An evening at the Royal Canadian Legion was once such a Canadian tradition that Stan Rogers sang: "Friday night at the Legion when she's dancing with her man." It was a place for soldiers and officers to connect with their community. As William Perlstrom, zone commander for the Sunshine Coast Legions, puts it, "You leave your rank at the door."
But times have changed, and some Canadian branches are in trouble. Legion membership remains around 3,000 on the Sunshine Coast, but it is not increasing on par with the population, Perlstrom said.
"Some are losing, some are gaining," Perlstrom said. "The ones gaining are the ones going out and soliciting new members."The Pender Harbour branch is one Legion that has lost members. Legion member Rose Doepel said membership has dropped from 400 to around 300. Joyce Fowler, the Legion's secretary, has also noticed a decrease. "It's changing drastically. People don't come in anymore," Fowler said. According to Fowler, people come for events such as the meat draw, fish and chips nights and Texas Hold'em, but younger people are going to local pubs instead.
"I think it's a reflection of the times," Fowler, who has been a member for 30 years, said. "It's not the same outlook. It used to be a community getting together."
Pender Harbour is not the only Legion on the Sunshine Coast to lose members. Since 1989, the Sechelt Legion went from nearly 900 members to 540 or so, said president Terry Powell.
"A lot of older people just can't afford to keep up their memberships," said Powell, who is serving his third term as president.
Rose Powell, Terry's wife, is the event co-ordinator for the Sechelt Legion. She recently held a British pub night, a B.C. Day open house and brought in Neil Diamond impersonator Nearly Neil. She also has local acts Jim Taylor and Local Traffic on a regular basis.
Rose wants people from the community to tell her what events they'd like to see at the Legion. "I'm willing to do anything if it'll bring people in," she said.
However, other branches on the Sunshine Coast are doing well. The Gibsons Legion has increased its membership over the past year and now has approximately 600 members, said president Larry Boyd. "We seem to be a fairly popular place in the Town of Gibsons," Boyd said.
The Gibsons Legion has a slightly different approach, alternating events geared towards a younger audience with entertainment for the older members.
Leanne Waldie, chair of the Legion's entertainment committee, has brought in a variety of bands, including a Latin jazz salsa group. Waldie looks for bands from out of town as well as local acts and said, "I do my very best to do local."
The Roberts Creek Legion is also thriving. Membership has increased by more than 50 members the past few years, said president Michael McGinnis. The Legion currently has more than 200 members. McGinnis partly attributes the increase to the cabaret in Gibsons closing and the Peninsula Hotel in Roberts Creek burning down.
"For about six months we were the only show in town," McGinnis said. "If that didn't happen, I don't know if we would have survived."
McGinnis also said the Legion has alternated between live music and DJs, and the DJs bring in a younger crowd. The main incentive for members is a half-price ticket for events. If the general public pays $8, members pay $4.
The Roberts Creek Legion is involved in the community, participating at local events such as the upcoming Roberts Creek Daze, McGinnis said.
"It's like the community living room," he added.
The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit social club run by volunteers. It was incorporated in 1926 to provide support to veterans and ex-service members, as well as other members of the community.
The Lower Sunshine Coast branches include Pender Harbour, Sechelt, Roberts Creek and Gibsons. The Legion supports Meals on Wheels, the Elves Club, various sports teams, Girl Guides, Boy Scouts and Cadets and provides bursaries to local secondary schools.
"If the Legions were to fail, I don't know where the local charities would go," Perlstrom said.
