This month marks the end of almost 50 years of the Marysville branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and members are dealing with the emotional loss of having to close their branch and building.
"There just isn't the support that there used to be . . .it's just been in the last 8- 10 years that new members aren't joining and old members are dying off," Linda McGillivray, the president of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Marysville Legion, said.
McGillivray was speaking for the branch executive (men's department) of the Legion as well.
The members are saddened by the loss of their own Legion branch.
Loosing the close knit, "family feeling, and community spirit of the Marysville Legion is the hardest part," McGillivray said.
"We just hate to fold, but we can't continue if we can't get the membership . . . (the new members) want their Legion card so they can go in and have a drink, but they don't want to go to meetings or volunteer their services," McGillivray said.
The branch began operations in Marysville in 1946-47 and built their Legion Hall in the early 1950's.
Maintaining the facility costs about $5,000 a year. McGillivray said hall rentals are not as frequent as in the past and shrinking membership dues do not cover the costs.
The Legion branch can't sell the building because that is against official Pacific Command Royal Canadian Legion regulations.
Ownership of the structurally sound dance hall, kitchen facility and meeting rooms of the building has been rejected by the City of Kimberley.
The Boy Scouts organization is interested in the building. They are waiting inspector's and assessor's reports.
If the building reverts to the control of Pacific Command, they will likely demolish the structure.
McGillivray reminds Marysville Legion members to transfer their membership to Kimberley before Dec. 31, "otherwise, they can't carry their year's (services) with them."
The large chubby Bavarian city mascot, now situated by the Ice Cream Hut, will soon be returning to the property of his rightful owners - the Kimberley Bavarian Society/Chamber of Commerce.
Manager Jill Hamacher said the Happy Hans move was one of the items on the agenda at the chamber's annual general meeting held last night.
"The Info Centre used to be where the Ice Cream Hut is now and that's why Happy Hans was placed there. But we relocated in 1989, but Happy Hans stayed where he was," said Hamacher.
However, when the pedestal of Happy Hans was damaged nearly two years ago, Hamacher said a debate started brewing about whether or not the city mascot should be returned to the chamber property.
Since the pedestal will need repairing and the statue won't be able to be moved once that occurs, a decision was made to create a new pedestal and move the Bavarian mascot.
That move could take place this spring.
Meanwhile, other chamber business including the election of the executive. Anita Schofer returns as president, as does Jori Adank (treas.) and Ida Walters (Second V.P.).
John Sorensen takes over from Willie Mulhaupt as Vice-president. Five new directors were also elected: John Sorensen, Kelly Anderson, Annette MacDonald, Barbara Tattrie and Peter Rathpoller.
"We had a very good year. We came out $8,500 in the black," said Hamacher, adding the chamber's year end has been changed from April 30 to Sept. 30.
While the City of Kimberley had much to celebrate in terms of economic and political successes in 1994, two murders left the city in shock.
The news that Stephanie Graves had been abducted from her Kimberley home on Saturday, April 30 at about 6 p.m. was met with disbelief by the community.
Kimberley and Cranbrook RCMP, search and rescue officials and the RCMP dive team undertook an extensive search during the weekend, eventually arresting a suspect, 38-year-old Siegmund Bruno "Bruce" Strebakowski on the morning of Sunday, May 1.
Stephanie's body was recovered from a remote area northeast of Kimberley on Monday, May 2 and it was learned that the eight-year-old Meadowbrook student had died from a gun shot wound to the head and police say she was sexually assaulted.
Strebakowski, a Kimberley man who was known to the Graves family and had been working on a vehicle at their home on the day Stephanie was abducted, is currently in custody pending his trial.
The six week Supreme Court of B.C. murder trial is scheduled for March 6-17 and June 5-30 in Cranbrook.
While the murder dealt a blow to the close knit community of Kimberley, residents and students and staff at the Meadowbrook Elementary School put their energies into supporting the Graves family and cherishing memories of Stephanie.
A trust fund was set up for Stephanie and a playground was built at the Meadowbrook school in her honor.
A Stephanie Graves scholarship has also been set up and it will be awarded to a student who displays the kind of generosity towards others as Stephanie did.
The murder of Leeland "Lee" Haskell was also met with disbelief by the community, as counselors and teachers gathered to support grieving friends of Lee and the Selkirk Secondary School declared it a 'crisis responder' situation.
The incident that ended in the 16-year-old Selkirk student's death took place on Saturday, Oct. 1, after a group of 10 Kimberley teens travelled to Denny's Restaurant in Cranbrook.
Lee was subsequently stabbed in the chest shortly after 2:15 a.m. just outside of the restaurant and transported to the Foothills Hospital in Calgary where he died in surgery.
Eighteen-year-old Travis James Bradwell of Cranbrook was taken into custody the night of the stabbing and charged with second-degree murder.
It was learned that Bradwell had been out with friends celebrating his upcoming wedding which was scheduled for the following weekend.
Bradwell is currently in custody awaiting his preliminary hearing which has been set for April 11-13 in Provincial Court in Cranbrook.
Lee was described as a kind and gentle young man at a memorial service organized by Lee's classmates which filled McKim Auditorium to capacity.
A memorial fund was subsequently established in Lee's honor and the new youth centre in Kimberley has since been named the Lee Haskell Teen Centre in his memory.
Next.Salute to Kimberley - Index Page
Front Cover - Inside Front Cover
Page One 1896 - 1910, - Page Two 1900 - 1911, - Page Three 1912 - 1920, - Page Four 1921 - 1924, - Page Five 1925
Page Six 1926, - Page Seven 1927, - Page Eight 1928, - Page Nine 1929, - Page Ten 1930, -
Page Eleven 1930, - Page Twelve 1931/32, - Page Thirteen 1933 - 1936, - Page Fourteen 1937 - 1939, - Page Fifteen 1940, -
Page Sixteen 1941/42, - Page Seventeen 1943, - Page Eighteen 1944/45, - Page Nineteen 1945/46, - Page Twenty 1946/47, -
Page Twentyone 1948, - Page Twentytwo 1948, - Page Twentythree 1949, - Page Twentyfour 1950/51, - Page Twentyfive 1951, -
Page Twentysix 1952, - Page Twentyseven 1953, - Page Twentyeight 1954/55, - Page Twentynine 1955, - Page Thirty 1956/57, -
Page Thirtyone 1957/58, - Page Thirtytwo 1958/59, - Page Thirtythree 1959 - 1961, - Page Thirtyfour 1961/62, - Page Thirtyfive 1962/63, -
Page Thirtysix 1963/64, - Page Thirtyseven 1964 - 1966, - Page Thirtyeight 1967, - Page Thirtynine 1968 - 1970, - Page Forty 1970, -
Page Fortyone 1971, - Page Fortytwo 1972, - Page Fortythree 1973, - Page Fortyfour 1974/75, - Page Fortyfive 1975, -
Page Fortysix 1976, - Page Fortyseven 1976, - Page Fortyeight 1977/78, - Page Fortynine 1978, - Page Fifty 1979/80, -
Page Fiftyone 1981/82, - Page Fiftytwo 1982/83, - Page Fiftythree 1983/84, - Page Fiftyfour 1985, - Page Fiftyfive 1986/87, -
Page Fiftysix 1987/88, - Page Fiftyseven 1988/89, - Page Fiftyeight 1989 - 1991, - Page Fiftynine 1991/92, - Page Sixty 1993/94, -
Page Sixtyone 1995, - Page Sixtytwo 1996/97, - Page Sixtythree 1997/98, - Page Sixtyfour 1998/99, - Back CoverReturn to Keepers Index
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