... you h-- you have two kinds of people running this town. You either have the friendly people or you have the complete dicks. ... And so, either you're known for drinking or just being rude and obnoxious. So no one from Legion. Interviewer: (Laughs) Speaker: Yeah. ... I don't care. As long as their not cocky and self-absorbed, okay I'll take you.

A-- a-- anyway ah- oh I got the band started when the- ah-ah- about drumheads- the legion drumheads service were going to be held here. Interviewer: And what was that, the drumheads? I'll just put this here. Speaker: Well, it's from the band.

... it so happened that day I had six pipe bands come in and they were in the field over there across from the legion. ... And that's where, getting ready for the parade.

So after, about- right after that s-- sun-- Sunday parade with all the bands, I have me- put an ad in the paper, "Are there any Highlanders in Haliburton?" And come- "If there are, come to the Legion." ... "November the thirtieth." ... Saint-Andrew's-Day (laughs), November the thirtieth.

Um, Eli-Shanford, a-- another legion member and myself, we were down and I got Septe-- September-eighty to nineteen-eighty-two to a district drumhead service in ha-- Havelock.

And that's w-- we were down there and we got talking to some guys from ah- I forget where I said it was but- what they- they were telling about their legion had got this ah- b-- b-- um building or thing up for seniors, they built for seniors.

Anyway, I- I- so I went back and ta-- talked to Synthia and to- oh, I was manager at the- at the r-- ah legion at that time and anyway, I said, "Oh we g-- we have a hundred thousand in the bank and they only want about seventy-thousand for that land. We can go and buy that land and maybe get started."

Speaker: Anyway, there's the- there's a legion. ... Interviewer: What happened here? Speaker: There's- there's- that's this legion here burning. Interviewer: What happened? Speaker: I don't know. There's the fire and there's what's left of it and- that was- that was a picture of the inside of the- of the original legion, that ah- Interviewer: I see. Speaker: Not really the olig-- original but- but anyway the- w-- we used the old c-- curling club here for the ah for the legion (laughs). ... While it was down before the new one got built.

Yeah, well all that's- that's ah, fire place thing there, all in there. Long one. Interviewer: That's a sugar ah sugar canteen. Speaker: I- (inc) all of the ah, the legion at that time. We're- we're building it longer, bigger and we pushed the back wall all out. And all those cement blocks that came down, I gathered and piled them in the back of my truck.

Interviewer: And the fact that you passed it on to your kids too. Speaker: Well, it was- it- well ah, actually it was because of a chap in Haliburton Dale-Jeremy who was president of the legion at the time. And he really wanted to play band in the legion. And- and so he, in recent (inc) well I can- I can teach some to play- I've never been in a band but you-know I can teach them to play the pipes.

And we- we usually in the summer, we practise down by the lake on Tuesda-- well it was Tuesday night, now it's Monday nights, we got a switch in where we practise. So we practise in the legion and ah- and ah in the winter and- but in the summer we'd be down there in ah- it's ah- yeah it's been- been quite a thing.

... it was ah a parade of- the- where they had a local brass band I-guess and- and it would be buggies or-whatever, that was your float should be I-guess. I never saw one. Ah, when I got ah involved it was the legion were doing ah a parade. In fact, my brother and I used to pipe when there was just two pipers and sometimes there might be- we might have a drummer or-that.

But we've a nice time. But there's- and- last night I was at- the home support have this ah, ah, supper every- once a month. O-- at the legion. And ah, they provide a very nice supper and they always have some entertainment. So I was at it.

Interviewer: Lawn-bowling? Speaker: Lawn-bowling. That's it. Yeah. ... Yeah a-- and th-- in the winter they have ah, they do it in legion, in the upstairs.

Speaker 2: ... there was a big sign on the door, "Residents, watch out, there's a bear on the premises." (Laughs) ... Oh they used to go in town and- and they were hanging around the school too. Speaker: Right across the road from the legion when our daughter got married, there was an old bear and two cubs that night right in town, up the tree. Climbed the tree.

My grandfather, an old (inc) lived here in town. He was a Salvation-Army guy. They started the legion hall in Haliburton. I can't tell you what year it was, I think its in the- (inc) up there. They started the legion hall in Haliburton back in them days. Interviewer 4: And you- are most people involved with the legion hall here? Speaker 2: Not anymore.

... he was an undertaker and he looked after most of the pi-- the- the- for the veterans to go to England. Well, it ended up that he didn't need the tickets so he brought it to the legion one day and give it to Earl for the two of us like a ticket for each one of us. So anyway, we left and we went to England.

But he said it's entirely up to you and ah, he said you could have that extra money to go on bus trips, you-know like a day type- ... Of-thing, you-know, that the legion used to have. And um- so anyway, as time wore on, I went down and talked to the administrator here ...

Speaker 2: We- we were at a dance down the street here, Monday night. Speaker: Supper at the legion? Speaker 2: Yeah.

Interviewer: Do you play a lot of pool? Speaker: Well sometimes at the legion in Wilberforce ah Friday afternoons they play pool. Interviewer: Oh yeah? Speaker: But ah now I'd rather be outside playing horseshoes.