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Your LOCAL Media since 1918! Volume 105 Issue 10
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Wednesday, November 2, 2022 s
Legion kicks off poppy campaign
Members of the Tofield Legion kicked off their annual Remembrance Day poppy campaign Oct. 28 by pinning the Tofield Mayor, Beaver County Reeve and Councillor with the first poppies. L-R Tofield Legion Secretary Bonnie Ferguson, President Barbara Ferguson, Tofield Mayor Deb Dueck, Legion member Paul Shaw, Beaver County Reeve Kevin Smook, Beaver County Councillor Lionel Williams and Legion Vice President Jim Warren. LISA KUFLAY PHOTO Jana Semeniuk Staff Reporter
Tofield Legion members kicked off their annual Remembrance Day poppy campaign by pinning the first poppies on Tofield Mayor Deb Dueck, Beaver County Reeve Kevin Smook and Beaver County councillor Lionel Williams. Legion Vice President Jim Warren said the annual start up is a Legion tradition. “By Legion rules it’s to start the last Friday in Oct. and of course, it ends on Remembrance Day,” he said. “We always present the Mayor and the Reeve
and one of the county councillors with the first poppy.” Warren added that this year’s initial trip to the cenotaph did not carry the shock of last years’ initial trip, when it was discovered the cenotaph’s brass plaque, which has been sitting in the cenotaph since the late 40s, had been stolen. “We went to do the poppy campaign kickoff, and as I walked up to make sure that the Cenotaph was nice and clean, I saw that the plaque was missing,” said Warren. “I could not believe my eyes that anybody number one
would stoop so low to desecrate a cenotaph, but also, to steal a plaque. It floored me. I’m sure that they (thieves) had no knowledge that it was going to be the kickoff to the poppy campaign. I think it was just the timing of the events. So, a cruel coincidence.” Warren said that Ron Epp, from Epp Memorials, donated a new plaque, this time made of stone and carved, speculating that thieves may have been after valuable metal to sell. Although Warren said they reported the theft to police he said there was not much hope of finding the perpetrators or recovering the
plaque itself. “It was just one of many monuments that were having the brass plaque stolen. The firefighter’s plaque in Edmonton was stolen (and) the plaque held at the Fort Scott monument on highway 14 was stolen,” he said. “They melt down the metal so that nobody knows what they are and just take the melted down bronze in and get money for it.” Meanwhile, Legion Secretary Bonnie Ferguson said the cemetery monument, which holds the names of over 200 Continued on Page 7
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