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Legion remembers its past

The main hallway at the Westlock Legion is becoming a record of its charitable track record and a place to commemorate those people who have gone before.
Mel Primrose shows off the plaques commemorating former Legion members and the organization’s charitable track record in the hall’s main hallway.
Mel Primrose shows off the plaques commemorating former Legion members and the organization’s charitable track record in the hall’s main hallway.

The main hallway at the Westlock Legion is becoming a record of its charitable track record and a place to commemorate those people who have gone before.

It’s the work of Mel Primrose, who has hand a hand in the Legion since he started dancing there 30 years ago.

Nominally the Legion’s executive in charge of Saturday Night Socials and Housing, he has spent the past six years renovating the hall, as well as organizing a wide variety of entertainment.

There are four sets of small plaques on the wall. They serve a range of different purposes, he said, from highlighting the Legion’s many donations to acting as a small memorial to previous members.

“We’re quite proud of our donations,” Primrose said, adding the value of the contributions on the plaques is close to $1.5 million. Furthermore, the plaques only include major pledges since 1991.

“We give away more money than any other organization in town,” he said.

The idea to put up the plaques originated when a 30-year member asked him what the Legion did with its money.

In addition to the Legion’s contributions to the community, the wall also includes recognition of the many contributions the Ladies Auxiliary has made to the Westlock area from 1999 to 2008.

At the bottom of the wall, but still high enough to be seen without bending over, are 29 plaques commemorating the lives of members of the Legion or those with a strong connection to the community.

The plaques were added to the wall about three years ago, Primrose said, and each one costs $100. That money is used to pay for general upkeep of the wall and to be given out when community groups ask for support.

There are no set rules for buying a plaque, he said, other than he will wait until the person being remembered has actually died.

“It’s something to stand out for the veterans,” he said. “It’s a way to honour them.”

At the far end of the hallway, before you enter the main area, is a small cabinet on the wall. In it is a collection of pins from Legions from all across Canada, although the vast majority are from west of Manitoba.

There are also several military medals and other pieces of Canada’s and Westlock’s military history, including a number of pay books and a package of cigarettes.

“I’d love to see the collection grow and get the cabinet filled up,” he said.

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