UNITY – The third week of September has been set aside for National Legion Week, where community members were invited to see two unveilings the Unity Legion Branch No. 90 had.
The first unveiling was the base of the Cenotaph, located in Memorial Park. The base had been slowly crumbling away and with the assistance of Richard Lessmister, the proud soldier who stands guard now has a secure footing.
The rededication ceremony started with Legion members marching the two blocks to the park, being led by the colour party Theresa Keller and piper James Ramsay. Padre George Ward started the rededication ceremony, where the base was unveiled, and three wreaths were laid.
Following the ceremony, the 30-plus spectators were welcomed back to the Legion Hall, for the second unveiling – the reopening of the basement and bar. In 2023, the Legion was the victim of two separate floodings. Since then, work has been taking place to get the basement back to its former glory of being a place to meet before Legion meetings.
Along with the re-opening of the refurbished space, the new name of the bar was also revealed. In honour of its former bartender, Silas Campbell, behind the counter will now be known as ‘Si’s Lounge’. To help celebrate the momentous occasion, Campbell’s son, daughter, grandson and good friend were all present. Campbell, who passed away earlier this year, was also the last of the World War Two veterans in Unity.
“We were happy to see a small turnout for both unveilings and we could not have asked for better weather,” said Legion president, Lorne Kohlman.
