The Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 04 Fredericton, New Brunswick The Torch Fredericton Branch No. 04’s Newsletter ISSUE No. 2019-06 JUNE "The Torch shall remain symbolic of justice, honour and freedom throughout our land. These were the principles for which our comrades fought and died. We of today and tomorrow covenant to hold it high lest we break faith with those who died. Justice, honour and freedom are our charge for now and forever. We serve best by fostering these principles in ourselves, our children and their children so long as The Royal Canadian Legion shall survive." Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. – John McCrae In This Issue – June 2019 • Important Dates for June 2019 • Highlights and updates from Fredericton Branch No. 04 including: o Branch Sport’s Report and Updates including highlights of the 2019 Dominion Eight Ball Championships hosted by Branch No. 04 • Looking Ahead – Upcoming Branch Events This Summer • The Last Post for Branch No. 04 Get your copy of June’s Branch Calendar at the Branch or online! Important Dates for June 2019 • Branch No. 04’s Visitation at the Veterans Health Unit in Fredericton, New Brunswick on Saturday, June 1 at 2 p.m. (all Branch Members are welcome) • 75th Anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy on June 6 • Ladies Auxiliary General Meeting on Thursday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m. • Branch General Meeting on Thursday, June 20 at 7 p.m. Branch President’s Blog Branch President Joanne Gibson Special thanks to all our faithful volunteers, without them we could not have accomplished all that we have. Our Branch hosted a very successful National Billiards Tournament May 24 to May 27. Again, thank you to all the volunteers who made it possible to host such an event. Effective May 20 Victoria Day our Branch has relocated to 355 Smythe Street. This past Friday, May 31 was the official kick off for our Branch’s reopening with our TGIF Dance. Letter from Ladies Auxiliary Ladies Auxiliary President Marilyn Brennan Hello Everyone! Hopefully by the time you read this we have moved into our temporary home for the next few years. I look forward to starting a new beginning in our temporary home. We will continue helping and assisting when and where we are needed. I would like to thank you all for your continued support in the Ladies Auxiliary of the Fredericton Branch No. 04. Have a great summer! Chaplain's Corner: Posts from Branch Padre Rev. Brian MacDonald LOVE IN ACTION AT OUR LEGION Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche communities for persons with mental disabilities, died on May 7, 2019. He was a son of the late Georges P. Vanier, who was one of our Governor Generals and a WWI veteran of the Royal 22e Regiment, the famous “Vandoos.” Jean himself was a veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy. After serving briefly as a naval officer, Jean felt a personal need to search for deeper meaning. This eventually took him to France, where his spiritual mentor Father Thomas Philippe invited him to visit people institutionalised for intellectual disabilities. As a result, in 1964 he bought a small house in the village of Trosly-Breuil and invited two male patients he had visited to make their home with him. And so, the first “L’Arche” (a reference to Noah’s Ark) came into being. Now there are approximately 131 L’Arche communities in approximately 34 countries. Jean said that the mentally disabled can teach us the very basis of what it is to be truly human: they help us to recognize one another as fellow human beings created in God’s image and teach us to love one another. This boils down to showing one another basic consideration and respect, something we are encouraged to practice here at the Legion through the Branch Hospitality Program developed by Dominion Command. It is posted on our branch bulletin board (and included on the next page hereto), and I encourage everyone to read it. None of it is “rocket science,” but it does help us to be intentional about how we treat one another. As we become more conscious and deliberate about showing basic consideration and respect (in other words, love in the most basic sense) we will do an even better job of making people feel welcome, encouraging them to return, and encouraging them to join and get involved. Have a great summer! Key Principles of Hospitality – S.E.R.V.I.C.E SMILE – Each person (member or visitor) who enters your local branch should be greeted with a smile. Ensure the local branch key personnel are aware of the importance of greeting all with a smile. A smile provides a degree of comfort for anyone entering your branch. Always attempt to reach out to the guest before they reach out to you. ENQUIRE – Attempt to take time to enquire about all present in your branch. Get their name. How have you been? What are your plans for this weekend? Engaging your membership base automatically creates a more welcoming environment by creating a personal connection. REMEMBER – Not only is this one of our core Legion values but it also important to remember your members and follow up on any previous conversations you have had. Did your plans for the weekend work out? Did you speak with your wife about attending our Friday night dinner? Remember important dates. Reach out on special birthdays or anniversaries to show recognition of these accomplishments. Again, a key component of creating a personal connection. VERY NICE TO SEE YOU – This statement goes hand in hand with a smile to create a more welcoming environment. When followed up with remembering a previous encounter it further demonstrates a welcoming environment. Treat everyone with the same level of engagement and courtesy. INTRODUCE - Make an effort to introduce your members to other people in your branch. The more people one has met the more comfortable they will be on returning, as they will feel part of a larger organization. CONNECT– Aside from the initial conversations it is important that your branch stays connected to your members when they are not at your establishment. This can be accomplished by having a branch website promoting upcoming events and a regular email newsletter, which are highly cost efficient and proactively keep your members updated on upcoming events. ENTICE TO JOIN – The chances of attracting new members to join are greatly enhanced once all of the above have been accomplished. If you have created a welcoming environment, your chances will be much higher of signing up new members and retaining current members. Do not be afraid to ask members to join, as it is through our members that we are able to achieve our core values as an organization Excerpt from the Branch Hospitality Program Developed by The Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Command As of January 1, 2018 Legion Veteran Services Branch Service Officer Don Swain The Royal Canadian Legion Veterans Services serves Veterans, members of the Canadian Armed Forces, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and their families by providing support, referrals, representation, advocacy and financial assistance free of charge. If you or someone you know needs assistance, please call our volunteer Branch Service Officer Don Swain at 506-460-8732 or reach out to Dominion Command Veterans Services toll free at 877-534-4666. Branch Sport's Report Shuffleboard Committee Chair Ricky Love Pictured above, New Brunswick’s Provincial Shuffleboard Champions From Left to Right: Bette King, Barb Miller, Heather Melvin, Joanne Gibson, Shirley Ketch, Dale Ross and Tony Quackenbush. Pictured above, Fredericton Team #3 came in Third Place at Provincial From Left to Right: Ricky Love, Jeannie Wilson, Gary McDade, Helen McDade, Ken Miller, Claire Spencer and Dale Armstrong. Sussex Branch No. 20 hosted the Spring Provincial Shuffleboard Tournament this past May 4th weekend and of the 18 teams competing, Fredericton Branch No. 04 had two teams place in the top three. Fredericton Branch No. 04’s teams placed first and third and won the Memorial Plaque which is to be dedicated to Fallen Comrade Paul “Hoot” Gibson. Congrats to everyone! Committee Chairpersons: Please submit your monthly reports by month end. 2019 Dominion Eight Ball Championships Friday, May 24 to Monday, May 27 Local Arrangement Committee Co-Chair Roger Miller Fredericton Branch No. 04 hosted this year’s Dominion Eight Ball Championships and the two-day weekend event featured 36 players from 9 branches. The team of Curtis Beaudoin, Richard Urbanik, Neil Shore, and Richard Martinson from the Norwood & St. Boniface Branch in Manitoba earned 64 points to win first place in the Royal Canadian Legion 2019 Dominion Eight Ball Championships. The team from New Brunswick’s Miramichi Branch of Shawn Stewart, Greg Gauthier, Jerry Carroll and Danny Carroll were a close second with 62 points. Photo Credit: Comrade Sam DeRosa The Doubles Champs were Curtis Beaudoin and Richard Urbanik from Manitoba’s Norwood & St. Boniface Branch. Finishing second in the doubles were Carl Pike and Bob Hall from Newfoundland & Labrador’s Labrador City Branch. Winning the singles championship was Greg Gauthier from Miramichi’s Branch. Carl Pike from Labrador City’s Branch earned second place in the singles. Ken Hicks from Alberta/NWT’s Bowness Branch won the Most Sportsmanlike Player award voted on by the players. Unsung Hero Awards Congrats to all of 2019’s Unsung Heroes, particularly Comrade Bucky Rodgers and Ladies Auxiliary Member Anne Pugh! Photo Credit: Ladies Auxiliary Member Sheila Porter This year, Comrade Bucky Rodgers and Ladies Auxiliary Member Anne Pugh were recognized and awarded an Unsung Hero Award.