A blue tarp was pulled away to unveil a veterans-themed bench. And in that moment, a legacy of giving from the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 406 Ladies Auxiliary came to an end.
A ceremony, on Tuesday Oct. 24, to celebrate the newly installed bench outside the Madawaska Valley Township building was also to bookend the work of the Auxiliary, which has officially disbanded.
Past Presidents Leah Kinghorn and Maureen Kiedroski say the ceremony was bittersweet. In its 62-year history, the Auxiliary connected to the Barry’s Bay Legion fundraised for dozens of causes, such as school food programs, minor hockey and more.
But, they said, membership had dwindled to a point where maintaining the Auxiliary was no longer possible.
“The Auxiliary members were getting older, and it’s harder to get volunteers,” Kinghorn says.
“Only eight people showed up for the meetings (last year) and they were in their 70s and 80s,” Kiedroski added.
Both have encouraged the remaining members to join Auxiliaries at other nearby Legions, such as the one in Eganville.
They also say they hope more people will join the Barry’s Bay Legion, so it can continue its work advocating with veterans, even if it doesn’t have a Ladies Auxiliary.