Ross Wilkie, representing Royal Canadian Legion Branch 296, has offered council a look into plans for the branch’s 70th anniversary later this year.
Wilkie said on June 6 the branch will celebrate its 70th anniversary along with the 65th anniversary of D-Day. He asked council’s permission to close Elora Street for a memorial service and parade that afternoon.
Wilkie said the Legion has approval from the OPP, who are ready to work with the branch.
There would be a memorial service and dedication service in the Legion parking lot at 2:45pm, plus a walk down memory lane from 3pm to 5pm in the Legion, followed by a gala cocktail party and dinner later on.
He said there is a special keynote guest speaker, “but for reasons of security, we cannot announce that until mid-May.”
Wilkie said the Legion’s second request is to be allowed to build a memorial cairn adjacent to the cenotaph. He said the cairn would have a metal plaque of similar quality to those of the Ontario government.
The plaque would have names of Legion members who have passed away. He believes there should be recognition for those veterans who lived in the community.
“The cenotaph recognizes those veterans who lost their lives in war, but there’s nothing in town to pay the respect to the veterans who served and returned home.”
Mayor David Anderson asked if there is any federal funding available to help with the project.
Wilkie said there was no funding, and the project would be paid for by the members.
He hopes the cairn itself will be stone, if it is available locally. Otherwise, he anticipates it would be a piece of granite.
