Kindersley Legion Branch 57 Welcomes New Member
The Kindersley Legion Branch 57 has added a new member. For the first time in the club’s history, they have welcomed a female President to join them. We thought this would be a great opportunity to catch up with the Legion to learn a little bit more about their new member and what she has in store for our community and Branch 57!
“For those of us who may not know me, my name is Jeannie Bylo and I’m originally from Oromocto, New Brunswick where my father served in the military with the *Black Watch of Canada. Although, being a child of a military member you’re never in a place very long! I’ve lived pretty much from one side of Canada to the other plus spent several years in Germany, but now I enjoy a quiet life living on a small acreage with animals and working for the R.M.
Many of you may ask why I was drawn to the Legion. Well, I remember going to the Legion in my younger days after the Remembrance Day parades, sitting with the local veterans and their hearing stories, which struck a chord with me. Also, our Legions are here to help veterans, whether that be emotionally or physically and I want to be part of that. When I moved to this area I looked into the local Legions that were around and contacted the Kindersley Legion. From there, I went to a meeting and knew I instantly belonged–they are a great bunch of people!
One of my favorite things about the Legion is, not only do we help our veterans but we give back to our community which is incredibly important to me (of course, the Legion being military orientated is, for me, a bonus)! That being said, I want to point out that you do not have to be military or part of a military family to become a member, you just have to want to help the veterans and our community!
I’m excited and looking forward to my role as President with Branch 57. While the Legion is sometimes seen as a mainly male-dominated space, most of my jobs have been male-dominated–the military, farming, running equipment, but with the Legion, I find it is no different than with a male in charge. That’s the great thing about this group, we are all treated the same!
As for some goals I’ve set for myself in my new role, over the coming months, I’d like us to gain new members! I’m also aiming to develop some new ways we can support our community. Although the Kindersley area hasn’t had a military presence, I think it important to show the purpose of the legion and give support to our military. I want to help remind the public what our military does, and what our veterans have sacrificed. Not being able to hold fundraisers over the last few years has been a challenge, but through the use of social media, we have been able to stay in touch with the public and will continue to do so. I’ll do my best to keep our Legion strong!
*The Black Watch is the oldest highland regiment in Canada. Volunteers have served since the regiment’s inception in Montreal on January 31st, 1862 as the 5th Battalion, Volunteer Militia Rifles of Canada. The rise of American military strength during the Civil War concerned Canada. The government authorized formation of militia regiments. Each of six Montreal Scottish chieftains responded by raising an infantry company for the 5th Battalion. Eventually, eight companies were raised for border service. Since then, thousands of Canadian citizens have served in the Black Watch. In addition to Canadian border security, they have fought in the Boer War, WW1, WW2, Korean War; bolstered NATO operations in Europe and UN peacekeeping worldwide; and provided aid-to-the-civil-power, most recently during the Quebec and Eastern Ontario ice storm disaster.
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