YORKTON - This October will mark the third year for the Yorkton Legion’s ‘Honour Our Veterans’ banner project.
To-date, there have been 18 new applications, and the Alexander Ross Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion in Yorkton is hoping for many more before the May 31 application deadline.
As in the past, the new banners will feature veterans from WWI, WWII, peacetime service and an RCMP officer, Pat Rawlick who served his community for 40-years.
“The veterans come from all walks of life and all areas of service, but have a commonality of dedication to making the world a safer and better place to be,” said Tami Hall with the Legion Banner Committee. “This is truly brought close to home as the world watches the struggles and terror that is happening in the Ukraine right now.”
The ‘Honour Our Veterans’ program started in 2019, when Tami Hall saw a similar program in Vancouver which featured hundreds of veterans. She knew then that she needed to bring the program home to Yorkton to honour her father, Wally Austman, a Korean War veteran, and all the other veterans in, and connected to Yorkton.
After connecting with Counsellor Randy Goulden and then-mayor Bob Maloney, Hall & her husband, Shawn, next approached the Yorkton Legion. Legion president, Ken Gordon, and the rest of the executive committee welcomed the project with open arms. A committee was formed, and with a banner soon designed by veteran Peter Wyatt’s son, Michael, the program began.
Over the last two years, the Legion and community have honoured 172 veterans on 70 pennants.
One of the tributes showcases 29 WWI Indigenous veterans from the Key, Cote, and Keeseekoose First Nations.
Another showcases six brothers who enlisted in different branches of WWII service and who all came home safely.
There are several married couples, and veterans covering the Boer War, WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the RCMP, the medical corps, and worldwide service for the UN & NATO in countries such as Cyprus, Afghanistan, Haiti, Kosovo, and Bosnia.
The Yorkton banner project has become quite well-known, and has resulted in towns and cities across the country inquiring about the program as they want to implement a similar idea for their own veterans.
The City of Yorkton has been a huge support for the program, working with the Legion to ensure the program is continued, and the banners are installed and stored properly.
There have also been donations and recognition from other community members including individuals and businesses who sponsor a banner, and businesses like the former Logan Stevens who donated time and equipment.
The Yorkton Legion is very grateful to all of those who support the legacy project and hope that many more people will apply to have a banner hung for a veteran in their lives, said Hall.
More information and banner applications can be found on the Yorkton Legion website and Facebook page, by phoning the Legion at 306-783-9789 (Mon., Wed., and Friday mornings, 9:00 - 12:00), or by emailing yorktonlegionbanner@gmail.com
The deadline for applications this year is May 31.
