Then I do remember particularly, you-see I left on the twentieth of April, that was my swan song, my last service in St-Thomas church, but the Sunday before in the legion and the army and navy chaps decided to come to church and mass. It turned out with a pipe band and a colour party and a couple of hundred ex-servicemen and it was a tremendous tribute and everything and the church was packed to the doors.

Interviewer: Yeah. What do their spouses do? Speaker: Um, my son-in-law, he works at um, the legion at 1-0-1-legion. Interviewer: Oh yeah. Speaker: And um, my daughter-in-law, she works for- is it Guinness's? Interviewer: The beer?

Interviewer: No it's looks like a suburb now. Speaker: As a kid I- I remember that it was um as I said quite charming and kind of little bit of the old world. There was a lovely stone house um building where the legion now stands and the knocked that down unbeknownst to anyone. Interviewer: (inc)? Speaker: No they had the- the new legion building had been constructed and the old stone house was still standing but now it 's a parking lot. And somehow, I wasn 't living here then, but I think they just demolished it before there were any controls on that.

All depends on, you-know, ah how much business they had. But they'd have four or five delivery-boys and you would deliver fish-and-chips and stuff- like-that. But you got a lot of the war-stories from ah around the Legion. If you were near the restaurant, near the Legion. And then they all came out and you 'd hear war- stories and, you-know, how they made it possible for us to live free and all-that-stuff.

It's full of seniors now. But I-mean at least it- the- the- ah the village is busy. And of course Fenelon has the high-school, they have a legion, what else do they have? I'm not sure if the have girl-guides or boy-scouts, that I can't tell you. And I don't know what the legion has. ... I know the legion is there too.

Um and we've also tried to find good spots for ah the militarily- ah or the military-related ah stuff over at the ah- "stuff," such a bad way to put it. The memorial plaques over at the ah ah the Belleville-Armouries, ah care of the ah the Legion and the- and the- the group here so. Ah I think we've done a pretty good job of just trying to hold on to what we've got and ah make sure that all the meaningful things find a- an appropriate home.

There was always something for the kids to do for free. The city took care of that. The legion ... some other outfits, parents ah volunteered their time. Teenagers, high-school kids volunteered their time. There was always something to do and it was always free 'cause everything was donated. Parents would buy them or the city would buy stuff. Today they don't have any of that ...

... now our youngest one just hasn't had as much time to develop, but they're- you-know they love running, they love volleyball, they love you-know. They'll go run at- on the weekends with the legion track club, you-know when it's raining or snowing or-whatever, through mud and-everything-else. I don't understand it, but (laughs) they seem to love it.

Interviewer: Okay. How did you get involved with the legion? Speaker: I got- I- I reti-- I retr-- I retired and I thought "Gee, what do I do with myself now?" (laughs) So I joined the legion and then I volunteered. Ah well first of all I joined the curling club and I took up curling until I hurt my back and I couldn't. But then when I was there I had my Smart-Serve so when I joined the legion here of course they put me to work in the bar and then ah I joined the legion, went on the executive and ah then they made me chairman of the Bingo and so this is the first year I'm not on the executive for three years so.

Interviewer: Are you involved in the ladies (inc) at all? Speaker: No, no, no. Just the legion, yeah. Interviewer: And you did some of the stuff at the heritage carousel previously I guess? Speaker: Yes I worked there just for one year, yeah. But I really enjoyed it.

Speaker: The ideal spot would've been that old C-N-R railway station. Interviewer: Yeah, but they already made that a museum (inc). Speaker: That's what we should've- yeah. No- not- that's C-P-R. The C-N. Interviewer: Oh. Speaker: Yeah the one behind the legion. Interviewer: Okay. Speaker: On Second-Avenue. Interviewer: Did that- what is that now then? Speaker: Ah I think it's something for troubled-youths use. I think so.

Speaker: Yeah. No we probably- if we ever sold it- but I don't know how in the hell's going to buy it like I mean that's a big- that's a big place. Interviewer: And it's really well set up as it is. Like just the divisions of the legion. Speaker: Oh yeah but it's far too big now. It wasn't at one time. But it's far too big now, I mean my gosh.

Speaker: Oh it- well I- I-don't-know I hope not because we get deeper and deeper in debt. Interviewer: Oh. Even with the legion dues? Speaker: Oh yeah but the legion dues don't all stay with us eh. They go to command and yeah. So oh yeah, yeah.

Speaker: But it's ideal for us because it's- for the legion to be there, you-know yeah. Interviewer: I'm surprised the city doesn't subsidize that for you or-anything. Speaker: (blows out) (laughs) They don't give us any breaks. The city, no way.

Speaker: Well no I wouldn't ei-- well there's a big due down at the legion in the day time, you-know. They always have big party there so I- I wouldn't be in any shape to go (laughs).

Speaker: Yeah, yeah. Did you get um- did you get um a bursary from the legion when you went to school? Interviewer: No I didn't. The um- when I left to go, they application form wasn't out at the time and then I subsequently forgot to grab it whenever I came back.

Speaker: Oh did you get your grandpa? Interviewer: I can't. He um he didn't live in North-Bay for forty years or so. Speaker: Oh he was overseas yeah, yeah. But there must be lot of old cronies at the legion that you can get (laughs). Interviewer: I'm working on that. I've got to- I got to choose a night to go and just be like "Hey grandpa's friend!"

Yeah um who else would be interesting at the legion? Now I don't know about Eric-Walton. Um who does your dad play with? Joey-Steeles, I know he was born and raised here. He was born in Rutherglen. Um who else (inc)- Simon. What about Simon-McGuire?

Interviewer: And I'm sure that they're- they're in the age ranges that I need. 'Cause I need to do um a certain number of certain age ranges. Speaker: Oh is that right? ... Yeah you- well you- you want younger ones? Interviewer: Um well from the legion I- probably not. Speaker: There- from the legion is all old like you're- you're talking- Interviewer: Yeah sixty, seventy, and seventy plus or- Speaker: Well tho-- those would be seventy plus. Like your- your grandpa's ah bunch, yeah.

Interviewer: Did you join the Legion right when you got back from overseas or? Speaker: No no I ah I joined the Legion when I was in Borden. Fifty-six. Because ah we lived in Borden- or we lived in Barrie and ah we're too far to drive to the camp for entertainment and you had to be belong to the Legion to get in to it.