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ZONE SPRING CONVENTION ISSUE
ZONE H3 – March 9, 2013 Branch 177, Little Current
Fred Medynski Art Buisson Flora Winn
Zone H3 Commander 1st Deputy Commander 2
nd Deputy Commander
Br. 39, Espanola Br. 591, Britt Br. 503, Onaping Falls
District H Commander Karen Luttrell received accolades and presents for her leadership, assistance and support shown to the Branches of Zone H3.
Zone H3 Commander Marjorie Thibault received a beautiful hand painted present for all her leadership and work on behalf of the branches of Zone H3 COMRADES ALL: As this will be my final report as Zone H-3 Commander I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my Zone H-3 Council. They are as follows: Comrade Bob McLay - Track & Field and Poppy Comrade Gayle Rogerson - Zone Treasurer and has this job for a few years. Comrade Len Leclair - Zone Chairman and TOD (Training & Development) Comrade Sharleen Sisson - Zone Secretary Comrade Flora Winn - Bursary Comrade Kees Steinhart - Sick & Visiting Comrade Ron Robitaille - Youth Education Comrade Donna Foster - Honours & Awards (has been on Zone over 16 years) Comrade Roy Eaton - Public Relations Officer and Website Coordinator A special thank you to Comrade Fred Medynski - 1
st. Deputy Zone Commander and Comrade Art Buisson
- 2nd
Deputy Zone Commander. These two deputies were invaluable to me. A thank you to the District Commander Comrade Karen Luttrell for all of her assistance and help when I asked for it and also a thank you to Comrade Jerry Ferguson 1
st Deputy District Commander and
Comrade Peter Miller 2nd
Deputy District Commander. I have certainly enjoyed my two years as Zone H-3 Commander it was an experience I will never forget. With this in mind, I am letting my name stand for the office of 2nd Deputy Commander, District H. Yours in Comradeship, Marjorie Thibault, Zone H-3 Commander
Comrades all; I am most pleased and proud to have been elected as the new incumbent commander for Zone H-3. I would like to thank all of the Zone delegates who attended the Annual Convention at Branch 177 Little Current on March 9 2013 and for their support in my election . Art Buisson from Branch 591 Britt has been elected 1
st Deputy
Commander and Flora Winn has been elected as 2nd
Deputy Commander Zone H-3. Congratulations to both who we are certain with their experience will serve us all well. I am also proud of the new council; which includes an equal representation of both men and women. who are all talented and committed to the future success of our zone. Council members are:
Commander Fred Medynski Past Commander Marjorie Thibault, Veterans, Seniors & Co-Chair Ist Deputy Art Buisson Membership Constitution & Bylaws 2
nd Deputy Flora Winn Poppy
Chairman Len Leclair TOD & BFA Secretary Sharleen Sissons Treasurer Gayle Rogerson Honours & Awards Nicole Medynski Public Relations & Website Roy Eaton Sgt at Arms & CF Ron Steeves Sports & Track & Field Bob Mclay Youth Education & Bursaries Martha Cunningham-Closs
Yours in Comradeship Fred Medynski Zone H3 Commander Elect
Zone H2 - March 16, 2013 Br. 254, Mattawa
Len Burnham was installed as Zone H2 Commander for 2013-2115. Len is from Br. 225, Sturgeon Falls
Ken Faubert was installed as Zone H2 1st Deputy
Commander. Ken is from Br. 23, North Bay.
Also in the picture are District H Commander Karen
Luttrell and Zone H2 Sgt. At Arms, Steve Larocque.
The position of 2nd
Deputy is unfilled at this time.
Zone H4 - March 23,2013 Br. 189 Blind River
Tom Hywarren John Lewis Sandy Ross Zone H4 Commander 1
st Deputy Commander 2
nd Deputy Commander
Br. 561 Elliot Lake Br. 211 Bruce Mines Br. 374 St. Joseph Island During the past four years, I have been fortunate to meet many Comrades from within District H. Friendships have been made which I will cherish forever. Comrades in Zone H-4 have been very helpful to me as Deputy Commander, making my duties easier , and I thank you .I am looking forward to the next two (2) years, along with my Deputies , working for all branches in Zone H-4. There are going to be challenges ahead, but with all the knowledgeable and resourceful support from within the Zone & District I am sure we will be able to meet any needs that may arise. I am looking forward to working with Zone H-3 Commander Elect Comrade Fred Medynski and Zone H-2 Commander Elect Comrade Len Burnham along with the incoming District H Commander. The District Convention is just around the corner, and I am looking forward to meeting old friends, as well as establishing new ones. Yours in Comradeship Tom Hywarren Greetings All:
Zone H-4 just finished a great Zone Convention. It was held at Branch 189
in Blind River. President Betty Peterson and her helpers provided much
appreciated support and a delicious banquet of roast beef and trimmings.
This year’s convention was honoured with the attendance of Dominion Vice
President Ed. Pigeau, Ontario Command President Andre Paquette and his
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 25
Celebrates Their
85th
Anniversary
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Dinner/Dance at the Marconi
Tickets available at the Legion Office
Lorne Edwards
and Gerry Masse
won the District
Pool tournament
on Feb. 16th
in
Elliot Lake. It’s
the first time in
10 years that it
has returned to
Branch 25.
wife Jane, our District Commander Karen Luttrell and a special appearance from Cmd. Roy Eaton, District
H Public Relations Officer.
Elected by acclamation was Zone Commander: Tom Hywarren, 1st Deputy Commander: John Lewis and
2nd
Deputy Commander: Sandy Ross. Zone H-4 is very fortunate to have such strong leadership to take
it down the road for years to come.
As the outgoing Zone Commander I want to thank Cmd. Tom and John for sticking with the teamwork for
the last two years. An expression of gratitude also goes out to Cmd. Karen Luttrell and Peter Miller for
their help and mentoring.
I have thoroughly enjoyed being Zone Commander and the opportunities it gave me to meet and work
with such great people; not only in Zone H-4 but H-2 and H-3.
I would like to continue to working with the comrades in District H. Therefore, I am still in the running for
District H 2nd
Deputy Commander.
I am looking forward to the opportunity to speak with many of you at the “Meet the Candidates” night in
Espanola on the 12 of April.
Yours in Comradeship:
Steve Frech, Zone H4 Commander 2011 - 2013
DISTRICT H BRANCH REPORTS
Branch 25, Sault Ste. Marie
The Royal Canadian Army Cadets #2310 received gym bags from the Branch to carry their gear to
biathlon competitions, expeditions and various competitions out of town including their trip to St.
Johns Nfld. Each cadet received a Legion crested blue and gold bad with their name silk screened
on it at their parade night on Feb. 25th
. Each cadet will proudly carry the Br. 25 Legion Crest
wherever they roam and have a super gym bag to carry to school.
Branch 39, Espanola
Our legion visitation team was busy once again dong hospital and home visits and even managed to bring the Easter bunny with them to help spread good cheer of Easter. The residents appreciated a little chocolate treat and a little visit from our Legion members. Once again the team did a great job taking the time to talk with each and every resident and shut in. Smiles all around for our Easter bunny… thanks Pauline!.
Left to right: Harvey Sloss, Rolly LeBlanc, Linda Duhaime, Jack Coad and our Easter bunny.
Happy birthday to Jack on his upcoming
80th birthday we wish you many, many
more!
Submitted by Lizette Gagne, Secretary
Branch 76, Dr. Fred Star (Sudbury)
Being presented with Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by MP Glen Thibeault is Ron Robitaille;
Veteran, and Br. 76 Dr. Fred Starr member. Ron is President of the Irish Regiment Sudbury Association,
Immediate Past President, Sergeant-at-Arms, and Veterans Service Officer of Br. 76; District H Liaison
Officer for Cenotaphs and Monuments and a member of the City of Greater Sudbury Veterans
Committee. He has held many other Leadership Roles within the Legion and still holds others outside
that of the Legion such as Knights of Columbus Council #10888 and Bishop Scollard Assembly. All
performed with pride and great commitment to service.
Ron’s volunteer services are of heartfelt passion, always ready to help out in any way behind the scenes.
His talents, recognized by the Governor General’s office, reflect the values of coming together for the
betterment of the community or peoples need.
He is a true volunteer. Congratulations.
Branch 177, Little Current
Zone H3 Commander
Marjorie Thibault
presented the executive
of Branch 177 with a
beautiful framed picture
to thank the branch for
hosting the Zone H3
Spring Convention.
From left to right Pee Wee Oliver 3
rd Vice
Tom Stephens 2nd
Vice Marjorie Thibault Ron Steeves President Debbie Menard 1
st Vice
There are 6 levels of competition in Legion sponsored Public Speaking Competitions. First, students compete at their local school, 2
nd at their
local Legion branch, 3rd
at the Zone level, 4th at the District level, 5
th at the
Area level and 6th is the Provincial competition.
Jessica Marshall, of Little Current, won the Intermediate Category and is on her way to the 5th level competition in New Liskeard. The last time she made it this far was in 2008 when she was in grade 3, with her “pencil speech”. She advanced to place 2nd at the Provincial level. In 2010, her speech on “bubble gum” made it to the Zone level. In 2011, her “superstition” speech got her a 2nd at the Zone level. In 2012, her speech on Figure Skating vs Hockey got her 3rd at the Branch 177 level. Branch 177 is proud of Jessica’s involvement in the Legions competitions and we thang Marcel Gauthier, Youth Education Chair for his many years of encouraging the youth in our Central and Eastern Manitoulin schools to participate not only in the Legion’s Public Speaking program but so many also participate in the Literary and Poster Competitions. Submitted by Leslie Marshall and Roy Eaton, Br. 177 P,R,O. Branch 177, Ladies Auxiliary News Our L.A. cribbage team who competed at the District Level in North Bay. 22 on March 6
th. Teams came
from Wawa Capreol, Callander and places in between. Little Current came in first and have been invited to London on June 1
st. Submitted by R, Towns.
Branch 225 Sturgeon Falls
On Sunday 17 March 2013, Members of Branch 225 Sturgeon Falls, along with the District H Commander
Karen Luttrell, Zone H2 Commander Mary Marquette, Zone H2 Commander Elect Len Burnham and
family members gathered at the West Nipissing Long Term Care to witness the District Commander
present the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal to Catherine Doris Maltby. Comrade Catherine has been an
active member of the Ladies Auxiliary for 52 years and an active member of the Branch for 23
years. Congratulations “Kay”. Submitted by Len Burnham, Zone H2 Commander Elect
Branch 336 Falconbridge - Garson
In 2012, Lauren Rajala (Age 9) participated in Public Speaking at Churchill Public School and Laurentian
University. Her speech was about The Royal Canadian Legion, Falconbridge-Garson, Br. 336 and its 68
year history.
While in Grade 4, she was one of the 3 finalists who went on the Laurentian where she won the Finnish
Canadian and Historical Society Award and a remuneration of $30.
Branch 336 is proud of her fine efforts, a youth who has not forgotten the values of the Royal Canadian
Legion. On occasion, Lauren will go over to the Legion and assist her grandmother and the Ladies
Auxiliary with their efforts.
Lauren Rajala with her pictorial history of Branch 336
Branch 429 Wawa
I was pleased to read the following in Nick Veldt’s weekly email to Br. 429 and respectfully pass his words on to all. (Roy)
“And in these next weeks, looking at the dates on the calendar my thoughts go back to the spring of 1945 were I as a 14 year old boy was a witness of the Liberation of our town and country and relive those last weeks under the occupation and finally after 5 years FREEDOM. I will never forget the early morning hours when our lives changed overnight and the sight of those CANADIANS in their Khaki uniforms removing the scourge of WAR and giving me and my country a new future with hope. And seeing the graves of them that paid the ultimate price along the roads in the farmers’ fields. But also the bravery of those soldiers who moved on for a few days to liberate the next town. And when they returned after their battles how they distributed their surplus food to the children who for years had not seen certain things like bananas, oranges and the goodies which our kids today take for granted. And later when I was conscripted into the Royal Dutch Air Force and received my basic training in NIJMEGEN I found out what was required of a soldier to serve his country.” From Nick’s March 29
th post
“Going back to my liberation experience in early April 1945 I just read that the students of a local school adopted the White Cross that was placed there at the intersection of 2 streets to remember Corporal Aimee Periard who was the first casualty in the battle for Warnsveld were I lived at that time. Also this week these students remembered the disaster on March 29 1945 when a V1 flying bomb went down about 5km from the launching pad and landed 1 block up the street from were we lived and killed 12 people and destroyed 20 houses next to the local windmill. It is nice to see that the youngsters there still get taught what happened 68 years ago. Therefore it is the Legion’s goal to do this here in Canada through our youth education programs. Nick Veldt, Public Relations Officer, Br. 429 Wawa
Branch 503, Onaping Falls
I clipped this from Branch
503’s Facebook site.
Another great public
relations idea to consider
drawing up for your Branch.
Congratulations to Martha
Cunningham-Closs,
Br. 503 P.R.O.
Branch 553, Chelmsford
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal
Recipients Robert Bastion and
Patrick O’Link
From Left to Right George Patterson, Sgt At Arms, Aline Bastien, Robert Bastien Sharleen Sissons, President, Denise Belanger, Veterans Services Officer
Robert Bastien is a Korean War Veteran who was awarded the US Presidential Unit Citation for the
victory at Kapyong that saved Seoul. For this act of bravery, Robert received two letters of thanks from
the president of South Korea, one in 2000 and another in 2010. A certificate of appreciation in recognition
of honourable service during the Korean War signed by the Secretary of Defence was received last
October Robert is an active member of Korean Veterans Association of Canada and has been a member
of the Royal Canadian Legion in Chelmsford for over 45 years. Robert, just before Remembrance Day,
spends many hours going to the school speaking to students to inform them of the tragedy of wars and
the sacrifices that soldiers make. After serving, Mr. Bastien was hired by the Sudbury Police Services with
the rank of Sergeant in charge of criminal investigations for 38 years. He is very active with the Knights of
Columbus as a third and fourth degree Knight for the past 34 years.
Patrick O’Link worked for Falconbridge-Xstrata for 30 years and was involved with the Mine Rescue for
31 years and with the St; John’s Ambulance for 22 years. He contributed over 35 years in volunteering for
his community as a volunteer firefighter and presently the District Chief of five area fire stations. For the
past nine years, he has been the Chairman of the Greater Sudbury Volunteer Firefighters Charity and 10
years on the Executive of the Greater Sudbury Firefighters Choir. These two organizations have raised
funds for charities such as the MCTV Christmas Telethon, Camp Quality, Big Brother and BigSisters and
the Sudbury Manitoulin Children’s Foundation. Patrick volunteers for Muscular Dystrophy and is currently
the president of ‘Whinning in Life” and organization that uses miniature horses to assist in therapy
programs for kids with special needs. He is often found helping out an elderly or needy neighbor. Patrick
is an Associate Member of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch #553, Chelmsford.
Submitted by Sharleen Sissons, Br. 553 President
Branch 561, Elliot Lake
Vic Martel received the Legion’s highest
honour, the Palm Leaf to add to his
Meritorious Service Medal. Vic, a Life
member and Past President of 561 has for
many years chaired the Youth and
Education committee. Vic is also active in
the Poppy Campaign and usually the first to
step forward for any Legion cause. In his
spare time, he’s a great entertainer with his
guitar and is a great country crooner. When
Vic is not tied up with his volunteer work he
is one of the top Cribbage players in our
Branch.
Submitted by Bob Manuel, Br. 561 P.R.O.
From left to right: Tom Hywarren, President, Steve Frech, Zone H4 Commander Colleen Manuel, H & A
Chair, Vic Martel, Joseph Oneill, Branch Chaplain
District H Public Speaking Winners from Zone H4. Submitted by proud Zone H4 1
st
Deputy Commander, Tom Hywarren. From left to right: Nui Nui from Sault Ste.Marie Branch 26 1
st place 7-9
Vanessa from Thessalon Branch 182 1st place Grade 10-12
Grace from Elliot Lake Branch 561 1st place grade 1-3
Kiernan from Elliot Lake Branch 561 2nd place grade 4-6
Lt. (N) Tom Turner, Commanding Officer of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps #603 Captain Kidd, presented Comrade Roger Wake, Br. 561 Cadet Liaison Officer with a beautiful inscribed paddle as a thank you to the members of Br. 561 for their generous support of the Sea Cadets these past years. Being an ex-service organization the Legion’s interest in Cadetes is not to direct them to military service but help steer them into continued education and community service, in other words to be productive Canadian citizens. In turn, the Cadets volunteer for service in the Legion Kitchen and for other duties at the Branch. They provide valuable service during our Poppy Campaign and outshine most on various parades. Submitted by Bob Manuel, Br. 561 P.R.O.
District H Reports Comrades, Time seems to be speeding up as we draw closer to the end of another term. It seems like yesterday that I was being installed as your District Commander and in a few short weeks we will be electing and installing a new District H Commander and his 1
st and 2
nd Deputies. This is all going
to be taking place at Branch 39, Espanola on April 13, 2013. Come out and join us. Take part in selecting your new District Officers. Who is running for office? The people who have stated that they are running are: District H Commander – Gerry Ferguson (Branch 432, Massey) Past District H Commander - Karen Luttrell (Branch 503, Onaping Falls) 1
st Deputy Commander – Peter Miller (Branch 25, Sault Ste. Marie)
2nd
Deputy Commander – Mary Marquette (out- going Zone H-2 Commander) -- Marjorie Thibault (out-going Zone H-3 Commander) -- Steve Frech (out-going Zone H-4 Commander) Good luck to all. There will be a “meet the candidates” night at Branch 39, Espanola from 8pm – 10pm Friday, April 12
th in the upstairs hall.
All of the Zone elections have taken place and their Officers have been installed. The only Zone short of an Officer is Zone H-2. They failed to elect a 2
nd Deputy.
Hopefully someone will step up and take on that position. Our Zones may not have a lot of Branches compared to Southern Ontario but what we have that they don’t is distance. We have a lot of that
between Branches therefore it is almost a necessity to have two Deputies in each Zone. I wish all of the incoming Zone Commanders and their Council a successful term of office. The District Convention being held in Espanola is going to be very busy. It will definitely be a full day. We will hear from PIB insurance, The Great Canadian Tours and there will be a speaker from the Northern Cancer Research Center. There will also be a Presidents’ meeting as well a mini seminar on Bursaries and an information session on TOD (Training Organization and Development). After the Banquet we will be having the installation of Officers and Honours and Awards. I hope that you will all come and spend the day with us. The Provincial Convention is being held from May 12 –15, 2013 in Kingston. The information for this was sent with your first and second call to the District Convention. Comrade Peter Miller will also have this information with him at the District Convention. It would be nice to see a full slate of delegates attending this convention. In closing Comrades, this past two years as your District Commander has been an experience that I will never forget. I have met some really awesome people all across our District. There are a lot of good people out there. These people gave me the honour of being your District Commander and I hope that I have served you well. Thank you for giving me that honour and allowing me to serve District H in this way. Comrades, at the Provincial Convention in Kingston I will let my name stand for the Office of Vice-President of Ontario Command. I humbly request your support. . God Bless. Please stay healthy and thank you for caring. Yours in Comradeship, Karen Luttrell District H Commander
TRAINING ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Comrades, all Zone Conventions are over and we now have new leaders. My sincere congratulations to those who have been elected and to those who have been appointed to various chairs. I wish you a very successful term.
The next phase is Branch elections. I would ask each incoming President to do his or her best in appointing a knowledgeable and competent Comrade to the position of Branch TOD Chairman. District H leadership realize the importance of this chair and have agreed to hold in depth training for this position. The seminar will review the Duties and Responsibilities. We will work together to form a comprehensive indoctrination program for all prospective members. We will discuss how to establish a research program that will indicate what training is required. We will then discuss what seminars are needed and how to prioritize them.
One of the most difficult problems we face is apathy. We must meet this problem head on. Only by working together will we reach a solution to this problem. I look forward to working with all TOD Chairmen. If we work as one, we will succeed.
To all of you who are willing to stand for election, I wish you good luck. For those that will accept chairs on the Executive Committee, I thank you for your willingness to share your knowledge and the time you are about to commit.
Yours in comradeship
Len Leclair, District H TOD Chair
FROM ONTARIO COMMAND
I thank Carolyn McCaul, Provincial Public Relations Chair, for notifying me of the Track and Field and Poster and Poem champions from District H. Unfortunately, I do not have those pictures..(Roy). At the Provincial Indoor Track and Field meet held in Toronto at York University on February 9, 2013, District H is very proud to recognize Joseph Maxwell who placed 1
st in Boy’s Midget and Emily Good who
placed 2nd
in Girls Youth Shot-put. Medals were presented by Brian Smith, Provincial Vice President
Ontario Command 2012-2013 Literary/Poster Contest Winners Primary Black and White Poster - Zxoie Mellen-Hill Grade 3, Zone H4 Branch 169, White River Junior Black and White Poster - Desiree Boulter, Grade 6, Zone H4 Branch 211, Bruce Mines Senior Poem – Alyssa Anne Kiotz, Grade 11, Zone H4 Branch 211, Bruce Mines
Hello all my Comrades in District H. Although my life is now in a different
part of the province I still consider Levack and District H home. Ontario
Command will be gathering in convention in Kingston and May this
year. During this convention, we will be electing new leadership for our
Provincial Command. When speaking with these candidates please ask
them what their vision is for Ontario Command? Where do they want to
take this great Command if they are given a leadership role? These are
valid questions and the candidates have an obligation to provide honest
and insightful answers.
If summer ever gets here please enjoy yourselves and be safe. Travel
safely and enjoy the warm weather.
Yours in Comradeship;
Brian Abrams
Provincial Chair, Training and Organizational Development
Hello Comrades As I sit and think of what to tell you about our Branch Survey, all I can think of is...WOW. As of March 25, 2013 we have 90.9% branch participation across Ontario Command; there are only 37 branches left to complete their surveys. The first week of April I will be gathering all the information to produce our next Fact Sheet, just in time for our Provincial Convention. I know that I have done this already, but I congratulate District H for being the first district to have 100% branch participation in the branch survey...Well Done! Along with you, Districts G and D have also completed all their branch surveys for 100%. On behalf of our Provincial Public Relations committee, I thank you for all your hard work in completing the survey! Comrades, remember that when you receive the updated Fact Sheet (updated 2013), please use this to promote the Legion and all the great work we do for our Veterans, Seniors, Youth and Communities. The Provincial Convention in Kingston, May 12-15, I will be covering the whole convention and I will then be producing a DVD that will be for sale at a cost of $20/DVD in a prepaid order. I will be taking orders throughout the convention. The DVD will contain footage of the Parade, Wreath Laying and Opening Ceremonies, special reports, Installation of Officers and a Photo Gallery and will be approximately 2 1/2 hours in length. Comrades, that's all for now before I take up too much room in your newsletter. Remember to keep those communication lines open! Yours in Comradeship Carolyn McCaul, Provincial Public Relations Chairman