On Wednesday evening, Comrade Bob Hannah was honoured with the Meritorious Service Medal, the highest award the Legion can present to its members. Hannah, centre, is presented the honour by Drumheller Legion President Deb Bolduc, left, and is joined by Max Carr, who “helped” Hannah run for his first presidency.

    A member of the Drumheller Legion received the highest honour that can be bestowed a member on Wednesday night, earning the Royal Canadian Legion Meritorious Service Medal.
    Bob Hannah has been a member in good standing for 32 years, but his service goes well beyond.
    He was honoured and humbled to receive the award.     
    During his tenure with the Legion, he served as Drumheller Branch #22 president for three terms. He was also active provincially and at the Dominion Command level. From 1997 to 2006, he served as chair on every Provincial Command committee except sports. At Dominion Command, he served on the leadership committee in 1997, sports in 2006 and veteran’s services and seniors in 2003 and 2005.
    “Comrade Hannah is always willing to go out of his way to help out any branch needing his help. He is always willing to visit any branch hosting a function and to be the guest speaker if requested. He is an outspoken advocate of the Legion in is entirety,” states his nomination.
    In some ways, Hannah stumbled into his role. In fact, Max Carr, who was on hand for the presentation, submitted Hannah’s name for president without Hannah’s knowledge.
    “I was working at the penitentiary and these people were coming by saying ‘I hear you’re going to run for president,’” he said. “I came down here and I asked to see the slip where I had signed, and they showed it to me.”
    He said he was prepared to rip up the form, but Bud Hansen and another Legion member concerned about the future of the institution, talked him into letting his name stand.
    “Seeing as I got in as president here, I decided to keep going!” he laughs.
    The Legion saw some difficult times, but it was able to pull itself through the lean years and rebuild its membership and finances.
    The Meritorious Service Medal is the highest award that can be granted to Life, Ordinary, Associate or Affiliate Voting Members.
    Branch#22 Legion President Deb Bolduc explains the local branch makes an application, and works its way through the Provincial Command all the way up to Dominion Command for approval.

Munson Community Association members, (l-r) Becky Kowalchuk, Mary Daly, Dave Daly, and Jessica Sharpe, with a little help from their friends and supporters, announcing Munson’s selection of Cassils Community Centre as the next community group to receive $50,000 in the UFA Get n’ Give Contest. Cassils is about an 11 kilometre drive from Brooks.

It was a packed house at the Munson Community Hall Tuesday night, as the Munson Community Association selected Cassils Community Centre as the next recipient in the UFA Get n’ Give Contest.
    Association president Becky Kowalchuk spoke about how it felt for Munson to both receive the money, as well as to be able to select the next community to receive $50,000.
    “It feels amazing. It takes a lot of turkey suppers and bottle drives to make $50,000.  UFA is amazing to be doing this for the communities across Alberta, and giving those communities that win the opportunity to give back. It really, truly feels like we get to give to other communities, and help them make their dream and their goals come true.”
    She said selecting the next prospect was difficult and the numbers were close in the judging of the five community submissions for this round.     
    What stood out with Cassil’s submission, she said, was their creativity and their story.
    Cassils is about an eleven kilometre drive from Brooks.
    Crystal Mulvey, Secretary of the Board and Building Committee Member for Cassils Community Centre said being selected is wonderful, and the group is pretty excited about the money they’ll be receiving to help build their new hall.
    “Our original hall that we have now was built in 1923, and started as a school-it was the area school. And then in 1961, it became the community centre.”
    Mulvey said there have been additions to the building over the years, including a kitchen addition in 1980, noting the centre “It’s basically been the hub of our community since then.”
    She said age and a high water table a few years ago have deteriorated the building, and Cassils hopes are that by this fall, they  will be putting a shovel in the ground to start construction on their new community hall.
    Over four years of fundraising and with receiving the $50,000 in the UFA contest, Cassils Community Centre is now at $900,000 of their million dollar funding goal, Mulvey said.
    And as for the Munson Community Association, Becky Kowalchuk said the group is at eighty per cent of their fundraising goal, and is waiting on some other funding. If all the right pieces fall into place, she said Munson should be able to break ground on the new hall some time this spring.