Membership
Membership Matters
Become a Member Today!
You don’t have to be a Veteran to support a Veteran. Any Canadian or citizen of an Allied nation 18 years of age or older is welcome to join and help us help Canada’s Veterans. Annual membership fees vary by Branch, with most averaging around $60 per year. Only a portion of this money gets to stay with the Branch. The rest goes to Dominion in Ottawa.
Support Canadian Veterans - First year free membership
The Royal Canadian Legion is one of the most vocal supporters of Canada’s military community. For nearly a century, we have provided essential services to Veterans when they need it most, advocated for Veterans’ needs and helped Canadians honour the sacrifices of those who serve.
But we need your support to continue our important work.
To help you get to know the Legion, we’re offering
a free first year of membership to all serving and retired CAF and RCMP members
who have not yet joined the Legion.
The free first year of membership is also open to all parents or guardians, spouses and children 18+ of serving, retired or passed CAF and RCMP members who have not yet joined the Legion.
Join generations of Veterans, military families, and supporters. Become a member today (this link will take you to the National Site - you can also register, in-person, Tuesday to Saturday between 10 am and 4 pm, at our Branch.)
Veterans Legacy Project
Remembering our Members
Through SKYlIne, members are interviewed and their stories showcased the bi-monthly Branch publication.
Veterans Legacy Project
Please take the time to look at the Veterans’ Legacy Project booklet at the Bar behind the cash machine and read through some of the stories that have been published in Skyline. Think about the Veterans or even our wonderful Members you know in our Branch. Has their story been told? Encourage them or their family members to have their history included in future editions of Skyline or for the Legion archives. We need to capture these stories and information before they disappear to ensure they are not forgotten and current and future generations have the chance to hear them and learn from them.
Send an email to skylinenews@rcl285.ca and you will be contacted for an interview.
If you would like to read about the veterans that have been intervewed, please click on the names below.
Donald Stewart Ethell
Dennis George Morris
Veterans Memorial Project
We thought it was important to always remember those who have passed over the past three years. On average about forty members pass away during any given year. In 2020 we lost sixty-seven of our members. From 2020 to 2022, we have lost 65 of our Veterans.
At present, we have just over 450 Veterans in our membership. Around 160 are 70+, about 163 are 80+, 28 are 90+ and we have a Veteran who turned 100 this year and two who are 104 years of age. We exist to serve and support these precious people. As we work hard to keep our Branch vibrant and thriving, we must not lose focus on our ultimate purpose and also include activities that directly benefit our Veterans.
The Veteran’s featured in SKYline will be forwarded to Command for the next edition. We would like to ensure that all of our Veterans, who pass, are remembered in this way.
If you would be interested in helping with this project, please contact skylinenews@rcl285.ca
Alberta-NWT Command produces a Military Service Recognition Book each year, since 2009, as a special memory to our Veterans who have passed.
A free copy of this book is available at the Branch Office or you can view a digital version at the link above.
James Stewart HOWIE Mar 13, 1931 – Nov 6, 2021
James (Jim) Thomas REMINGTON Apr 26, 1924 – Feb 13, 2021
Robert Ludwig TREIT Oct 21, 1925 – 2021
Dennis George MORRIS 1920 - Sep 8, 2003
Clifford “Cliff, CJ” John NESSELBECK Apr 10, 1935 – Nov 5, 2021
David HARVEY Aug 19, 1921 – Oct 22, 2021
Adam James BRINKER Mar 28, 1923 – Sep 27, 2021
Robert Elwood KELLS Jun 8, 1947 – May 24, 2021
Members Legacy Project
We are proud to capture the life and times of some of our Branch Members for you to peruse. These stories have been researched and written by Comrade Marge Matheson and then published in our bi-monthly Skyline.
Do you know of a Member that should be interviewed or would YOU like to be interviewed? Please send an email to skylinenews@rcl285.ca.
You can read about each member by clicking on each name below.
#285 Member Awards
Honouring our Members
Each year, Branch #285 presents the following awards to recognize the tenure and contribution of our members.
Continuous Years of Service Pins
Pins are presented for years of continuous service starting at 5 years and continuing with multiples of 5 years (i.e. 10 yrs, 15 yrs, 20 yrs etc.).
Branch Past Officers Medals & Bars
As a means of recognizing the service of the Branch Executive, a method of acknowledging their dedication to the Purposes and Objectives of the Legion. The recognition is achieved through the awarding of Past Officer Medals and Bars.
Certificate of Merit
The Certificate of Merit may be granted in recognition of service rendered to, or on behalf of the branch, to honour a member for service which is considered to be above that which might be expected of an officer or member. The Certificate of Merit may also be granted to organizations, groups or persons outside the Legion in recognition of service(s) rendered to or on behalf of the branch.
Certificate of Appreciation
The Certificate of Appreciation may be awarded to a member in recognition of service rendered to the branch. A Certificate of Appreciation may also be awarded to individuals, companies or groups in recognition of special services rendered to the branch.
Life Membership
A Life Membership may be awarded to member with at least 10 years consecutive service, who has made an outstanding contribution to the Branch.
There are the requirements and details available for these and other awards at the Legion.ca
Faces to Graves
Much like our Veterans Legacy Project, Faces to Graves pays tribute to those young soldiers who lost their lives in Holland, so far away from home fighting for our freedom.
Especially now, most of their comrades are not able to do this any longer.
We would like to recognize every single one of them by a photo and the story of his life, so they will never be forgotten.
Do you have a photo or information about a soldier buried in Groesbeek or whose name is mentioned on the Memorial because he is missing, please contact us: info@facestograves.nl