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Orangeville Legion brings Remembrance Day service to seniors centre

November 5, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Joshua Drakes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Members of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 233 brought Remembrance Day commemorations to the Orangeville and District Seniors Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 3, offering members an opportunity to honour veterans and reflect on the sacrifices made by those who served.

Three members of the Orangeville Legion attended the service, performing a modified service to accommodate the room and small count, which was originally intended to be six members. Members stood at attention for O Canada, followed by a playing of The Last Post. Legion members then played God Save the King, and proceeded to share their personal stories of service with the seniors present.

The floor was also opened up to allow attendees to share their own stories.

Branch 233 Sgt.-at-Arms Tim Simpson said the annual service gives seniors an opportunity to participate in Remembrance Day observances without necessarily having to attend the larger community ceremonies if they are physically unable or otherwise.

“We do this once a year here,” he said. “But we do a bunch of different services in different seniors centers, schools and churches this year. So we’ve got about nine to 14 services a year.”

For the Legion, bringing Remembrance Day services into the community is an important part of its work to preserve military history and ensure future generations understand the significance of the day.

“We come in, we talk about the Legion, we talk about Remembrance Day, where we’ve been and our stories,” Simpson said. “It’s also because some of these people can’t make it to Remembrance Day, so we bring it to them.”

Simpson added, “Why we do the services with the schools is to teach the kids about Remembrance Day, teach the kids about history, because unfortunately they have an idea of history, but they don’t know history. So this helps show the history of Canada, the history of the world, also the history of the poppy.”

Simpson said the services allow Legion members to explain their organization’s work, share historical information and give people a different perspective on military service.

With fewer Second World War veterans remaining and firsthand experiences of military service becoming increasingly difficult to hear directly, Simpson said the Legion’s educational efforts help bridge that gap.

He also emphasized the importance of giving young people an opportunity to see military uniforms and hear about the experiences of those who served.

Beyond remembrance, the Legion supports veterans and their families, contributes to community organizations and provides donations to groups such as local cadets.

Simpson said his own involvement is rooted in honouring his family, veterans and fellow Legion members while giving back to the community.

The Legion is always looking for new members, and Simpson said that those who are curious should visit the Legion, and members would be welcome to talk more.

“If you want to join the Legion and want to know more, the easiest thing is you can actually go to the branch,” he said. “You can talk to people there. You can go online to thelegion.ca. There’s a lot of things that the Legion does for our community. We help veterans get off the street, but we do donate back to the community and host different services at the hall. Depending on the community, we donate to the cadets, because those are our future. So, if anybody wants to know more, all they need to do is just show up to Legion, ask questions, and we’re ready to answer.”

Following the completion of the Remembrance Day Service, attendees were welcomed to stay for lunch, and staff prepared sandwiches, soups and dessert.

The seniors centre service provided another opportunity for members to recognize and celebrate Remembrance Day in an accessible and interactive way, engaging directly with Legion members who recognized that not everyone could attend the Nov. 11 service, and so instead brought the service to them.

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