dukart noted the legion has had a good relationship with the City of Estevan’s parks department for the park, and parks manager Rod March has been excellent to work with.
SOUTHERN PLAINS CO-OP
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445 - 4th Street, Estevan 306-634-2815
Remember Our Veterans
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www.southernplainscoop.com
Recognizing Veterans. Wear a poppy.
e c n a r b m e Rem y Da
November 11 1010 6th St., Estevan • Ph: 306-634-6060; Fax: 306-634-8340
Grocery C-Store Gas Bar Petroleum Ag Lumber Touchless Car Wash
Home of the free. Because of the brave. R.M. of Estevan No.5 #1, 322 - 4th Street Estevan, SK S4A 0T8 306-634-2222
LEST WE FORGET A Special Section of The Estevan Mercury
www.estevanmercury.ca
November 8, 2017 A11
LEST WE FORGET A Special Section of The Estevan Mercury
We Remember LD’s Cleaning Services
(306) 634-8737 Estevan
Phone: 306-634-9292, 306-421-9366, 306-421-2253 Fax: 306-634-1098
Remembrance Day
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There is a lot to remember In 1943 my uncle and a few other lucky Royal Canadian Air Foce members who were apart of 405 Squadron got to crew the The Ruhr Express. This plane was the first Lancaster bomber to roll off the assembly line in Malton, Ont. at the Victory Aircraft plant in 1943. My uncle volunteered for the war in September 1939; he served 30 operations with the RCAF aboard Halifax Bombers and he was a rear gunner aboard two Lancasters. He had dreams of flying but during his training with the RCAF he crashed his De Havilland Gipsy Moth training aircraft and was not allowed to be a pilot. In 1944 he was shot down over Germany while on a bombing run. His plane was hit by flak and it came apart in the air and hit the ground in a heap of burning rubber and metal. He was my grandmother’s brother.
I remember as a kid my grandmother showed me all the letters he wrote back home. His personal belongings were unobtainable because his body wasn’t found until after the war. Had he made it to the end the war he likely would of ended up working at my grandfather’s construction company called L.P. Acri. I imagine the worst part about going down in a plane contorted and damaged from enemy fire is that at some point everyone realizes that their great machine that once ruled the skies and protected them is past its ability to land safely on the ground. Bailing out while under fire from flak isn’t a great idea either. My uncle was of course part of Bomber Command. During the war a few planes from the Luftwaffe got lost at night over England. They dropped
their bombs in hopes of hitting a strategic target, instead they bombed houses and schools. This started bombing campaigns on both sides that resulted in higher civilRand’s ian casualties. The bombing of Dresden, in Germany in 1945 is a raid that will remain controversial for the rest of time. The targeting systems on Second World War planes were historically documented as being inaccurate. Bombers were pushed into night bombing runs to avoid contact with enemy fighters and to avoid being seen at all. Between the constraints of the technology on those planes and the way in which they were used at night it was only a mat-
ter of time before something would go wrong somewhere. Or maybe, it was only a matter of time before Adolf Hitler would order the destruction of the homes and Atlas schools of those who worked in the factories that fuelled the Allied war machine. In Canada today, at least in my experience young people in certain post-secondary courses are being asked to question whether or not Bomber Command committed war crimes against the German people. Even though I never knew my uncle and I may never have known him even if he did survive the war, I still feel like I lost something, maybe a few extra cousins at Christmas
William Acri
Remembering their courage and sacrifice on
Remembrance Day and always. Thank you.
or maybe a few extra family members. On this topic I don’t fall folly to emotions and tears and demand that someone apologize to me for even suggesting that Bomber Command committed war crimes. On Remembrance Day I remember my uncle for the sacrifice he made to allow the continuation of the freedoms we as Canadians enjoy today. What I don’t forget when it comes to questions of war crimes committed by Bomber Command, is where the onus falls historically on those who started the war in the first place. The Weimar Republic, otherwise known as Germany between 1918 and 1933, was a time of great upheaval, anger, fear and borderline anarchy. Germany in that era was ripe for a dictator to gain power by promising peace and
employment in exchange for liberty. The short bitter truth is the majority of the German people adopted a political philosophy of racism based in a morality that makes heroes of those who enslave others for the common good as defined by the ruling political party. I detest the notion that people are willing to call those from Bomber Command war criminals and I also detest the notion that people are willing to call them heroes. The people who decide this are the people who fought with Bomber Command. Although the times for the German people during the Weimar Republic were horrible a majority of them let Hitler and his code of morality rule them and that, and my uncle, is what I remember on Remembrance Day.
Dear Veterans Thank you for your service.
110 Frontier Street, Estevan • 306-634-7276 www.turnbullexcavating.com
November 11th is
Remembrance Day A day to honour Veterans
6th Street, Estevan • 306-634-2312
Lori Carr, MLA Estevan Constituency Office 306-634-7311 loricarrmla@sasktel.net
#200 Hwy. 18 West, Estevan, SK (306) 500-5660 www.shelterhomes.ca
November 11th is
REMEMBRANCE DAY a day to honour
VETERANS 901 13th Avenue Estevan, SK
306-634-3209
A12 November 8, 2017
Estevan Mercury
Remembrance Day
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Community support remains strong for legion By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
Three months ago, the Royal Canadian Legion’s Estevan branch went before Estevan city council, and in turn, the community, seeking donations and other support for its financial issues. And while the legion is not out of the woods yet, the organization is in much better shape than it was three months ago. Danielle Evenson, the legion’s ways and means director, who appeared before council alongside treasurer Leonard Grube, said the legion is “humbled and overwhelmed” by the response from the community. The legion has received between $20,000 and $25,000 in support.
out a way we can thank them properly, because the community has really stepped forward to support us.” The backlog of bills, the large outstanding bills and other debts have been paid, she said. The legion has other bills to be paid, including tax arrears with provincial sales tax and the goods and services tax that have to be set straight. “Our need for the support is still there, but I think we could use it in memberships and bodies now as opposed to dollars,” said Evenson. “We know there is work ahead. We know that we have to be vigilant, that we need to keep our bills current, and not let ourselves use credit and get drawn back into the black hole of debt.”
“We’ve had companies come to us with very generous donations, and we’re trying to figure out a way we can thank them properly, because the community has really stepped forward to support us.” Danielle Evenson “We’ve had people walking in the door at the office with $25 or $50,” said Evenson. “We’ve had companies come to us with very generous donations, and we’re trying to figure
She noted the day after the legion received one significant donation, the roof on the club room sprung a leak due to to an inch of rain that fell on the community. “One big disaster
Royal Canadian Legion ways and means director Danielle Evenson, left, and treasurer Leonard Grube during their presentation to city council in August. File photo might put us back where we started,” said Evenson. She promised the legion would make proper use of the donations it has received. And she looks forward to when the legion can start giving back to the community. “As a small group of volunteers doing a hard work, we’re thinking ‘Is it worth it? Does anybody even care anymore?’ And we’ve received the message loud and clear, that there is clear support and we have
value, and have had added value in the past,” said Evenson. Evenson said the legion looks forward to being an organization that gives back to the cadets, to the hospital, to veterans-related causes and to the homeless. The legion has been very busy since Thanksgiving. It hosted the provincial convention for the first time the weekend after Thanksgiving. Then there was an antiques trade show the following
Remembering our heroes. 306.634.2030 • 1.800.776.6400 1305 - 9th St. Estevan, SK. 306-634-6456
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ROXON FLOORING
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The Estevan branch of the Royal Canadian
Their Country Needed Them, They Answered the Call. Remember Them. We Shall Not Forget.
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fessional Baseball League that operated during and after the Second World War. Evenson said dinner will be served before the show. It’s the latest fundraiser for the legion. Previous events have been well-supported with sold out crowds of around 200 people, she said. The legion is now in the midst of its annual poppy campaign before Remembrance Day. Local businesses and other organizations have poppy trays so that people can purchase their poppies. But the money from the poppy campaign can’t be directed to the legion’s operations or pay down its debt. “We have very strict guidelines of keeping that money in trust, and having to respond to our chain of command through provincial command and dominion command,” said Evenson. There are some great programs in the province that benefit veterans, not only those who served years ago, but those who were part of more recent operations. Paws for Veterans partners veterans with service dogs, and Evenson said there are other initiatives who help those with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Legion hosting annual poppy tea
November 11
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weekend and the United Way Estevan’s telethon in the last weekend of October. The most recent event was the provincial square and round dance convention in early November. She hopes people won’t forget the legion now that it is emerging from debt. Its buildings can be used for renting banquets or socials, and the legion would like to attract new members. “We know we have to reintroduce the idea of active memberships, as opposed to ‘I come in and I pay my dues every year, because grandpa was in the war,’” said Evenson. People are welcome to drop by the branch office and ask questions. Those who purchase or renew memberships this year pay $45; it will increase to $50 on Jan. 1. A truck raffle, which is through a partnership with Murray GM, is ongoing. Ticket sales have been supported, and the legion hopes to sell more tickets before the draw date on Dec. 1. The legion is also hosting a performance of Diamond Girls, written by Lampman’s Maureen Ulrich, on Nov. 19. It’s a one-woman show starring Amanda Trapp about the All-American Girls Pro-
Legion will host the annual pre-Remembrance Day poppy tea on Nov. 10, starting at 3 p.m. The poppy tea is traditionally held on the Sunday before Remembrance Day, but the legion moved it to the day before Remembrance Day due to the provincial square and round dance convention that was at the legion from Nov. 3 to 5. Legion volunteers will serve tea, coffee and snacks to the public during the event. The legion’s annual Remembrance Day service will be the following day at the Estevan Comprehensive School’s cafetorium at 10:45 a.m. A service at the cenotaph will follow in the school’s courtyard.