NIPAWIN — In 1929, the Nipawin Legion was just a group of First World War veterans in a garage.
“I had an uncle in the first war, and he was one, but that’s how this one started,” said Jim Grandfield, a Second World War veteran and Legion member. “Most of the Legion branches started after the First World War.”
The first Legion building in Nipawin stood in the same spot the current one does today. It was then replaced with the beginnings of the current one. From there, additions would be made until it was the place the community knows today.
“An achievement I remember where a lot of veterans turned up was when they opened up a veterans’ plot in Maple Hills Cemetery,” Grandfield said, reflecting back to the early 1970s. “I remember that day. There must have been 60 or 70 veterans [from the Second World War] alive back then.”
“That’s about the largest gathering I think I can remember veterans together.”
Grandfield believes this branch survived better than most.
“Nipawin has always been a very active branch. They go to all the big conventions and everything.”
Earl Stirling-Brown, a Nipawin Legion member, would agree. Stirling-Brown held what he considers almost every position in the branch through the years, with the exception of president.
“It’s one of the smallest but there are more activities and more things coming out of this branch then most in the province,” he said.
Stirling-Brown said the branch takes part in the majority of Legion activities.
“For instance our youth dart program, there are about four programs in the province and Nipawin has five times the members of any other. We participate in every Legion sport. Like, Jim said, every convention we send the maximum delegates, and provincial conventions.”
A highlight for the branch in his opinion was the photography project undertaken by Doug Chisholm in 2000.
There are several lakes in the province named after fallen veterans. For this project, Chisholm flew into these lakes, taking photos from the air and then placing a plaque honouring the veteran the lake is named after.
“He does a little service and he records all of this for the family,” Stirling-Brown said. “It’s available for the family at cost.”
The Nipawin Legion paid the costs for the local fallen veterans and displays the framed photo of the lake at the hall.
One of Stirling-Brown’s uncles was one of the fallen veterans honoured.
He said Chisholm’s project was not originally met with the applause it is seen with today. When he first began the project he was removed from a Legion convention after he was accused of profiting off the veterans.
“But it turns out he was honouring them.”
The Nipawin Legion ended up making Chisholm an honourary member for his work with the project.
“We were one of the first branches to have these,” Stirling-Brown said.
He credits the Legion branch’s success to the younger membership.
“A lot of branches are having trouble staying open. For instance the main branch, Regina #1 has had to downsize. They just don’t have the membership to support their buildings and their programs anymore.”
Stirling-Brown said that while the Nipawin Legion’s membership isn’t growing, it also isn’t shrinking.
“We have great young leadership right now,” he said. “Our executive is very, very youthful right now which means growth in the future.”
The young leadership has Grandfield’s approval.
“I think they’re doing a wonderful job and it’s great to see the young people doing the job,” Grandfield said.
