15 W ednesday , N ovem ber 10, 2010 O A KVILLE BEA V ER w w w .o akvillebeaver .co m 406 SPEERS RD., OAKVILLE ACROSS FROM RONA LANSING 905-337-2066 www.cobb les tonembers .ca MASONRY & FIREPLACE DESIGN SPECIALISTS Warm savings of up to 30% R Q D O O ' L P S O H [ ? U H V Receive an extra $50.00 off your fireplace purchase with this coupon. Offer ends Nov. 20/2010 older vets going there to drink should be dispelled, according to Landers. The Bronte Legion was a spin-off of the Oakville Legion, years ago, said Landers. In fact, on April 17, 1948, a group of 15 local men received the branchs charter. At that time, according to branch history, Bronte was part of Trafalgar Township, so the Branch was named RCL Branch 486 Bronte Trafalgar. Bronte was later annexed and became part of Oakville so on June 6, 1975, the branch was renamed General Chris Vokes Branch in honour of Brigadier- General Chris Vokes, who served in the Italian cam- paign in the Second World War. Initially there was no Legion building, so meetings were held at individual homes. In 1968, 20 men each loaned the branch $2,500, which was then used to build the current Legion Hall at 79 Jones St. In the mid-1970s, women were given full privileges and allowed to go to the clubroom at any time. Legion activities are held in the clubroom of the hall while large events or hall rentals occur in the larger Victory Hall. In recent years, the branch membership, which was once 500 or more, has dwindled, but the executive car- ries on. Currently, Landers said there are just over 430 mem- bers. He credits good turnout at events and the arrival of new members as efforts by the Legion to be a family-ori- ented venue that offers more activities and functions and at reasonable cost. The Legion also draws members from those who moor their boats at the Bronte Outer Harbour because, as Landers said, the Bronte Legion is reputed as being a friendly place. Just under 40 per cent of the members are actual veterans, said Landers, noting others are family or friends of the Legion. Like its Oakville branch counterpart, Bronte Legion Speak up! You can comment on any story in todays Oakville Beaver at oakvillebeaver.com. Bronte Legion started by 15 men in 1948 Continued from page 11 See Bronte page 17