May 2012 Canadian Elk

Covering the last 25 years of our History
Special HiStory Book edition
CANADIAN ELK
ÉLAN CANADIEN
Chilliwack, BC
2012 Convention Site
Come celebrate our 100th Anniversary
See inside for more details ...
MAY 2012 VOLUME 61, NO. 3
ELKS OF CANADA
2011 – 2012
GRAND LODGE EXECUTIVE
GRAND EXALTED RULER
Ph.
(604) 824-5517 (Res)
(306) 536-0655 (Cell)
[email protected]
[email protected]
R. Jerry (Bev) Wernicke
5644 Montesina Pl
CHILLIWACK BC
V2R 3N8
IMMEDIATE PAST GRAND
Ph.
(867) 873-9750 (Res)
(867) 920-5648 (Bus)
(867) 445-1013 (Cell)
(867) 920-5668 (Fax)
[email protected]
David (Audrey) Hurley
4825 School Draw Ave
YELLOWKNIFE NT
X1A 2K6
GRAND LEADING KNIGHT
Ph.
(780) 538-9456 (Res)
(780) 831-0891 (Cell)
(780) 539-0503 (Fax)
[email protected]
Robert (Carol) Larsen
9412-66 Ave
GRANDE PRAIRIE AB
T8W 1C6
GRAND LOYAL KNIGHT
Ph.
(780) 449-7107 (Res)
[email protected]
Jim (Karen) McLeod
47 Hawthorne Cres
SHERWOOD PARK AB
T8A 3Z
GRAND LECTURING KNIGHT
(403) 256-5101 (Res)
Ph.
(403) 296-5964 (Bus)
(403) 816-5567 (Cell)
[email protected]
GRAND ESQUIRE
Ph.
(506) 453-9893 (Res)
(506) 457-6898 (Bus)
(506) 455-7078 (Fax)
[email protected]
CANADIAN ELK/ÉLAN CANADIEN
Duane (Elaine) Felt
55 Millbank Cres SW
CALGARY AB
T2Y 2E2
Dominic (Sandee) Leach
21 Main St
FREDERICTON NB
E3A 1C6
GRAND CHAPLAIN
Denis (Marilyn) Ellingboe
9231-94A Ave
GRANDE PRAIRIE AB
T8V 6W5
GRAND INNER GUARD
Deb (Dave) Sallenback
26515 - 28 Ave
ALDERGROVE BC
V4W 3A6
GRAND ORGANIST (APPOINTED)
(403) 549-3925 (Res)
Ph.
(403) 625-6608 (Cell)
[email protected]
Doug (Gwenn) Broomfield
PO Box 25
STAVELY AB T0L 1Z0
Ph.
(780) 532-1762 (Res)
(780) 956-3955 (Bus)
(780) 356-2194 (Fax)
(780) 296-1397 (Cell)
[email protected]
Ph.
(604) 856-3559 (Res)
(604) 996-3644 (Cell)
[email protected]
GRAND LODGE COMMITTEES 2011 - 2012
NATIONAL CHARITIES COMMITTEE
CHAIRMAN
Elizabeth (Al) Busby
Ph.
(306) 492-4724 (Res)
PO Box 772
DUNDURN SK
[email protected]
S0K 1K0
Ph.
(780) 842-5081 (Res)
Will (Lyndsey) Challenger
(780) 842-7180 (Cell)
1030 17 Ave
(780) 842-3335 (Fax)
WAINWRIGHT AB
[email protected]
T9W 1K2
Ph.
(780) 417-7049 (Res)
(780) 818-3058 (Cell)
[email protected]
Leonard (Barbara) Shain
5 Woodfield Dr
SHERWOOD PARK AB
T8A 4A1
CO-CHAIRMAN
Ph.
(705) 254-2922 (Res)
[email protected]
Lorraine Pezzutto
207 Spruce St
SAULT STE. MARIE ON
P6B 2H1
Ph.
(250) 499-2450 (Res)
[email protected]
Joan Popovich
230 - 12 Ave
KEREMEOS BC
V0X 1N3
Ph.
(250) 376-3442 (Res)
(250) 376-3459 (Fax)
[email protected]
AUDIT/FINANCE COMMITTEE
CHAIRMAN
(705) 949-6340 (Res)
Ph.
(705) 253-4711 (Bus)
(705) 253-1654 (Fax)
[email protected]
Ph.
Regina McLean
1110 Bentley Pl
KAMLOOPS BC
V2B 5M5
Bryan (Beatrice) Webb
100 Nino Dr
SAULT STE. MARIE ON
P6B 3V6
(705) 472-2421 (Res)
(705) 472-0420 (Bus)
[email protected]
Peter (Carole) Finch
648 Norman Ave
NORTH BAY ON P1B 8B9
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
CHAIRMAN
Ph.
(705) 497-7875 (Res)
(705) 499-6565 (Cell)
[email protected]
Mark (Marie) Montgomery
602 Laurentian Ave
NORTH BAY ON
P1B 7T9
Ph.
(403) 749-3792 (Res)
(403) 391-8212 (Bus)
[email protected]
Bob (Helene) Manning
PO Box 190
DELBURNE AB T0M 0V0
(GENERAL COUNSEL)
Reginald (Carole) Sauer
100-2255 Albert St
REGINA SK S4P 2V5
2 1987-2012 History
MEMBER SERVICES COMMITTEE
Gordon McLeod
CHAIRMAN
Ph.
(780) 467-2614 (Res)
110 Glamorgan Dr
[email protected]
SHERWOOD PARK AB
T8A 2Y8
Ph.
(604) 889-1160 (Res)
[email protected]
Gary (Barb) Gee
105-20145 55A Ave
LANGLEY BC
V3A 8L6
Ph.
Nancie (Earl) Krushelnicki
2559 McGill Cres
PRINCE GEORGE BC
V2N 1Z5
(250) 964-3321 (Res)
(250) 561-5849 (Bus)
[email protected]
SPORTS COMMITTEE
CHAIRMAN
Ph.
(780) 539-5865 (Res)
(780) 814-4976 (Cell)
[email protected]
Ph.
(867) 667-6868 (Res)
(867) 668-4733 (Bus)
[email protected]
MARKETING COMMITTEE
CHAIRMAN
Ph.
(403) 335-4655 (Res)
(403) 556-5202 (Cell)
[email protected]
Ken (Heather) Fedoruk
9542-123 Ave
GRANDE PRAIRIE AB
T8V 5Y5
Gary (Linda) Hewitt
6 Locust Pl
WHITEHORSE YT
Y1A 5C4
Publisher
Bill Blake
Managing Editor
Garnet Roth
Editor
Alma Mossing
Published 3 times a year
All articles, information and advertising to
be sent to the Grand Lodge Office.
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NO. 40013287
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CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO:
ELKS OF CANADA
100-2629 29th Ave
Regina SK S4S 2N9
email: [email protected]
Opinions herein expressed are not
necessarily those of the
Canadian Elk publisher.
Yearly subscription $5.00
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1-888-843-3557
L’Élan canadien est publié trois fois l’an.
Les articles, demandes de renseignements
et messages publicitaires
destinés à
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adressés comme suit:
ÉLANS DU CANADA
100-2629 29th Ave
Regina SK S4S 2N9
www.elks-canada.org
1-888-843-3557
Bill (Margo) Ward
22 Westwood Dr
PO Box 520
DIDSBURY AB T0M 0W0
Si l’adresse d’envoi est inexacte, prière de
retourner à l’adresse au-dessu.
Ph.
(403) 341-9608 (Res)
(403) 347-2200 (Bus)
(403) 505-6254 (Cell)
[email protected]
Ken (Barb) Komarnisky
19 Langford Cres
RED DEER AB
T4R 2X1
Les opinions exprimées dans ces pages ne
sont pas nécessairement celles de l’Élan
Canadien.
Ph.
(403) 443-7069 (Res)
[email protected]
Phil (Marion) Johnson
PO Box 475
THREE HILLS AB
T0M 2A0
Ph.
(705) 495-3140 (Res)
(705) 471-2256 (Cell)
[email protected]
Mike (Lisa) Bentley
1440 Fraser St
NORTH BAY ON
P1B 3Y8
Ph.
Ron (Starr) Roy
101 Legion Dr
FREDERICTON NB
E3A 2K9
(506) 472-3658 (Res)
(506) 458-1220 (Bus)
[email protected]
Coût annuelle d’abonnement 5.00$
Tirage - 14,000
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Thank you to the Lodges who took the time to respond
to the Grand Lodge request for their history for the last
twenty-five years.
However, due to availability of space you will note that
your articles as were submitted have been edited. If anything major was omitted from your articles, it was by no
means intentional.
Grand Exalted Ruler Message ................... page 4
Supreme Honoured Royal Lady Message . . . . page 5
Memo from National Office .......................... page 6
British Columbia...............................................page 9
Alberta............................................................page 17
We hope that you will enjoy reading about what other
Lodges across the country have done in the past twentyfive years.
Saskatchewan................................................page 31
Be sure to check out the 2012 Convention information on
pages 32 and 33. A lot of work goes into the organization
of an event like this, and the Host Committee would like
to see the biggest attendance ever at a National Convention and representation from every Lodge in Canada.
Manitoba .......................................................page 45
Let’s make 2012 the start of a new beginning of the next
100 years in the history of the Elks of Canada.
Convention information..................................page 32
Ontario...........................................................page 54
Quebec & NB/PEI..........................................page 58
Newfoundland................................................page 61
Territories........................................................page 62
Alma Mossing, Editor
Canadian Elk
PAST GRAND EXALTED RULERS WHO HAVE SERVED
IN THE LAST TWENTY-FIVE YEARS
Charlie McMechan
Dick Hollier
Jack Blinston
Clem Frechette
Joe Calder
E.H. (Gene) Wood
Don Kidd
Nick Kowtaluk
Dennis Stewart
Terry Neuenfeldt
Don Fowler
Paul Clendenning
1988-1989
1989-1990
1990-1991
1991-1992
1992-1993
1993-1994
1994-1995
1995-1996
1996-1997
1997-1998
1998-1999
1999-2000
Deloraine MB
Saskatoon SK
Sherwood Park AB
Prince George BC *
Stranraer SK
Fredericton NB
Penticton BC
Kenogami PQ
Winnipeg MB
New West. BC
Red Deer AB *
Sarnia ON
Bob Manning
Leonard Kolb
Roland Gagnon
Wayne Herod
Al Busby
Mark Montgomery
Bill Ward
Al Edwards
Clark Kilburn
Duane Romuld
Dave Hurley
2000-2001Delburne AB
2001-2002Regina SK
2002-2003Yellowknife NT
2003-2004Vanderhoof BC
2004-2005Rouleau SK
2005-2006North Bay ON
2006-2007Didsbury, AB
2007-2008North Surrey, BC
2008-2009Fredericton, NB
2009-2010Brooks, AB
2010-2011Yellowknife, NT
* – DECEASED
1987-2012 History
3
GRAND EXALTED RULER
MESSAGE
Sister and Brother Elks, Ladies of the Royal Purple of
Canada:
with either newer or inactive members. Retention of
members is just as important as getting new members.
As I find my term as your Grand Exalted Ruler/National
President nearing its end I wish to thank you on behalf
of myself and my family for a most rewarding and
wonderful year. I will forever have many fond
memories to reflect upon.
If the Elks of Canada is to survive it needs good quality
leaders. Leadership is one of our top priorities at Grand
Lodge. We are currently holding seminars in various
provinces getting local Lodge members to
participate and get involved. We are not
born as leaders; we acquire the skills
through training and experience.
We believe leadership begins
at the local Lodge level. If we
can provide some leadership
skills perhaps more members
will be willing to assume
more responsibilities in our
Lodges.
My travels when completed will have
amounted to over 160 days in many
different areas of our country
totalling over 58,000 kilometres.
During my travels I have visited
with both small and large Lodges
and on all occasions have
been treated with the finest
of hospitality and kindness.
During my official visits there
were many visiting Lodges
from Elks and Royal Purple and
this certainly showed the host
Lodges the great support from
other Lodge members.
All the Lodges I visited with were very
proud of their past accomplishments
and the continued support they give to
their local communities.
The most troubling concern that I observed was the
absence of new younger members to take over. We
are all getting older and now we need help to move
forward into the next 100 years. I have seen how most
Lodges operate and what types of meetings most suit
their operations. There seems to be more round table
meetings, however, the business is getting done in a
proper fashion.
I am saddened to see some Lodges closing because
of lack of leaders. No one wants to take a chair or go
on the executive committee. This is where we need our
past Officers to step up and help newer members to
feel familiar and comfortable and assist them in taking a
position. This encouragement by past Officers is called
the Buddy System, an area the Grand Lodge has been
promoting during the past year. This system can be used
4 1987-2012 History
It is our job as leaders of
the Order to motivate and
encourage our Lodges to
teach others how to become
leaders and to continue to
build our organization so it can
stay strong and vibrant.
This year I have, along with the
Provincial/Territorial
Presidents,
been promoting and emphasizing the
importance of our Elks & Royal Purple
Fund for Children and the need for donations
and support from our Lodges. This is your National
Charity. With the month of May being designated
Hearing and Speech Month, what a great opportunity
for your Lodge to promote its past accomplishments in
your community and to inform the public about the Fund.
At this time I would like to thank all Lodges that have
given me donations to the Fund during my visits (over
$70,000). Also to all individual members and guests who
have donated to my Tugboat Fund as of writing $8,210
(please see list). This has been a great fundraiser and
quite a conversational topic.
My theme for the year is “Sailing into the Future with
Integrity and Pride”. Use this as a recruiting tool – show
your pride, “Ask, Ask, Ask”. Tell everyone what your Lodge
has done and what you do. We have to continue to inform
SUPREME HONOURED ROYAL LADY
MESSAGE
Brother and Sister Elks, Members of the Royal Purple of Canada and Prospective New Members:
The Supreme Lodge Executive, Supreme Lodge Committees, the National Office Staff and the Members
of the Royal Purple of Canada extend hearty congratulations to each and every member of the Elks
of Canada and the Elks National Office Staff. What
an exciting year for the Elks of Canada! 100 years
of Elkdom caring for Canadian communities and children. This is a milestone for all the Elk volunteers to
celebrate with dignity and to have that great feeling of accomplishment. The obligation, the perseverance, the enthusiasm and the successes are endless.
We, as Royal Purple members, are proud the Elks of
Canada received their Charter 100 years ago. Thanks
to the Elks for giving us the opportunity to be a part of
this organization. Without the Elks, we as Royal Purple members would not exist. Your leadership, guidance and support are appreciated. You have crossed
many bridges and climbed many mountains to attain the goals that you set. Many decisions and discussions were made throughout the years to better
the Order and have a happy, healthy and united Elks
of Canada. Each and every member has built the organization to what it was in the past, the present and
well into the future with determination and a quest in
a modern day society. With positive thinking, working
hard together and achieving your goals the Elks of Canada will be strong and vibrant for many years to come.
nations to Grand Exalted Ruler Jerry’s “Tugboat” and
my gnome “June”. Also keep in mind the special “Penny”
project, Canadian Tire dollars and donations to the Royal Purple of Canada are options for your continued and
kind donations. Once again, we would like to thank all the
members who have and will provide lodging and hospitality to allow us to continue our travels. I hope to see you
at the upcoming meetings, anniversaries, conferences
and, of course, our annual Convention in Chilliwack B.C.
Remember: Respect one another, Laugh when
working together and be Proud of who you are.
Take care and keep safe,
Sharen McLean
Supreme Honoured Royal Lady
My year to date is difficult to put into words. As your Supreme Honoured Royal Lady, I have listened, observed
and learned that you the members of the Royal Purple
of Canada show much heart, determination, passion
and pride for the Order. Increasing membership is each
member’s obligation. Your desire to achieve this goal
has proven to be accessible. Be bold about new approaches and goals. The energy and eagerness is contagious and will aid in obtaining your aspirations. With
positive attitudes and actions “Overcoming Challenges”
will be attained. The Royal Purple of Canada has proven
to be resilient and will survive for many years to come.
Let us remember our Elks and Royal Purple Fund for
Children and all the wonderful benefits it provides to the
deserving. You have been most generous with your do-
5 1987-2012 History
our communities on what we do along with keeping our
own members informed so they can promote the Lodge.
We have some challenges ahead; however, if you have a
project, get involved, and have fun, we will thrive.
Bev and I are looking forward to completing my visits
and attending Provincial Conferences. Due to scheduling
conflicts I will not be able to attend all Conferences. Please
accept my apology. Perhaps in the future the Provincial/
Territorial Presidents could work out times when there are
not conflicting dates then the GER of the day could attend.
I would like to extend my sincere appreciation and thanks to
the Lodges and their members for all their great hospitality
bestowed upon Beverley and me during my visits. Also,
thanks to all who have taken time to set up interviews and
shown us around your communities. We have so many
proud members all across this fine country.
This being our 100th Anniversary I am looking forward to
seeing as many as possible in Chilliwack July 24-26 at
our National Convention. We hope to have all Lodges
represented. Come out and have some fun and enjoy our
Centennial celebrations.
This has been a fantastic year and I thank you for the
honour of serving as your Grand Exalted Ruler. I look
forward to seeing many of you at upcoming Provincial
Conferences and our National Convention.
Sincerely,
R. Jerry Wernicke
Grand Exalted Ruler
Elks of Canada
I would like to thank the members of our Grand Executive,
the Past Grand Exalted Rulers who have helped me along
my journey, and finally the support and guidance of our
wonderful Grand Lodge Staff.
NATIONAL OFFICE MOVES TO INCREASE AUTOMATION
The following information was recently sent out to all Lodges and may be of interest to all members. Please note
that we have over 2,500 members on our email list and if you are not receiving any emails from us,
why not email Kyla at the address in the article and ask to be placed on the list.
TIME TO MOVE ON
PRINTED MATERIAL
or many years prior to the computer age and up to the present the Grand Lodge Office has supplied printed and
F
bound Constitutions and Bylaws, Directories, Ritual/Ceremonial books, Grand Lodge Proceedings books, and many
other training and promotional material for the membership to use.
ometimes we supplied some of these items in two different sizes as some members wanted BIG and some member
S
wanted small. The cost of supplying these items of course was always passed on to the Lodges and the Membership through direct billing and National Affiliation Fees.
he cost of having these items commercially printed has escalated over
the years to the point we had to find a better way to keep our expenses
in line and not risk throwing out unused copies because we had to reprint
every year. In addition as soon as we published the Directory it would be
out of date because someone moved or someone new was elected to
the positions printed in the Directory. Items such as Grand Lodge Regulations and Ritual/Ceremony changes were not always communicated to the
membership in a timely fashion and had to wait till the next printing. This
meant the copies the Lodges had purchased even a few weeks before
were already out of date.
T
ffective August 1st we will no longer be supplying these items in commercially printed form. BUT the GOOD NEWS is that we will now
provide copies of all the above FREE ONLINE to all Members, all Lodges, all Provincial/Territorial Associations, etc.
E
6 1987-2012 History
and because we will be maintaining and amending the online copies every day they will never be out of date. If anyone
wants to print off a copy for themselves or anybody else they can do it with no charge from Grand Lodge. If someone
absolutely does not want to take the time to print one off themselves or does not have a printer available, the Grand
Lodge will supply an 8 ½ by 11 copy via the mail for a cost of $5.00 plus tax and postage. We are currently investigating
the availability for imprinted binders for Lodges/Members to purchase for these items if so desired.
he overall impact of the above changes will result in more up to date and usable information for our Lodges and
members plus a very significant dollar saving to the Grand Lodge in printing and inventory costs and substantial
savings to the Lodges in purchasing, postage, and handling charges.
T
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION WITH LODGES
I
t is reported that there are approx 25,000,000 Canadians who use email
on a regular basis. While some of those might access their email through
a public computer at a Library or via a friends computer, it is safe to say that
the majority of the 25 million people are doing it through their own computer
and therefore are also hooked up to the internet. We currently have email addresses for about 2,500 of our members and about 50% of our Lodges. The
number is increasing daily and we know there are a lot more out there that we
do not know about yet.
bviously there is an opportunity via email for more economical and much
quicker and more efficient communication with our membership and
Lodges than with the standard pen, paper, and postage method. Many organizations like the Elks such as the Loyal Order of Moose, etc. mandated a few
years ago that every one of their Lodges had to have a computer in order to
communicate and conduct business with the Head Office. While we believe
we are not too far off from all our Lodges having computers we hesitate to
make such a move mandatory and at this point wait for all our Lodges to voluntarily move in that direction.
O
N THE INTERIM we advise the Grand Executive have asked us to ensure we have an email contact for every Lodge
in place by August 1st, 2012, so that we can start to cut down on mailing costs. We have email addresses from many
Lodge Secretaries already but there are probably some more who have not yet registered their email with us. For
Lodges where the Secretary or Exalted Ruler does not have or want to use their email to communicate with the Grand
Lodge, we ask you to provide the email address (along with name of member and Lodge) of at least one member from
your Lodge that will agree to act as the email go between your Lodge and the Grand Lodge. Please advise us by email
at [email protected] of the email address your Lodge wants to use.
I
e will of course continue to use paper communication with our membership where necessary, but it is time to move
on towards electronic communication. Over the next year you will see more and more items such as forms, training aids, reports, and other interactive documents directly on our website for the free use of our Membership.
W
Don’t forget the deadline for the next
CANADIAN ELK
will be August 20, 2012
7 1987-2012 History
GRAND EXALTED RULER
R. JERRY WERNICKE’S
TUGBOAT FUND
SEPTEMBER 2011-MARCH 2012
September
7
11
19
21
22
24
December
Chilliwack #48
$
Regional Convention Meeting
Lake Cowichan #293
Alberni Valley #101
Courtenay #60
th
Nanaimo #26 – 95 Anniversary
122.00
23.00
66.00
20.50
64.00
173.50
October
3
4
5
5
6
10
11
13
15
17
18
20
25
26
31
Morden #478
Gladstone #317
Elkhorn #381
Elkhorn Mayor Roland Gagnon
Esterhazy #459
Nipawin #251
La Ronge #554
Wilkie #568
Saskatchewan Walkathon
Ron Potter (tattoo viewing)
Hanley #153
Kyle #169
Indian Head #385
Moosomin #340
Benito #458
St. Walburg #389
121.00
130.00
262.00
500.00
111.00
87.00
142.00
82.00
74.00
212.00
234.00
188.00
98.00
90.00
215.00
November
6
7
8
9
10
11
11
14
15
16
17
21
22
Regina Grand Executive Meeting
– Ron Potter (tattoo viewing)
– Denis Ellingboe
Delburne #206
Wainwright #22
Carstairs #556
Ponoka #561
Edmonton #11
Heisler #305
Camrose #70
Mannville #395
Hanna #451
Medicine Hat #412
Drayton Valley #391
Benalto #404
85.00
50.00
280.00
160.00
240.00
175.00
75.00
150.00
120.00
100.00
250.00
65.00
185.00
65.00
6
Chilliwack #48 – Jerry Wernicke
– Gordon Morford
January
9
11
19
25
Westside #592
Osoyoos #436
Port Coquitlam #49
Squamish #119
16.00
91.00
30.00
38.00
February
2
14
15
15
16
17
21
28
29
Agassiz #311
Rosetown #123
SPARC - Dr. Lynne Brewster
Saskatoon #12
Kindersley #492
Kim Worrall - Wilkie
Chilliwack #48 – Gordon Morford
Smithers #240
Prince Rupert #342
23.00
105.00
100.00
85.00
245.00
100.00
400.00
90.00
25.00
March
1
5
6
7
17
24
26
Terrace #425
Prince George #122
Mackenzie #547
Chetwynd #500
North Kamloops Elks & Royal
th
Purple 50 Anniversaries
Swan River National Elks &
Royal Purple Curling Banquet
W. Vancouver - Julie & Jonathan
Whitworth*, CEO Seaspan Int.
(Jerry’s Boss)
TOTAL FROM SEPTEMBER
TO PRESENT
If you would like to donate to Jerry’s Tugboat Fund
please forward your cheque to Grand Lodge
marked for the Tugboat Fund.
8 1987-2012 History
100.00
100.00
190.00
165.00
180.00
135.00
223.00
504.00
250.00
$ 8,210.00
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Sister Dina Wolansky
Brother and Sister Elks:
When I joined the Elks in 1998, I wanted to work together
with my husband and other members on Lodge projects.
The more I was involved with the Lodge the more interest I had in the Districts and the Association. Sister Deb
was my inspiration when she became District Deputy and
then on to the BC Association Executive. I thought I would
like to learn more about this great Order and here I am
today, which never crossed my mind years before. I didn’t
even want to take a chair in the Lodge as a new member.
I chose the theme “CARRY THE TORCH”. Why? Because
dedicated members who are on your Lodge Charters
started our Lodges. Now it is time for us to do our job
for this Order. We are members of a great fraternity so
it is our turn to Carry the Torch and promote our Order.
In today’s world we must be creative, resourceful and visible in our communities. The public needs to know who
we are and what we do and we have FUN right? Let’s
all carry the torch it is ours to hold high and be proud of
this Order as we make life sweeter, people better and the
world happier.
Elks are about children and families. It is time to focus, to
get motivated, and work together. We need to have every
community recognize the Elks, who we are, what we do,
and why we are there. Always be positive and proud and
have fun in all that you do.
Thank you, all members of the BC Elks Association for
giving me the opportunity to serve as your President; this
is an honor for me. To all Lodges across this great land
may you have a prosperous and successful year, as you
CARRY THE TORCH into our 100th year of Elkdom.
Thanks to all the Grand Lodge staff for your help and support during my term and I hope to see many of you at the
Convention.
I want to share my quote with you again, “You can’t move
forward if you always look backward”. May we always look
forward to better our Lodges and our Order.
Fraternally,
Dina Wolansky, President
BC Elks Association
ALDERGROVE ELKS LODGE NO. 66
ince its inception, the Lodge has always been active
in helping the community by giving Christmas Cheer
Hampers to the needy, the annual Christmas tree celebration, and running a successful bingo hall for many years
until the operation was turned over to the Lions club.
S
Over the past years, there have been a number of other
community support projects sponsored by the Lodge, including minor baseball, football and hockey teams, as well
as funding scholarships at Aldergrove Secondary School.
Aldergrove Elks sponsor at least three scholarships each
year to help students who will be entering in a medical
field education.
One of the more public events that Elks look forward to
each year has been the Mother's Day Pancake Breakfast
which has been held for over thirty years. Our main char-
ity, is the Elks & Royal Purple Fund for Children which
contributes assistance to needy children, supplying hearing aids to deaf children and providing a school for hard of
hearing children and their parents.
Another activity involves the BC Elks Provincial Children's
Camp Society. The Society has three camps operating at
present, at Denman Island, at Kootenay Lake and one on
Lake Ness at Prince George. A fourth Camp, Camp Elkgrove in Aldergrove Lake Park, is now completed.
The land for it has been leased from the Greater Vancouver Regional District and we have done a considerable
amount of work improving it, including moving one of Aldergrove's Historical Landmarks, The Shortreed Cabin, on
to the site.
1987-2012 History
9
BURNABY ELKS NO. 497
he Burnaby Elks and South Burnaby Royal Purple Lodges
work hand in hand assisting each other with Lodge projects from working Bingos to garage sales to hosting special
celebrations and dances, Children’s Christmas Parties, holding Raffle tickets sales, Parades, District Meetings, Christmas and New Years Dinners and Dances. They’ve worked
together on their hall renovations to getting the hall ready for
sale. We’ve also taken part in the Grey Cup parade.
T
Our Lodges have held events jointly to raise money through
the years for Charity and because of the sale of our Hall we
were able to send approximately One Hundred Thousand
Dollars to various local charities including of course the Elks
& Royal Purple Fund for Children.
The merging of South Burnaby Elks No. 438 and East Vancouver Elks No. 497 made us a stronger Lodge, now known
as Burnaby Elks Lodge No. 497. We’ve also had members of
the now defunct Lodges of North Burnaby and New Westminster joining us.
We took part in the City of Burnaby’s one hundredth birthday
parade, where we entered a beautiful float with some of our
members marching behind the float.
CHILLIWACK ELKS LODGE NO. 48
he Chilliwack Elks Lodge has seen several major changes
over the past 25 years. In 1998 we initiated our first Sister
Elks. Allowing ladies to join our Lodge has helped in keeping
our Lodge strong. In 1987 we had a total membership of 111.
Today our membership is 43. We have several couples working together promoting Elkdom in our community.
T
Over the years we have hosted several Elks events including
the BC Elks Provincial Conference, Provincial Curling, Darts,
Bowling Tournaments, Provincial Committee Meetings, District Meetings and the International Travelling Elk. We have
been very active in our community supporting local charities,
minor sports, needy families, local hospital, fire department,
food bank, high school bursaries and scholarships. We also
support the Elks Charities - BC Children’s Camps; BC Family
Hearing Resource Society, and our national charity the Elks
and Royal Purple Fund for Children.
still visible in our community and our members enjoy it immensely. Our lease payments are covered by the interest we
earn from our building fund proceeds.
Our Lodge is still active today. We participate in local annual Walk & Knock to collect food for the food bank, and our
most recent project is our revitalization of local miniature golf
course to give local children a chance to play golf during the
summer.
In 2012 our Grand National Convention will be held in Chilliwack and several of our members are actively involved in the
planning and hosting by our Region.
The Lodge is very proud of Brother R. Jerry Wernicke who
became Grand Exalted Ruler in 2011 and will preside over
the 2012 100th Anniversary Convention in Chilliwack.
CLOVERDALE ELKS NO. 335
ver the past 25 years we have had to make major changes to our Lodge. 1988 we were down to 17 members and
the Ladies of the O.O.R.P. had 7 members, and our meeting
hall was the original converted church from 1950 when Cloverdale Elks first began downtown Cloverdale. With a floor
area of 2000 sq. ft. and a 25 ft. ceiling, the building required
much interior and exterior maintenance and upkeep. It was
time to move.
O
To finance our donations we have raised funds by holding
special functions including dances, raffles, game suppers,
and sports concessions. We presently raise funds through affiliation with the local Bingo Association and Gaming grants.
Our Lodge joined the local Bingo Association in 2002 and
since that time have received over $300,000 in grant money
which helped our Lodge support our Elks Charities tremendously.
With the approval of Grand Lodge, we sold the property in
1992 and moved into the common room of the Hoffman Manor, a retirement home in Cloverdale and we placed our paraphernalia in storage. January 14th, 1998 we put in an offer
on a new unit in a strata warehouse complex in the north end
of the town and with the assistance of an architect designer
we hired a contractor and had the bare walls framed in and a
second floor constructed internally to suit our needs. We held
our first meeting in December 1998 in our new Lodge rooms,
unit # 412 -17665 66A Ave, Cloverdale BC and at that same
meeting we had three Ladies join us. No more hassle from
the Fire, Health and Electrical Inspectors! We are now able
to rent out the Lodge rooms in a modern building and the income covers all of our expenses and with minimum upkeep.
In 2007 we sold our old Lodge and hall on 4th Avenue due to
high maintenance costs. We are now located in a small strip
mall in leased premises which we call home and we are
Our charitable money is funded mainly by the BC Lotto Corporation and is 100 percent donated to Food Banks, Elks
Camps, Elks & Royal Purple Fund for Children and needy
10 1987-2012 History
groups. Other major donations from our current account include $25,000.00 to Elkgrove campsite to fund one of the
new buildings “The Cowbarn” at the outset of the project,
and a further $15,000.00 donation to Greenaway School in
Cloverdale to fund an all weather playground suitable for
handicapped children. Cloverdale Elks have participated in
the Rodeo Parade through Cloverdale in May for many many
years and we have invited others to join us. We offer a free
breakfast at the Legion for all Elks who join us!
In April 2010 we celebrated our 60th anniversary. The event
was deemed a success with 51 members and guests in attendance. Several presentations to the Lodge and individual
members were made by the City of Surrey, BC Elks Association and Chamber of Commerce. At present we have 25
members and a 60 to 75 percent attendance at most of our
regular meetings.
GRAND FORKS ELKS LODGE NO. 493
he Grand Forks Elks Lodge No. 493 received their Charter on May 2, 1965, with 56 Charter members. In 2008
the Grand Forks Lodge membership dropped to 8 members,
since that date we have increased our membership to 22. In
2010 the Lodge received an award for the most increased
membership. The Lodge puts on pancake breakfasts on
Mother’s Day, Canada Day and at the Fall Fair. We fully support all youth programs and our local food bank at Christmas.
The Lodge members renovated an older travel trailer into
our pancake breakfast trailer with the Elks logo prominently
displayed. This was done in 2009 and has been commented
on very favourably by
the public. In 2010 the
Lodge obtained a long
term lease with the Slavonic Seniors Society
and now, having a home,
can properly display our
Charter, awards and accomplishments.
T
KELOWNA ELKS LODGE NO. 52
I
n the past twenty five years Kelowna Elks Lodge has hosted flea markets on Saturdays and Sundays, renting tables
to people in the community who had items for sale. During
the Sunday sale, the Lodge would have breakfast in the hall
prepared by five teams of members each taking a turn. The
funds raised were donated to the Fund for Children. On Friday evenings the management team would host a dinner and
dance in the lower hall. We had a food trailer which was set
up at different events around the City of Kelowna and our
members would volunteer to work in the trailer.
As our building aged, a decision was made by the Executive
and the members to sell the building and property to make
way for a new building. The new building would be commer-
cial and residential. During the building we rented
a space to have meetings
and an office. We also
rented space to have dinners and dances for the
members and guests.
In the year 2009, a four
or five person team was formed to oversee the inside construction of the new lounge, patio, office space, and meeting
room. Elks is Unit 205 & 206 on the second floor of the Invue
Building. On December 31, 2009 they hosted their first New
Year’s Eve Gala. Since their opening they have meat draws
on Saturday afternoons, dinners and dances for members,
private parties such as weddings, birthdays, retirement parties etc. Kelowna Lodge acquired a window van which they
use to advertise the Elks and what they do for the community.
In 2011, Kelowna No. 52 celebrated its 90th anniversary
serving Kelowna. As in every Lodge there are always a small
number of members who give a lot to keep good things happening in the Elks of Canada.
LANGLEY ELKS LODGE NO. 259
t the time of institution it was called Langley Prairie Lodge
with the name changing to Langley Elks in later years.
Langley Elks have supported several sports teams of hockey and baseball. Partnered with Upland School, DW Poppy
School and Brookswood School, in 1991 there was a need for
a handicap van to transport children so the Elks donated one
to DW Poppy School which is still being used today.
A
Over the years the Elks have had many fundraisers starting with a large playhouse equipped with cupboards, sink
and electric lights, table and chairs, a homemade wooden
miniature Austin kiddie car, raffled a boat, etc. Today they
have progressed to working with the Community on Canada Day Celebrations, International Festival, Abbotsford
Airshow, Cruise In and Christmas in Williams Park. The
Lodge has now joined the Brookswood Business Association. We also hold an annual Pig Roast Dance, and will be
trying an Octoberfest this year. We participate in parades
and fun events like bowling and golfing.
Over the years Langley has had 3 halls which they’ve built
or remodeled. Today Langley Elks are proud owners of a
strip mall with 5 businesses and a residential suite to bring
in revenue. The Elks remodeled 2 units where they hold
their meetings and socials.
Langley Elks celebrated their 75th year of Elkdom on
Nov.13, 2010. They have assisted with hosting Conferences and Conventions and in 2012 will be helping out
with the National Grand Lodge Convention for the Elks of
Canada 100th anniversary celebrations.
1987-2012 History
11
LILLOOET ELKS LODGE NO. 467
OSOYOOS ELKS LODGE NO. 436
he Lodge struggled with membership through the late
‘80s and early ‘90s then got involved with curling. Lillooet
hosted the Elks National Curling in 1996 and competed for
several years thereafter. The hall has been upgraded; additions include a full kitchen, enlarged washrooms, covered entrance stairs, a wheel chair lift and an electronic bingo board.
They host bingo one night a week on a lottery license and
rent the hall and equipment for the remainder of the week.
A recent addition was a band shell completed in 2010. Flag
Day ceremonies have been transferred from a community
park to their own field. Bro. Thor Davidson was instrumental
in helping the Royal Purple regain their charter. The Ladies
have been a welcome partner for local events. An annual
Easter Egg Hunt for the children, summer barbecues, a golf
tournament, a community outdoor songfest and a pig roast
are recent activities. They continue to support local, provincial and national charities.
A
T
MISSION CITY ELKS LODGE NO. 30
ission City Lodge No. 30 currently has 98 members including Officers. The Lodge features a lounge, an auditorium that seats 144 people at max and an outdoor patio/
smoke-room. Due to the amount of volunteer community involvement from members and non-members, Mission Municipality has granted a total of 6 years of property tax exemption.
Because of such a strong commitment by members, they are
able to put together numerous committees such as the Trailer
Committee; Charities Committee; Ways and Means Committee and the Sickness & Distress Committee.
M
The Trailer Committee is a concession
trailer that takes part
in various celebrations
of the Mission community and neighboring
communities.
Some
events include Rock
on the River, Canada
Day, Scouts Dinners,
Slo-pitch Tournament, ‘Old Car’ Sunday, the Abbotsford and
Chilliwack Air shows. This is their main source of revenue for
charitable donations.
Mission City Lodge No. 30 is also famous for their Traveling
Elk Skits, Karaoke Fridays, Bingo & Meat Draw Saturdays
and Sundays and numerous dances and events throughout
the year. All revenue goes back into the Lodge and various
charities. All this success is due to the good hearts of their
members and an added bonus, non-member volunteers.
fter speaking with a few members that have been around
the Lodge for the past 25 years, it was a general consensus that the biggest accomplishment was their move to a
smaller building and the sale of the old property. In March of
2009 the final move was made to the new location at 8506
92nd Avenue in Osoyoos, BC. Since the move, with the help
of some of the members and outside contractors, they have
completely renovated the entire basement and now houses
the bingo which is held every Friday night. They tore down
walls, put in drywall, lighting, re-did the existing washrooms
and kitchen, built a handicapped washroom, painted and just
recently put in new doors with a ramp for the seniors and disabled to allow them to have access to the lower level. On the
main level they have built a bar and an office and are slowly
starting to renovate the meeting area so that they can hold
actual functions there in a club house atmosphere. They now
have a big screen TV, 2 pool tables, a shuffleboard, and new
card tables and chairs.
During the past few years they have been trying to boost
their membership with younger people that will bring new
ideas and help to keep the Lodge open. This has enabled
them to do such things as enter floats in the Cherry Festival/
Canada Day Parade and the Easter Parade in which they’ve
won firsts and seconds. Of course this is a very busy time of
the year for them as they also run the Beer Gardens for the
July 1st Canada Day and Cherry Festival celebrations. Thank
goodness for the members and their friends and family as
they always seem to come up with enough people to set up,
work all day and night, and then take everything down to put
away for the next year. This is their major fundraising event
for the year.
This year they are trying to get more involved in the community
and do more fundraising events. They hosted a Salmon Bake
in August and held their first Blues Festival at the hall in 2011.
This was a great success in bringing people to the Lodge and
they are looking forward to holding a “Blues” Dance in January of 2012. They are hoping for a better turn out and their
goal is to hold 2 of these Blues Festivals every year – spring
and fall. Last year Crib Night was initiated on Mondays for
any one who wanted a little competition and some socialization. Grey Cup is another chance for members to bring guests
to watch the game together and enjoy getting to know more
people in the community. They are hoping that with increasing the number of events they will increase their membership.
The Osoyoos Elks is the starting point of an apple drive that
has over the past 7 years delivered 44,000 pounds of apples
and pears to the Food Banks of North Central BC. They get
together every year with the Prince George Elks No. 122 and
Kamloops Elks No. 44 for a weekend of fun and fellowship
to help the less fortunate. The apples and pears are donated
and they meet with the other Elks to distribute the fruit.
The Elks hold bingo on the lower level each Friday night –
which has been a great success and has enabled them to
12 1987-2012 History
give back to the community and surrounding areas. Since
2003, the Elks have donated $282,950.08 to various charities throughout the Okanagan, including Special Olympics,
Multiple Sclerosis, Relay for Life, Air Cadets, Cops for Kids,
Kiwanis, and many others. They also support the Royalty
Program in Osoyoos and have given numerous bursaries to
deserving students in Osoyoos to assist in continuing their
education.
In spite of very prohibitive gaming regulations in BC which
have severely inhibited availability of funds for local charities, the Lodge continues to contribute some $35,000.00, including to the Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children, and
their own unique BC Children’s Camp Society consisting of
four camps designated for children only, free of charge in four
geographical areas of the province.
Looking forward to the next 25 years – they are hoping to
play a major role in the community of Osoyoos and to have at
least doubled their membership.
HAPPY 100th ANNIVERSARY!
PARKSVILLE – QUALICUM LODGE NO. 589
P
arksville–Qualicum Elks Lodge No. 589 was instituted on
September 25, 1993, with Past Grand Exalt- ed Ruler Vic
Dyck presiding as Exalted Ruler. The institution meeting was
honored with the presence of Grand Exalted Ruler Eugene
Wood of Fredericton, NB, and Past Grand Exalted Ruler
Clem Frechette, of Prince George, British Columbia. Seventeen Charter Members were charged with the responsibility of their duties. Vancouver Elks Lodge No. 1 Patrol Team
provided precision and grandeur throughout the proceedings.
Nanaimo Elks Lodge No. 26 provided support to their new
Lodge, and donated the “Knight” pedestals which remained
in use until the year 2000.
The Parksville-Qualicum area is located
on the central east
side of Vancouver Island, approximately
2 ½ hours “Up-Island” from Victoria.
The Lodge enjoys a
membership of 60,
with twice monthly
meetings held at the
Qualicum Beach Legion and with 50% in attendance.
First permanent home in 1948
Pictures of previous and current Lodge buildings indicate the
progress made in this regard. They are proud of their two
story concrete block building which contains a large banquet/
dance area for rentals, a full kitchen and a licensed lounge
which is open seven days per week, with parking available
for some 30 vehicles. Between the downstairs and upper hall,
the building can accommodate some 250 patrons.
A good portion of the Lodge success must be attributed to the
former Royal Purple Lodge, which was chartered in 1947 but
found it necessary to surrender their charter in 2001 – they
are sorely missed.
PENTICTON ELKS LODGE NO. 51
t the time of writing, Penticton Elks Lodge No. 51 ranks
as the largest in British Columbia and the fifth largest in
Canada, with more female members than any other Lodge in
Canada. Although some Lodges may disagree, we are of the
opinion the admission of females in the Order in 1999 was a
very positive move, which certainly benefited this Lodge and
the Order as a whole. The Lodge celebrated its 90th anniversary, duly recognized in May 2011, in conjunction with the
hosting of the 83rd annual BC Elks Association Conference.
The Lodge has hosted several Conferences in the past, as
well as host to four Grand Lodge Conventions. Brother Don
Kidd was elected Grand Exalted Ruler in 1994.
A
QUESNEL ELKS LODGE NO. 298
ver the past 25 years their membership has drastically
dropped, largely to do with many of our truly devoted Elk
and Royal Purple members passing on and very few young
people having the time or desire to join. It is very unfortunate
that the Ladies of the Royal Purple Lodge No. 97 had to give
up their Charter due to lack of members but these Ladies are
very supportive of the Quesnel Elks Lodge. They are small
in numbers (16 with approximately 8 active) but feel mighty
in heart and are proud of what they’ve accomplished in the
community and continue to do and feel their members going
on before us would also be proud to have them following in
their footsteps.
O
1987-2012 History
13
They still manage to own and operate their hall. They host
darts and jam sessions once a week, have an occasional social function, have a fuel card raffle and garage sale as fund
raisers and donate quite a bit to the community. When they
host a social function they invite past and inactive members
plus the spouses of members who have passed on, and the
former Ladies of the Royal Purple. They all seem to appreciate this and generally have a good response. This also shows
new members the fellowship, commitment and caring that
develops in a Lodge.
They have a unique situation as many of them in Quesnel
grew up with their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles,
friends, and neighbours, etc. all members of the Elks Lodge
No. 298 or the Ladies of the Royal Purple Lodge No. 97. As
a result even though many of the younger people (family of
members, etc.) have not joined as of yet they are still very
supportive and are an extension of them in the community,
which helps enormously especially with any fundraising endeavours they take on.
They are fortunate to have
a great fellowship with Prince
George
and
Williams Lake
Lodges. They
just celebrated
their 65th Anniversary in September
2011
and hopefully
the Elks in Quesnel will be going strong for many years to
come and that the next 25 year report will be written by one
of the current members’ sons, daughters or grandchildren.
We wish you all the best and hope to see you in Chilliwack in
2012 to celebrate 100 years of Elkdom.
SALMON ARM ELKS LODGE NO. 455
he Lodge continued with this venue for several years
holding many functions to raise funds for the projects and
welfare of the Salmon Arm community. The hall was available
for many community functions such as weddings, meetings,
dances, etc.
T
In June of 2006 the members decided they should proceed
with the sale of the building and move toward building a single level hall at the park property, which now house 3 minor
ball diamonds, a gazebo with kitchen and washrooms for
camping.
The proposal was to build a hall on the front portion of the
property thereby giving great access and parking. In 2006 a
special meeting was called to consider the offer for the hall
and in September an offer to purchase the hall was accepted
with a proviso – They, the Elks and Royal Purple are able to
14 1987-2012 History
hold meetings in the hall for 2 years. This was accepted and
now they could plan to build and had to put funds together.
In the winter of 2008 they had their finances in place. Financing was made possible by the sale revenue, sold debentures
for a fund raiser, plus a great grant from the Provincial Gaming Commission of $96,000.00 and in the spring of 2009 construction began. They opened their new Lodge hall in September, 2009.
They are very proud of their accomplishment to date and
hope to continue to serve the community needs for a good
many years to come. They have never had a mortgage burning party but the hall is theirs – no mortgage.
We continually work with gaming and bingo grants receiving
funds and our own fund raisers to disburse to our local charities. In 2008 we changed titles in our Executive to President,
1st Vice, etc.
SMITHERS ELKS LODGE NO. 240
mithers No. 240 has had an exciting last 25 years!! They
have celebrated not only their 75th, but also last year saw
them sail through their 80th anniversary. As their town has
grown, so have the Elks albeit not in numbers, but in ideas
and new projects!
S
They as a dedicated group have opened a four diamond ball
park, reserved first and foremost for the kids. Hence the name
- Elks Children’s Park - complete with storage and washroom
facilities, and now, even a dirt bicycle track! Soccer is also
squeezed into the grounds.
The 21st century has seen their donations get extended from
all the original Elk charities. They now sponsor youth teams
and youth art classes. Almost any organized youth group that
has applied has seen the financial rewards. All this is funded
through their Elks Food Booth at the Bulkley Valley Exhibition, held the last weekend of August every year. Come out
and enjoy their Fair, grab a burger and fries, maybe even lend
a hand while you’re here. In 2012 they are celebrating the
whole year …....... 100 years of Elkdom in Canada!!! Let’s
spread the word!! Elks know how to help and have fun too!!
VANCOUVER ELKS LODGE NO. 1
I
n 1987, as Vancouver No. 1 did not have enough workers to
host a successful 75th celebration, a committee was formed
with members from other Elks and Royal Purple Lodges
called the “75th Inter District Committee”. It was such a success it was decided to keep the committee going and the “Annual Family Inter District Picnic” was born. It grew in numbers
each year to a whopping 600 plus.
The basement of the Lodge building at 483 West 16th was a
number of small rooms built by the previous tenant. A carpenter looked it over and decided it could be made into a games
room. So with the help of several of the members, partitions
were removed and at very little expense to the Lodge, a new
games room was soon ready to be enjoyed by the members,
with a pool table, shuffle board, darts and a bar. To defray
some of the expenses a brick wall was put up at $10.00 a
brick with the members’ names inscribed on them.
In 1995, plans were started to develop the 1313 Granville
property. This included a 10 storey affordable apartment
building with the Elks Lodge on the ground floor. The suites
did not sell so plans were made for a hotel with a completion date of 1997. The Vancouver Elks moved back to 1313
Granville and sold their property on 16th Avenue. In October 1997 the Lodge celebrated its 85th anniversary. In 1998,
Vancouver Elks and Royal Purple hosted the National Convention in Whistler. In 1999, BC Elks opened Camp Elkgrove
and No.1 cabin was donated by Vancouver Elks Lodge No. 1
and furnished by Vancouver No. 1 Royal Purple. Donations in
that year included $5,000.00 to the Little Mountain Baseball
League towards their new clubhouse. The Lodge donated
playground equipment to Lord Roberts School and $1,000.00
towards their reading program. They pledged $50,000.00 at
$5,000.00 per year to the BC Family Hearing Resource Center as well as donating a set of drums to the Air Cadets Band.
held monthly BBQs and good rentals in the hall. Together with
the help of the Royal Purple Ladies they held garage sales,
BBQs and socials.
The Lodge won the bid to host the 2007 Provincial Conference, and it was held at the Hellenic Greek Centre.
Due to an aging membership, increasing taxes, and out of
town members, the hall was not being fully used. They decided to sell the building and move to a smaller place. The
sale included a donation of $25,000.00 to Elks Camps and
$25,000.00 to the Family Hearing Resource Center. The
Lodge now leases office space on West Broadway with a
small kitchen and a meeting room.
Vancouver Elks Lodge No. 1 will be celebrating their 100th
anniversary at the 2012 Convention in Chilliwack and hope
that every Lodge will be represented and help celebrate . . . . .
“100 Years of Elkdom in Canada!”
VANDERHOOF ELKS LODGE NO 473
C
ongratulations to the Elks of Canada and all its members
in celebrating 100 years of service in Canada. It is Vanderhoof Elks Lodge No. 473’s year to celebrate 50 years of
service to this community.
The highlight of their Lodge was the election of Brother
Wayne Herod as Grand Exalted Ruler in 2003. Since the demise of the Royal Purple Lodge due to declining membership, a number of ladies have joined their Lodge and are a
welcome addition.
Although the membership is low, they serve the community
well. They continue to hold weekly bingos and their long term
goal of improving the children’s park equipment is well received.
In 2001, Vancouver Elks Lodge No. 1 suffered a great financial
loss due to misappropriation of funds by one of its members.
They were forced to sell their strata property to the hotel for a
good price which included a $50,000.00 donation by the hotel
owners to a charity of their choice. The choice was $35,000.00
to the BC Family Hearing Resource Center and $15,000.00
to BC Elks Children’s Camps. In August of that year they purchased the building at 2177 – 42 Avenue in Kerrisdale. The
Elks occupied the ground floor and leased the top floor to
the Kerrisdale
Legion.
With
a few alterations Vancouver
Elks Lodge No.
1 once again
had a very nice
home in a good
neighbourhood
with plenty of
parking, and a
patio where they
VERNON ELKS LODGE NO. 45
ernon Elks Lodge No. 45 was first instituted with 104
members in attendance. Over the years, the Lodge made
many contributions to the Purple Cross Fund, now known as
the Elks & Royal Purple Fund for Children.
V
In the early 60’s the Lodge held a mortgage burning ceremony and proceeded to build a major addition to the hall. Since
then the addition has long been paid for, and there have been
many renovations to the hall and to the kitchen. Last year the
Lodge celebrated their 90th Anniversary.
Although the membership has dwindled down to half of what
they started with, they still have Mega Meat draws, Friday
night suppers, and are actively involved in the community and
surrounding area.
1987-2012 History
15
VICTORIA ELKS LODGE NO. 2
ictoria Elks Lodge No. 2 was at the 732 Cormorant Street
location for many years having a very active membership. In time the building needed many repairs and the Lodge
closed down and meetings were held elsewhere. A few decided that they would build a new Lodge, so the building was
torn down in 1992 and plans were drawn up for a new building, but at this time their finances were nil. They had to sell
the property and the sale barely covered the mortgages that
they had on this property.
V
Many members were very upset over this situation and quit
the Lodge. A few struggled along and rented space to hold
their meetings and social events. This continued on with
renting space and the Lodge membership began to increase
gradually. They now hold their meetings and social events in
the CNIB building on 2340 Richmond Rd.
The Victoria Elks have for years always marshalled the May
24th parade and would have a great turn out to help with the
parade. In 2006 the Lions started marshalling the parade.
They now have their own float in the parade with an Elks
head and banners telling all the parade route what the Elks
do for helping needy children with hearing problems, and
helping the local community. They also take their float to July
1st Sidney Day Parade and Esquimalt Buccaneers Day Parade.
Women were introduced into their Lodge in 1998 and many
couples joined together. As of 2011 they have approximately 9 women in their Lodge. They’ve gradually built up their
Lodge to approximately 60 members, but that has slowly decreased due to many older members passing on, and they
now only have 43 members in the Lodge. They have about
20 active members that keep the Lodge running. They have
many social events now and have dinner meetings the fourth
Thursday of every month with games and coffee after the
meeting, which has really helped.
WHITE ROCK ELKS LODGE NO. 431
ince last writing in 1986 White Rock Elks No. 431 has
passed many milestones. Its membership is fluid. Each
year they attract approximately 15 new members and each
year they loose approximately 15 members to transfers, retirement or death but their membership stays static at about
S
110 members. Of these members approximately 35 attend
regularly and about 20 are extremely active on a day to day
basis running the facilities.
Between 1997-2004 White Rock was at low ebb and for
several years its progress was monitored by Trustees and
Supervisors to little avail. In the years from 2005-2010 an
aggressive Lodge Executive brought the Lodge out of the red
and into positive cash flow. The Lodge was once again making regular annual payments to the Children’s Camps and to
the BC Society for the Deaf.
White Rock celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008 arranging
a banquet for other Lodges in the region and for all members
and former members and their spouses. The evening was an
overall success and many former members’ exploits were recounted. The White Rock Elks are a hard working reasonably
cohesive Lodge whose main purpose is the maintenance of
the bar and lounge as a fund raising entity to feed its many
charities.
The White Rock Elks opted for the non-ritual status almost
immediately after it was offered following the National AGM
in 2008. The membership as a whole support the notion of
service and volunteerism predominantly for the local community of White Rock and BC groups and to a lesser extent
the national charities.
To this end the White Rock Elks have, while maintaining
its annual commitments to the Elks national charities, put
as much money as it could into the restoration and conservation of its hall to provide funds for its various charities.
Through dedicated volunteerism and hard work in excess
of $150,000.00 has been spent on renewal of both upstairs,
downstairs and the exterior so that the hall can be given the
greatest possible exposure to the local community for rental
and entertainment.
The Lodge meets the minimum times per year to comply with
the constitution of the Elks of Canada but completes its work
via numerous committees which meet as needed and report
monthly to the Lodge. In times when we see Lodges diminishing and Elk real estate being sold off, the White Rock Elks
is alive, healthy and extending its horizons. In 50 year’s time
it is our prediction that White Rock will still have a viable and
hard working group of volunteers supporting the needs of our
community through fund raising events.
Dear Elks of Canada
CONGRATULATIONS ON 100 YEARS!
You founded BC Family Hearing Resource Society.
Thank you for your partnership, generous support, and commitment
towards the Society and making many futures BRIGHT!
16 1987-2012 History
www.bcfamilyhearing.com
ALBERTA
Brother Robert Shave
Greetings Brother and Sister Elks and Members of the Royal
Purple:
As my term as Alberta Provincial President draws to an end,
it is with mixed feelings that I write this article. This past year
has been so busy but so rewarding at the same time. I have
had the opportunity to travel to many Lodges across the Alberta Association. You get to see how different lodges work
with great pride in helping their communities to become a
better place to live.
This year my theme was “take one step back so we may
move forward”. We are in such a hurry to change to get with
the modern times that some of us are forgetting where we
came from. We are losing some of our heritage, so go back
and check out our Ritual. There is a reason for our Knights,
and doing the Eleven O’clock Service.
I would like to take this time to thank all the committee members and the Association Officers for their hard work and support this year. This coming year is Canadian Elks’ 100th anniversary year with lots of special celebration functions going
on across Alberta.
BASSANO ELKS LODGE NO. 487
ince 1987 the Elks have started having Bingos every
two weeks. The profits from these bingos has made it
possible to support minor sports and youth organizations as
well as purchasing much needed equipment for the Bassano
Hospital and Seniors Lodge.
S
We also hold Mother’s Day and Rodeo Breakfasts, New
Year’s Dances and a very successful Oyster Supper which
has been held since 1995 as a sell out every year.
Some Lodges are putting on pancake breakfasts, steak barbecues, and getting involved in parades. The list is long. The
biggest project is allowing a family’s dream to come true. One
family will own their own home due to the co-operation of
Alberta Elks and Habitat for Humanity. We will be building a
house in Three Hills in June. If you have some time or money
to spare get in touch with Ken Komarnisky at Red Deer for
work schedules.
In closing I would like to thank all the Lodges for showing me
hospitality, fellowship and friendship in my many meetings
this past year. To the incoming Executives I wish you every
success in the upcoming year. To all the Alberta Association members, I thank you for allowing me this opportunity to
serve you as your President this past year. This experience I
will always remember!
Fraternally,
Bob Shave, President
Alberta Elks Association
The Elks are custodians of the Benalto Community Hall and
provide it free of charge to community groups, local schools,
4H and pony clubs. We have provided Christmas candy bags
for the local schools since 1956. Funds earned have gone
into improving our Lodge home by installing hardwood floors,
carpets, chairs and by maintaining current fire and safety
regulations.
Revenue is derived from rentals, turkey suppers and casino
involvement.
Unfortunately membership in our Lodge just like any other
Lodge has slowly dwindled down to 51 members.
BENALTO ELKS LODGE NO. 404
enalto Elks Lodge No. 404 was instituted in May 1956
and celebrated their 50th Anniversary in May of 2006.
B
1987-2012 History
17
BENTLEY ELKS LODGE NO. 318
I
n 1987 the Lodge had a total of 130 dues paying members. The Lodge continued to contribute to the community
by applying for grants to be applied towards funding of the
new recreation complex, equipment for the community ambulance, donations to ISTAR and hospital equipment donations. Participation, though low at times, included slow pitch
tournaments and golf tournaments. The Lodge has continued to support various projects in the community including
a community van, food hampers, arena upgrades, rodeo
corrals and even a new Santa Claus outfit for our children’s
Christmas party.
The Lodge has committed funds to a ball diamond complex
in exchange for having one of the diamonds named after the
Lodge. The Lodge has hosted functions by looking after the
bar, a ball tournament, a cabaret to raise funds for a family
who lost their home, donations to a community hall building
fund and fire department jaws of life. We’ve provided funds to
the Library Board and the Seniors’ Housing Board.
refund from the municipality for re-distribution to other community projects.
A facility enhancement grant in the amount of $10,000.00 was
received for our Lodge repairs and along with our $15,000.00
the roof repairs on our Lodge could begin. We then continued on with painting the interior and upgraded the insulation.
Community donations included Westview Apartments for
their building addition, Bentley Nursery School, Rimbey and
District Victim Services, minor ball, and Santa’s Breakfast.
The rodeo cabaret realized a profit of $10,040.00 and the
bingo $1,957.00. Local food banks
received donations as well as several donations to other individuals/organizations including the Fund for Children. Due to
the lack of members willing to help, a decision was made not
to continue with the rodeo cabaret even though it was such a
success in the past year.
The Lodge entered into discussions with a local land owner
to purchase fourteen acres of land for the development of
ball diamonds and a campground within the municipality.
This was to be a joint project between the Elks, the municipality and the agricultural society. Community funding included Canada Day celebrations, a public address system
for the arena and medical equipment, purchased jointly with
the Royal Purple for the hospital. Nine members of the patrol
team were honoured as being members of that team for a
period of 25 to 30 years.
Activities such as the rodeo, bingo, zone curling play downs,
curling fun ‘spiel, campout and the Provincial van raffle occupied much of our time. Funding for the beautification of the
town entrance signs was provided to the municipality.
Over the years the Lodge has been active in the community
with fundraising efforts, lending a helping hand and donations; from supporting the local ambulance for equipment, to
planting trees around the recreation area; holding spring and
fall bingos and arena upgrade project and several other community projects too numerous to list.
Due to low turnouts the annual camp-outs were cancelled.
Concern was also expressed regarding our Lodge losing
members and the fellowship due to acceptance of a lady in
our Lodge. Members agreed to stand behind their decision
with the hope that other Lodges in the District would eventually accept this decision.
In 2000, our Lodge applied to the “Elks Millennium” to upgrade the Elks playground and received $500.00, covered
landscaping costs at the library, replaced our officer’s stations, supported several sports requests, upgraded our parade float and donated outstanding regalia credits to the Elks
& Royal Purple Fund for Children. Because the ambulance
was being shut down and sold, we requested a $13,000.00
18 1987-2012 History
As in the past, the usual donations have been made to various organizations. Although our membership has remained
small they are still enthusiastic.
BIG VALLEY ELKS LODGE NO. 147
he Lodge will be celebrating its 85th anniversary on November 12th this year as the Order celebrates its 100th
anniversary. They are a small community with members from
other hamlets and villages to the south. The membership in
the year 2011 totals 46 and we are staying fairly close to that
number as age and passing takes its toll. Several younger
members have made a significant difference in the past few
years and the Lodge continues to serve the community well.
T
The Degree Team continues to bring recognition to the Lodge
and has initiated several new Elks in the last 25 years as well
as in the past.
This Lodge strongly supports children’s sports programs and
we have provided playground equipment to our Purple Park
play area here in the village. They continue to assist their
Volunteer Fire Departments and assist in the purchase of
new equipment that enhances their capabilities. Yearly donations are made to ISTAR and the Elks Foundation. They
provide monetary assistance to a multitude of organizations
in the area on a request for assistance basis. They have also
assisted community members in purchasing handicap equipment and give monetary assistance when trying circumstances such as fire occurs.
They do not have a formal Lodge building and meetings are
held on the fourth Tuesday in the Big Valley Legion. Consider
joining them if you are in the area. Big Valley Lodge salutes
the Order on this, the 100th anniversary, and look forward to
continuing to work and uphold the fine traditions of the Order.
BOW ISLAND ELKS LODGE NO. 440
he Elks Lodge has since sold its home that it worked very
hard to build. The cost to operate was draining all the
volunteerism from the active members. Since the sale, the
Lodge has been able to proceed in helping all that are in need
in the community. They are seeing the members enjoy fundraising as the money goes to local groups such as Meals on
Wheels, Food Bank, Joy of Giving, Trees of Hope and others.
T
They are seeing a few new younger members in the last five
years and hope to see many more in the years to come.
BROOKS ELKS LODGE NO. 77
ince the printing of the Elk of Canada history book in 1987
the Brooks Elks Lodge has remained active in Brooks
and area. Their membership has evolved since then with
the Lodge gaining new members and losing some old members as they dropped out of the Order, moved away or have
passed away.
S
While Brother Joe Dumontel (now deceased) was the first
from the Lodge to go on to serve the Order on higher levels
he was not the only one to do so. A number of our members have gone on to serve as District Deputies and Provincial Presidents and we would be remiss if we didn’t mention
Brother Duane Romuld was Grand Exalted Ruler in 2009 2010.
The Lodge operations during most of this time remained
fairly stable with the Lodge operation in the Brooks Elks
Community Hall located in down town Brooks at 203 3rd
Street West. The Lodge became involved in many different events and projects in the community over this period,
some of which included: the Canadian Winder Regional
Chili Cook Off which is an ICS (International Chili Society)
started in 1990 and has continued to this day. The event is
held in late March. The Lodge also took on a Father’s Day
Day Fishing Derby and in 2011 held the 9th annual. Over
the years the event has grown to be a good event for the
Lodge. The Lodge has also held two snowmobile rallies in the
last few years - an event that will likely continue as long as
our region gets enough snow in the winter to host the event.
The Lodge also became involved with the Brooks and District
Diabetes Association’s annual Festival of Trees. The event
held in late November started off with the Lodge renting and
donating the hall for the event with a number of Elks attending the annual gala where Christmas trees have been bought
and given away in most cases. The event has gone on to be
held in a local hotel but the Elks continue to be involved and
it has become a favorite of the community and the Lodge.
The Lodge ran a very successful bingo for many, many years
but as time went on bingo across Alberta faded and eventually became poorly attended. Bingo income had been the
main source of income for the up keep and maintenance of
the hall. As a result of diminishing revenues and the financial implications the Lodge decided to sell the hall in 2009, a
move that while everyone knew was the best thing was not a
popular move. The Lodge at present holds their meetings in
the Mason Hall. While Lodge members continue to miss their
old building the move has been a positive one overall for the
Lodge. 2011 has seen the Lodge’s first involvement in the
Dragon Boat Races held at Lake Newell. The rowing team
was made up of Elk members and members of the community. Who knows we may even gain a few members out of this
event. Two new projects we hope will be a success this year
will be a pancake breakfast which will be held on a day during
the Brooks Rodeo Week as well as a Ball Tournament which
is planned for the summer.
The “Old Guard” of the Lodge just like other Lodges has had
and continues to have an “Old Guard” but the old Guard has
evolved over the years. While the Lodge continues to have
longer lasting members the Old Guard as it were is now made
up of the members that were considered to be the Young
Bucks some 25 years ago and the Lodge has a new group
of Young Bucks that are coming forward to lead their Lodge
into the future.
CALGARY ELKS LODGE NO. 4
H
ow did Calgary Elks Lodge and Golf Club come to be?
It is a story of partnership dating back to the 50’s and 60’s
when the two organizations put forth a proposal to merge
thus resulting in what we have today. The golf course is on
land leased by the Calgary Elks from the City of Calgary. Due
to our non-profit structure and our affiliation with the Elks of
Canada as a charitable organization, we realize a number of
significant benefits. The non-profit structure also supports our
applications to Alberta Gaming and Lotteries which results in
funds that we direct to our various charities. Our non-profit
structure is a significant advantage in negotiating and holding
the long term lease with the City of Calgary and contributes
significantly to our standing in the greater Calgary community. This merger has resulted in one of the most significant
1987-2012 History
19
success stories for the Elks of Canada and for the City of
Calgary. The Calgary Elks Lodge and Golf Club stands as the
single largest Elks Lodge in Canada.
Prior to 2006, Calgary Elks Lodge and Golf Club were really
two elected organizations operating interdependently. The
Society or Lodge operated as one body managing important aspects such as charities, discipline and fellowship. The
Board of Management managed the operations, finance and
administration of the golf club, through a General Manager.
However in March of 2005, the membership voted to adopt
bylaws that focused on forming a more progressive single,
elected body representing the membership. The new structure offers the membership with enhanced accountability with
the understanding that a single elected Executive will eliminate the confusion regarding responsibilities. The elected
Executive Officers are held responsible for the direction and
governing of all operations of the Calgary Elks Lodge and
Golf Club. To further enhance accountability, the Executive
adopted a Governance Policy which ensures that the Club
operations are appropriately managed. The foundation of
this model is one where the elected body establishes guidelines and policy and the Executive Director executes on that
policy and is responsible for all operations and direction of
staff. Critical to the overall success of the club is the continual
feedback and input by the membership.
The Club has invested in formal communications medium
that ensures that all members are kept up to date with all
matters pertaining to the club – including Club Link, the Club
Portal and Email Community Update. Members are encouraged to take advantage of the events – these are tremendous
opportunities to come together with others and enjoy this facility and fellowship.
•
•
•
Provincial programs such as ISTAR and the Alberta Elks Foundation
National programs such as the Elks and Royal Purple
Fund for Children
Local programs that focus on the family; our targeted
charity for the last three years has been Habitat for
Humanity and we have contributed over $125,000.00.
The overall charities strategy has identified the objective to
drive additional funding for charity from a variety of Calgary
Elks Lodge and Golf Club programs such as in-house tournaments and external events such as the Canadian Tour Event
which will dedicate a portion of its proceeds to the Alberta
Children’s Hospital.
Over the years Calgary Elks have had many members who
have contributed to the Alberta Elks Association and the Elks
of Canada. Since the writing of the 75th anniversary book,
Brother Tom Cumming was elected Grand Exalted Ruler in
1986 – 1987.
CAMROSE ELKS LODGE NO. 70
C
amrose Elks Lodge celebrated their 87th Anniversary in
October 2011.
Looking back over the last 25 years of Elkdom in Camrose it
is amazing to realize what the Lodge has done for the community. Checking the records, the Lodge has donated over
two hundred thousand dollars to local projects and charities such as St. Mary’s Hospital, Camrose Children’s Center, the Women’s Shelter, Minor Sports Programs, Cubs and
Scouts, D.A.R.E. Program, High School Scholarships, Meals
on Wheels, Camrose Handyman Society, etc. including thirty
thousand to the Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children, and
the Alberta Elks Foundation.
The Lodge with the assistance of the Royal Purple and District No. 8 Lodges have hosted Provincial Conferences and
the Walk for Children. During the last ten years Camrose Elks
and Royal Purple together with the Rosalind Elks and Royal
Purple, developed a mixed curling team that captured the National Championship three times.
While we could speak to each Committee there really is only
one that speaks volumes to the identity of the Calgary Elks
Lodge and Golf Club and that is our Charities Committee.
Community Service is one of those key elements that we adopted from the tradition of the Elks and one frankly we are
eager to promote to the greater community and to our own
membership. This year and going forward, we have committed 100% all of the proceeds from casinos to our overall
charitable program. This strategy sees our distribution of donations to an appropriate mix which includes:
•
Regional charities like the Children’s Hospital and families in need
20 1987-2012 History
Over the past several years a great deal of time and money
has gone into refurbishing and updating the Elks hall with a
new roof, windows and doors, drapes, floor coverings, kitchen
counter tops, bathroom fixtures and paint. The latest addition
is the wheelchair lift that now makes the basement banquet
room and Lodge room accessible to the disabled.
On November 12th, 2011, the Lodge welcomed their newest
member in the Lodge, 16 year old Mathew Caskey. Mathew
was also welcomed to Elkdom by GER Jerry Wemicke who
was at the initiation. We are hopeful that this will be a start of
a new generation of members for Camrose Elks Lodge.
CARSTAIRS ELKS LODGE NO. 556
ll members have contributed to the community and
the Elks Lodge continues to support minor hockey, minor football, girl guides, boy scouts, local schools, community groups, local charities, Carstairs library, and Christmas
hampers. The Lodge hosts a garage sale each spring and
sponsors a curling bonspiel for the community each winter.
They have contributed $5,000.00 towards the purchase of
the columbarium at the Carstairs cemetery and contributed
to a large sports park in the memory of departed Elk member Brother Tiny Lafleur. We continue to operate a community
bus. A replacement 54 seat bus was purchased in August,
2011. The Lodge membership is currently at 42 members.
A
CASTOR ELKS LODGE NO. 138
hen Castor Elks Lodge No. 138 first received their Charter, 61 men from the community joined. Many of these
men were grandparents or parents of some of our present
members. Through the years the membership has averaged
between 40 and 75 members. The meetings were held in the
hotel basement, curling rink and for the last 45 years in the
Legion Hall. Anyone 16 years of age or older may join the
Elks. The Elks place great value on organization, fraternalism, volunteering and bringing people together for the common good.
W
Fundraising projects have varied over the years, with recent
ones being breakfasts and suppers, cash raffles, selling Alberta Elks Association tickets, custom working bars, Boxing
Day Dance, working at the Casino and the weekly Wednesday night bingo with almost all of the profits being donated
back to the community. Over the years the Elks of Castor
have contributed generously to the various community needs.
Money is sometimes banked over a period of time and then
donated to a major project.
Castor Elks have hosted many District No. 6 mixed bonspiels,
free shows and treats for the Kids at Christmas time. They
have sponsored information nights on street drugs and bone
marrow transplants. They have helped with the Devonian
Street projects and planted trees in Pals Park. They have
donated funds to the Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children, Alberta Elks Foundation, ISTAR, Elkathons, Red Shield
Appeal, Camp He Ho Ha, Cubs and Scouts, Cadets, Music
Festival, Castor 4H, Recreation Centre, ball dugouts, Castor minor sports, contributed audio equipment for children
with hearing impairment, telethons, debate club, judo club,
Paintearth Senior Lodge, Golden Circle, Castor Museum,
ECS, Playschool, Busy Beaver Day Care, Group Home, Gus
Wetter School, Theresetta School, Castor cemeteries (public,
Catholic and Legion), Our Lady of the Rosary HospitaI, Extended Care and the Hospital Heritage Building, swimming
pool, rodeo club, Golf club, ski hill, fire department, school
sports uniforms, lifeline, curling club, handivan, Castor Enhancement Society, Beaver Dome Arena and the Community
Hall.
Recent Major projects were $25,000.00 as a Millennium project towards the cost of Castor Arena Boards, and in June
2006. $10.000.00 to Paintearth Senior Lodge Building Fund
and also paid off their pledge of $80,000.00 to the Castor
Community Hall Building Fund.
From January 1986 to October 2006, $331,880.32 will have
been donated to various needs in the community. To the community we say “Thank You” for your support towards our fund
raising projects. Your money stays in the community. Castor
Elks are working with the community, for the community. 80
years for an organization in a community is cause for a celebration. Thanks to the past and present membership for this
accomplishment.
DELBURNE ELKS LODGE NO. 206
he members of Delburne Lodge are very active in the
community. They have taken part in many worthwhile projects over the years. One of the most significant functions has
been the organizing and hosting Canada Day Celebrations
held on July 1st each year since the Lodge was instituted.
T
The Elks started a playground for children and continue to
maintain and upgrade it. In 1995 $11,000.00 was spent in a
major upgrading of equipment and grounds. Several generations of children have played in it.
A major project was working with the Government of Alberta
to build and manage “Elk Haven”, a 12 suite housing complex opened for seniors in Delburne. A bus was purchased to
assist community transportation. Three buses and three 15
passenger vans later, the Delburne Elks Community Bus is
1987-2012 History
21
still owned and being operated in 2011 by members of the
Delburne Elks Lodge. Besides bussing residents to Red Deer
on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month for appointments and shopping, it is busy transporting community
groups to various functions throughout western Canada. This
project has gained Elkdom a great amount of publicity.
One of the Lodge members, Brother Bob Manning was elected Grand Exalted Ruler in 2000 – 2001.
DIDSBURY ELKS LODGE NO. 514
idsbury Elks Lodge No. 514 started with 62 Charter members representing all walks of life. They purchased the
Town Opera House (The Klinck Block) for a home and to provide a hall for the use of the community. Over the years the
building has undergone many renovations and improvements
including the addition of a fully modernized kitchen, lounge
facilities, and a curtained stage area. Most recent improvements include the construction of much needed storage areas for Elks and Royal Purple, new sinks and toilets in the ladies washroom, bar renovation and new sinks, prep area and
cupboards in the kitchen. Most of the labour was provided
by Lodge members and other willing volunteers to whom we
owe our thanks. Since its inception, the Lodge has undertaken many major projects towards improving the lifestyle of our
community and given financial assistance to man groups and
organizations. The following are some of the more significant
projects of the Lodge many of which are still being maintained
by the Lodge.
D
For the Didsbury Health Care Center and Mountain View
Health Unit, they have provided many items of special
equipment as well as completely furnishing a patient room
in the hospital. They provide toys and gifts to children who
are hospitalized and replace and upgrade them as needed.
To the Horizon School and Home (for challenged individuals) they’ve donated and or provided funding for furnishings,
typewriters, computer systems and a button making press.
Provided along with funding from the Elks and Royal Purple
Fund for Children and the Alberta Elks Foundation, numerous
personal assistance cases with equipment and funds to make
their lives better.
To the local volunteer Fire Department they have donated
funds toward the purchase of a Jaws of Life, and special
grass fighting equipment for one of the trucks. In the Didsbury Memorial Complex and Swimming pool they’ve built a
mini ice surface and boards and at the pool contributed a P.A.
system, starting blocks for the swim club as well as timing
devices. To Minor Hockey they supplied jerseys and socks
as well as the Elks and Royal Purple hockey pucks annually
and to the local Soccer Association the soccer balls supplied
through the Fund for Children.
They have built and maintained 4 tennis courts as well as
funded the building of bowling greens (for the Alberta Summer Games). They own and operate Cipperley’s Pond/Elks
22 1987-2012 History
Campground which has washroom and shower facilities as
well as electrical hook-ups for many of the camp sites. The
pond is stocked annually with rainbow trout for the young and
local fishermen and the facility is widely used for day, over
night and extended camping as well as for many reunions.
On an annual basis, they sponsor scholarships to the Didsbury High School, donate toys to the hospital, give to the local
Army Cadet Corps, have a Mother’s Day breakfast, Annual
Windup BBQ (proceeds to the local Food Bank), Annual Rodeo Days parade and breakfast, and Children’s Christmas
party.
They held a weekly bingo until 2005 when due to the competition of VLTs and large bingo centers the attendance fell off
causing a drop in profit which made the continuance untenable. They continue to volunteer at several casinos and assist
the Royal Purple with their casinos to raise money for their
own Lodges and Associations. This and profit from the operation of their campground and the rental and caterings through
the hall remain the major sources of income.
The activities within the Order are also numerous as they
have hosted Provincial Conferences and assisted the District 4 hosting of the 2006 Grand Lodge Convention in Calgary where Brother Bill Ward was installed as Grand Exalted
Ruler. The Lodge over the years has had a number of their
members serve the Order and has been blessed with leadership and enthusiasm of the members. They have had an
active Patrol Team almost since inception and have traveled
throughout the province doing initiations and installations.
They continue to compete annually in the Provincial Patrol
Team Competition and have won the competition on a number of occasions. They are a progressive Lodge as illustrated
by being the first Elks patrol team to have both male and female Elks marching.
They are a busy Lodge, involved with their community as well
as with the Order, but it has not been all work, for they enjoy
a good time with their Lodge members and others while working. They have participated in District, Zone, Provincial and
National Curling as well as having members participating in
the Darts, Golf tournaments and other fun events.
DRAYTON VALLEY ELKS NO. 391
he Lodge owned and operated one of the community
halls. They had pancake breakfasts, Friday night steak
suppers, bingos, and community Christmas parties. As well,
they rented out the hall for meetings, weddings, funerals,
training sessions, and Church services.
T
In 2004, due to an aging membership, they decided to sell the
hall to the Church group who had been renting the space. In
2006, the Lodge celebrated their 50th Anniversary. They are
still an active Lodge, although not as active as it used to be.
The Lodge has and continues to support the community. The
Lodge has donated towards the new community hall, a new
helipad at the hospital, the Centre for the Arts, and park
benches downtown. They still have 2 monthly meetings, work
casinos, and do some joint projects/events with the Royal
Purple Lodge.
In 2011, the two Elks and Royal Purple Lodges of Breton and
Drayton Valley jointly co-hosted the Provincial conference.
They are now deciding on a new project.
EDSON ELKS LODGE NO. 87
ne of the projects undertaken by the Lodge was the building of a new community hall, but because of a couple of
other major projects such as a curling rink and golf complex
funded by long term commitment by the industry their project
was stalled and eventually abandoned.
O
In 1987 they sold their existing hall and rented space in the
Lions Club Hall where they still are today. They jointly funded
an addition to their hall and solely developed a commercial
style kitchen, which is totally under the Elks control for any
catering.
The Elks along with the Royal Purple used bingo as a major
means of raising funds for charity and operating; however,
they eventually succumbed to the provincial trend and quit
bingo in September 2010.
Now with a declining membership, and aging of the rest, who
knows what the future of this Lodge will bring.
ELK POINT ELKS LODGE NO. 460
his is a list of projects the Lodge has been supporting
over the past 25 or so years: Jack and Jill Playschool,
Figure Skating Club, F. G. Miller Jr/Sr High School Awards
Program, Elk Point Minor Hockey and Minor Ball, Elk Point
Elementary School Music Award, Steve Kuziw Memorial
Award, Elmer Bjornstad Scholarship, Heinsburg Head Start
Program (Breakfast), Canada Day Celebrations
with float and beef on a bun supper, Seniors
Transportation, Elk Point Curling Club and A.
G. Ross Indoor Ice Arena, FCSS Information
Night and Remembrance Day Ceremony, Elks
and Royal Purple Fund for Children, Alberta
Elks Foundation and ISTAR, Elks Wilderness
Park, Elks Jackpot bingo, hall and Lodge room
rentals and bar service, Elk Point Library, Elks
community van and fire/disaster victims in our
area.
T
water, a fish-cleaning table, and toilets are provided for camping patrons. The self-registration desk is open 24/7 with daily
checks done by Elks Lodge No. 460 members. Rates are
only $15.00 per night and the beach area is available with unsupervised swimming only. There is a boat launch available
on the east side of the lake.
Each July 1st, the Elks and Royal Purple team up to bring
some color and excitement to the event. For many years, up
until 2007, they built and dressed up their own float with both
Elks and Royal Purple riding on board. We won an award
for community volunteers float, almost every year. The Royal
Purple baked and decorated a huge beautiful Canada Day
cake which was served during the outdoor stage performances and events. For the past five years, the Elks have hosted
a beef on a bun supper which was so popular, that they normally sold out of beef and other goodies. For several years,
the Elks also hosted children’s games and free hot dog event
downstairs in the Elks hall.
Up until the building of the Seniors Center and later, the Allied
Arts and Leisure Center in Elk Point, the hall was the center
of activity. From weddings and funerals to parties and concerts of all kinds, they were able to offer their facility and bar
and supper services to the general public. To help defray operational costs, they ran a weekly bingo with pull-ticket sales,
which brought in a good profit. Unfortunately, over the past
ten years, they saw a dramatic decline in bingo revenues and
on December 31, 2010 discontinued bingos and pull-tickets
altogether. Around that time, the Jack and Jill Playschool was
looking for lodging, and were able to rent the downstairs.
Some time later, the Play2Learn Daycare Inc., is now renting the whole upstairs, full time as well. With rental income
from the Peter Fiddler Center building that they also own next
door, the Lodge will manage to keep going for some time yet.
Four years ago, both the Town of Elk Point and the County
of St. Paul were generous in helping with the purchase of a
new 15-passenger van for use by the community. All manner
of groups, including the Elks use the van for travel throughout the province. Prior to that, they had purchased and maintained several vans themselves for over
fifteen years. The Lodge 50th Anniversary celebration took place on Saturday,
April 30th, 2011 with 150 guests in attendance. Many presentations were made
to the Lodge from local Lodges, as well
as from the Provincial and National Elks
organizations.
The Elk Point Elks Wilderness Park is located
about seven miles north of Elk Point, on the
west side of Kehewin Lake. The park is operated by the Elk Point Elks Lodge No. 460 from
mid-May to the long weekend in September. It
consists of about 12 nightly camping stalls and
three daily-use beach-front fire pits. Potable
1987-2012 History
23
GRANDE PRAIRIE ELKS LODGE NO. 285
he Grande Prairie Elks have been very successful these
past 25 years. The Lodge has been able to maintain a
fairly stable membership. In the early 1990s the membership peaked at around 120. Now for the last several years it
is staying around the 75 mark. The Lodge has been able to
initiate younger men, who have readily accepted office and
are responsible for the welfare of the Lodge. The neighbouring Lodges in the smaller towns look to us for support and
guidance. The Lodge also asks for their help when they take
on larger projects, such as Provincial Conferences, National
Conventions, Alberta Provincial Curling Play downs etc. We
held a very successful National Convention in 1995 that still
holds the record for the largest attendance in recent years,
and have been awarded another National Convention in
2013. The Patrol Team was invited to perform at the 1996
National Convention in Brandon, Manitoba, after their success in 1995. It was an honour to have been chosen.
T
Our hall can accommodate 200 people for banquets. Since
we now have a good sound system, along with air conditioning and other modifications to the interior of the building, the
public really do like renting the facility. Weddings, business
meetings, anniversaries, etc. are the main functions the hall
is used for throughout the year. At Christmas time many organizations rent the facility for their staff parties.
The Lodge supports many community events and activities: Boy Scouts, Cubs, and Beavers, use the hall during the
week. Seniors play Cribbage Wednesday evenings. Lodge
meetings are on Thursdays. Weekends the hall is rented for
weddings, parties, etc. and during the week days, the hall is
used for organization meetings. Other projects the Grande
Prairie Elks support: Junior Curling, Public Library, Salvation
Army, and Pregnant Teen Program just to name a few. The
Curling program has done us well. Many curlers have gone
on to be Provincial and National winners. Even had a boys
team become winners at the Junior Worlds. Since starting
this program twenty-five years ago, many other communities
are now involved.
The Grande Prairie Elks also support the Elks & Royal Purple
Fund for Children and the Alberta Elks Foundation, besides
the local projects. In order to support these programs, the
Lodge raises funds from bingos, casinos, hall rental, etc. A
major fund raiser done by the members is a function called
an Annual Sea-Fest. As the name applies, we get all the fish
from the Pacific Ocean, hence no lobster, but lots of salmon,
halibut, etc. and clam chowder soup. We hire a comedian and
give away door prizes. This is a Men’s night only program and
the Lodge has done very well financially over the last 18-19
years.
HAIRY HILL ELKS LODGE NO. 304
H
airy Hill, a hamlet located approximately 150 km east of
Edmonton, is home to our Elks Lodge. Hairy Hill was a
24 1987-2012 History
thriving, lively, vibrant town in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. In the
1960’s the economics began to change and slowly the population declined to hamlet status. However, the spirit of the
Elks continued to be strong.
According to the first book of minutes meetings were held on
the first and third Wednesday at the Hairy Hill Community hall
and at times at the Hairy Hill School, and usually opened at
8:30 pm. Some interesting information taken from the minutes is as follows: “To attend Elks district meetings, members
would pay $1.00 to the driver.” “The per capita fee was 15
cents to Alberta Elks Association.” “When the District Deputy
would visit the Hairy Hill Lodge he would arrive by train that
day, attend the meeting, night over at the hotel, and return the
next day.” “The Lodge cleared $25.00 at the last dance.” “The
lunch fee was $.30.”
During the first decade the Hairy Hill Elks sponsored New
Years dances, Easter dances, Queen Carnivals, and car
raffles as fundraisers. Proceeds were donated towards construction of the Hairy Hill Curling rink, scholarships, and
equipment for the school, community hall maintenance, National Cancer Fund, Save the Children Fund, the needy in the
community, and many other numerous projects.
The Hairy Hill Elks presently with 32 members are a vibrant
and motivated community charitable organization. The Lodge
supports the Hairy Hill Community Hall, student achievement
at the Two Hills School, Two Hills Health Centre, Fund for
Children, ISTAR, Eagle Hill Foundation, the needy in our
community and many other Alberta charities. We would like
to thank all the people in our community for supporting us,
thus making our community a better place.
HANNA ELKS LODGE NO. 451
n March 18, 2011 a celebration of its 50th Anniversary
took place. The Lodge has continued its active participation in the life of the Hanna community. In 1987, the meeting
place for the Lodge was moved from the Legion Hall to the
newly constructed Community Center. The Lodge pledged
$50,000.00 towards the construction of the center and paid
the pledge by holding several Getaway Raffles. Some of the
Lodge members also served as Directors and Executive on
the Community Centre Board.
O
Hanna Lodge has been active in the activities of the Provincial Elks Association by hosting the Alberta Elks Provincial
Curling Playdowns. In 1988 the Lodge placed 11th across the
province in the sales of the Provincial Raffle tickets.
Our Lodge Patrol Team organized in 1975, is still active doing
annual initiations and installations in District No. 11 and outside the District. As well, the team participated in the official
opening of the Provincial Conferences at Stettler, Drumheller,
and Brooks.
Within the community of Hanna and District, the Lodge has
donated over $700,000.00 towards minor hockey, soccer,
baseball, and other sports organizations.
Other donations in the community were for the food bank;
local museum; senior projects, etc. The Lodge helped build
horseshoe pitches for Fox Lake Park and restocked Helmer
Dam with fish. The Lodge also helped build soccer dugouts,
ball parks and bathrooms for new back nine on the golf
course. Our last biggest contribution to the community has
been the construction of an outdoor arena, suitable for hockey, rollerblading, and other activities throughout the year. This
is a 607’ by 120’ facility, fully lighted arena with plastic boards
and is known as the “ELKS SPORTS COMPLEX”. Most of
the work was done by the Lodge membership with donations
of time, money, and equipment from individuals, businesses
and other organizations. The final cost of the project was
around $70,000.00.
LESLIEVILLE ELKS LODGE NO. 351
ver the past few years Leslieville Elks Lodge has seen
a steady increase in younger members who are willing
to take over the duties of maintaining a traditional Lodge.
Currently our membership stands at 55 with just under half
as very active members. Leslieville Elks continue to be the
Lodge to beat when it comes to the ritual competition in the
District, winning 24 out of 25 years. The Travelling Gavel is
another annual event that continues to be a popular outing.
Leslieville Fire Department as well as the local Trappers Association hold regular meetings at the hall. The building hosts
many outside birthday parties, meetings and other rental
functions throughout the year.
O
We have participated at the Elks and Royal Purple National
Curling as well as the Alberta Provincial Playdowns. In 2011
the Hanna Elks and Royal Purple hosted the Elks and Royal
Purple National Championship. The Lodges had 3 local rinks
participating.
Our biggest fundraising project is our annual Grey Cup Raffle. This supports public skating for everyone at our local
arena. At present we have a total of 85 members and we
look forward to still be actively working in our community for
years to come.
LAC LA BICHE ELKS LODGE NO. 470
L
ac La Biche Elks Lodge continues to fundraise and support various groups and projects in the community.
The Elks are a major shareholder in the bingo hall and active
in its administration. Besides bingos, the Lodge has obtained
a place in the Casino at Fort McMurray. With extra revenue
the Elks have made major donations to the Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children, ISTAR, the Stollery Children’s
Hospital and to the extended care ward at the Lac La Biche
Hospital.
We sponsor the Boy Scout Troop and donate to various
groups in our community.
For many years the spring Stag Auction and Dinner has
supported our annual budget which allows us to continue to
support local events as well as assist those in need. Prior
to Christmas our Lodge holds a family ‘Turkey Shoot’, with
younger children winning pellet guns while older children,
moms & dads vie for the right to take home a turkey for
Christmas dinner. In February the Lodge hosts the annual
target shoot with the recipient taking home a much sought
after rifle.
MYRNAM ELKS LODGE NO. 350
he festivities of June 17, 2011, marked a significant day
for Myrnam Elks Lodge No. 350 as they celebrated their
60th Anniversary. From the beginning the Elks have provided
Christmas treats for the children. The Lodge has sponsored
the Cubs, Scouts, and other youth clubs in town. They have
donated wheelchairs to people in the District and have distributed fire funds to needy victims.
T
Myrnam Elks hold an annual Snowmobile Poker Rally which
is an event held in conjunction with the Myrnam River Ridge
Riders Snowmobile Club. To celebrate Mother’s Day for the
past 10 years, the Lodge has prepared a Breakfast Brunch
to honour the mothers and grandmothers in the community.
The Myrnam Elks Lodge has promoted excellence in Ritual
Competitions. The Lodge continues to support and give generous financial support to the local 4-H Club, Ukrainian danc
1987-2012 History
25
ers, minor hockey, soccer club, senior citizens lodge, and
the school. Over the last 25 years, the Myrnam Elks have
become an integral part of the community and surrounding
District.
OLDS ELKS LODGE NO. 100
uring the eighties the Elks saw a need for a new swimming
pool. Down the road when a new indoor pool opened, the
Elks were able to donate $25,000.00 which was the largest
single donation by a service club in the district. In 1991 they
donated one of the first computers to the Olds High School,
sponsored a leukemia victim for a trip to Disneyland and purchased hearing aids for a deaf six year old who heard her
mother’s voice for the first time.
D
Over the years they have donated to the Dean Regewell
Foundation, local library, historical society, minor sports, Grizzlys hockey, Lacrosse, Olds figure skating club, minor soccer, junior curling, farmers bonspiel, Horizon school, annual
scholarships to high school, community bus, Big Brothers
and Sisters, Special Olympics, Sportsman Recreation Association, Scouts and Guides, Christmas Angels, swim clubs,
sponsored Mighty Mite hockey tournaments, Evergreen Club,
Mountain View Seniors Housing Foundation, Communities in
Bloom, D.A.R.E. Program, Olds youth program, Crohns and
Colitis Foundation, Legion poppy fund, Autism Society, Elks
& Royal Purple Fund for Children, Elks Walk-a-thon, Alberta
Elks Foundation and I.S.T.A.R. Over the last five years the
Elks have donated approximately $47,000.00 to these programs.
The Elks installed benches along pathways, presented a
bullying prevention program to the elementary and middle
schools and donated land use and construction for a soccer pitch, (some 325 kids are registered in organized soccer).
During the seventies a weekly bingo was organized and is
still our largest source of revenue. The last few years we have
been able to utilize the Alberta Gaming Casino’s, bringing in
a large amount at one time, but these are getting farther apart
each time.
In 2002 it was decided that with the decline in membership,
the upstairs could be put to better use by renting out the upstairs space, and renovating the downstairs to accommodate
the smaller gatherings for meetings and clubrooms. 2010 saw
the herd restless again and renovations were made - the upstairs bathrooms made wheel chair accessible, the entrance
was renovated and a wheel chair lift installed. New upstairs
windows and new siding in 2011 made a big improvement to
the prevention of water leaks, and an improvement to the all
around appearance. New signage completed the front.
PINCHER CREEK ELKS LODGE NO. 474
I
n the last 25 years Lodge No. 474 has been busy with projects in our community. The Lodge had a recycling project
which they received a $50,000.00 grant to start. They recycled paper and cardboard and worked with one of the members who owned Mike’s Transport. The Lodge provided the
trailer to haul the produce to Calgary and he provided the
tractor to pull the trailers. In return he used the trailers to haul
his freight from Calgary. They saved thousands of tons of paper and cardboard from the land fill and did this till it got too
big and the price was too low to hire people. By this time their
volunteers were tired and they sold the operation.
The Lodge ran a bi-weekly bingo until a group approached
the community to start a bingo hall. The other clubs wanted to
know if the Elks were going to go along with this idea. If the
Lodge had decided not to the community would not have had
a bingo hall. The bingo hall ran for over twelve years putting
millions of dollars into the community. The bingo hall closed
when bingo lost its popularity with patrons and casinos took
over.
The Lodge has hosted a Provincial Midterm Meeting, WalkA-Thon for the South Zone and the provincial Curling Play
Downs in 2005. The curling play downs were hosted jointly
by Pincher Creek and Fort Macleod and had games in both
communities. The event was a great success.
The hall has continued to be our meeting place but in 1995
the hall got in the way of Mother Nature and the flood of the
century, getting three feet of water in the basement. The
damage was repaired and the hall was upgraded with new
stucco, windows and other improvements. The hall is used
by the community for smaller functions.
They have cooked wieners at annual Xmas light up for many
years and have held annual golf and curling games within the
District.
26 1987-2012 History
The Elks have other projects to raise non gaming money such
as catering and bar tending to help the community and also
take part in the Alberta Elk’s Foundation annual raffle. With
the money raised from the projects they support the community - funding student awards at the schools, minor sports
teams, Fund for Children, Provincial Foundation as well as
ISTAR. In 2010 the Lodge, along with the other Lodges in
District No. 14, won the Tabs for Tots Trophy for the largest
amount of tabs collected by a district. The total was 1,320 lbs
and of that Pincher Creek collected 645 lbs. There are 1,620
tabs per pound.
The Lodge has had members on both Provincial and National
committees. The Teasing and Bullying program was put in
place by the Alberta Elks and Royal Purple Associations and
ISTAR. The Lodge was involved in the program that was a
success and helped many young people.
Pincher Creek Elks Lodge is just like other Lodges having
trouble with membership but they are now gaining. In 2011,
the Pincher Creek Royal Purple Lodge closed and the Elks
accepted ladies into their Lodge. Pincher Creek is looking
forward to serving in the community for the next 100 years.
ST. PAUL ELKS LODGE NO. 465
urther to, and continuing the history of St. Paul Elks Lodge
No. 465 related in 1986. Although suffering the loss of a
good number of members, the Lodge remains stable, very active and taking part in many aspects of improving our community through various projects that assist the needy children,
youth organizations and some sick and disabled people. They
maintain the Elks hall having a meeting room downstairs used
by the Elks and the Royal Purple. The upstairs portion is used
for socials, etc. either by us or leased to various community
requests. As well, an Elks Park has been established within
the town. It features a Cairn dedicated to departed Brother
Elks and Ladies of the Royal Purple. Swings and slides, a ball
diamond and a basketball pad have been installed. A gazebo
is also available for shelter when necessary.
F
St. Paul Lodge No. 465 has been active in the community.
Many projects have been carried out. The main fundraiser
was the Elks Radio Auction that after 32 years ended in March
2007, as the project became too highly labour intensified for
the declining membership. The funds from this radio auction
were directed for hospital equipment and improvement of
patient care. Another project carried out was the completion
of the Helicopter Landing Pad which is used to transfer patients to other emergency centres as required. They continue
to award two scholarships per year to High School students
who enter University studies.
Working casinos are now the main fundraisers enabling them
to continue purchasing supplementary medical equipment
for the hospital, supporting local youth programs, support
the Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children, Alberta Elks
Foundation, ISTAR, Provincial Walk-A-Thon, Cubs, Scouts
and Girl Guides, Boys and Girls Club, Soccer Program, Abilities Network and others as well as maintaining the Elks Hall
facility. Also a community children’s play park is being kept
up. Socially they hold a spring and fall barbecue as well as
a Christmas party. Although the membership has dwindled
quite severely, the present members carry out community
projects very diligently. Efforts are being made to improve the
membership.
With the re-alignment and renumbering of the Alberta Elks
Association Districts in 2007, the Lodge is now in District 6.
Previously, they were in the now defunct District 17.
Recruiting new members as well as maintaining the present
membership is an on-going challenge. Presently, the membership consists of 1 Sister and 25 Brother Elks who are diligently working for the betterment of the community and the
Order. On October 29, 2011 St. Paul’s Lodge celebrated their
50th Anniversary with over 80 members and guests in attendance.
STAVELY ELKS LODGE No. 112
ince 1987, Stavely Elks No. 112 has continued to be active and strong. In 1991, Al Howie ran across Canada in
the “Run for Tomorrow” to raise money for the Purple Cross
Fund. The Stavely Elks and Royal Purple had a “Mini-Marathon” run from Stavely to Nanton on their way to meet the
“Run for Tomorrow” west of Calgary. Eight Elks and Royal
Purple members participated and presented $550.00 to Al
Howie.
S
In 1966, a local family established the ‘Flanagan Sportsman
of the Year’ trophy. This presentation was taken over by the
Stavely Elks in 1992, becoming the ‘Citizen of the Year’ trophy, which has become a prestigious annual award in the
community.
In 1998, they worked their first casino in Lethbridge. At the
beginning they were returning for another casino annually but
this has changed as more organizations take part. They now
only have an opportunity about every 21/2 years. The monies earned here are donated according to Casino regulations
and has resulted in about $10,000.00 being returned to the
community annually.
Beginning in 1998, the Lodge sponsored a cow-calf program
whereby the Lodge purchased a number of cows, one for
each participating member willing to tend the cow for a three
year term. Each fall the calves were sold and the money retained by the Lodge. At the end of the three years, ownership
of the cow reverted to the member. This worked very well in
the Stavely area until 2003 when BSE killed the project by
causing the prices to drop so dramatically that the volunteers
could not afford to tend a cow without any returns.
1987-2012 History
27
I
n the fall of 2005, the members ventured into yet another project - the Pheasant Derby. This became a huge undertaking
for the members, and also for the many volunteer citizens of
the community. Thirty-five teams of five or six hunters compete for the highest percentage of cock pheasants shot in a
certain area within a certain length of time. This event has
been very successful thanks to the help of other organizations in town who assist with this endeavor. There is much
financial gain for the Lodge which translates into a huge benefit for the community.
Due to the fact that there are excellent cooks amongst the
members, the Lodge is called upon to do a great deal of catering. Weddings, anniversaries, and other celebrations and
functions for anywhere from 20 to 700 guests are capably
handled. Occasionally, out of town catering is also undertaken.
Donations can range from a few hundred dollars to $10,000.00
per meeting, going to local and neighbouring town groups and
facilities, and to sports and children’s activities. Donations
have also been made to National and Provincial programs
such as the Fund for Children, the Alberta Elks Foundation,
I.S.T.A.R., Teasing and Bullying, and Drug Awareness. All donations must be approved by the members and the Finance
Committee.
Membership in Stavely Lodge has varied from a high of 304
in 1980 to a low of 152 in 2006 and has rebounded to 177 today. They boast that, except for the cities, they are the largest
Lodge in Canada. Another fact they are proud of, is that an
Exalted Ruler has not been recycled since 1962, which is a
record in all of Canada. The average attendance at meetings
is 35 members. Meetings are held monthly except in July and
August.
goes, everyone knows they are there….even to the Grand
Lodge Convention in Gander, Newfoundland in 2011 where
they, with the help of the Stavely Royal Purple, installed the
Grand Lodge Officers.
The Elks and Royal Purple Lodges of Stavely work together
for Joint Installations and Memorial Services. The Ladies prepare and serve the Elks annual seniors’ supper and, in turn,
the men cater to the Royal Purple June wrap up meeting.
Such cooperation is not shared in every community that has
a Lodge of each. Some of the functions that the Lodge started
back in the day continue to this day.
In the last five years, the Stavely Lodge has been instrumental in donating $200,480.00 in cash to needy causes, and at
10.00 per volunteer hour, the Lodge has contributed another
$295,970.00 for community projects. To National and Provincial programs, the Lodge has donated $31,000.00.
They are proud to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Elkdom
and continue to uphold the National motto of “Promoting and
Serving Community Needs” to the best of their members’
abilities.
STRATHMORE ELKS NO. 491
T
he present membership of the Lodge is 28 dues paying
members and one Grand Lodge Life member. Strathmore
Elks Lodge has had quite a few new members in the last
two to three years. They are a real good group of people
as all Elks are donating their time to help others in need and
improve our community. Our main project for 2012 is to raise
funds for a new bowling alley for both the young and old to
enjoy
THREE HILLS ELKS NO. 90
ver the years, the Lodge has taken part in a number of
different events. Within the last twenty five years they
have held multiple outdoor rodeos, bingos, dances, raffles,
breakfasts, battery drives, casinos and many similar functions to raise money for the local causes. They have been
major contributors to many local projects such as the arena
completion, two playgrounds, curling rink and the school
gymnasium.
O
The Stavely Elks Patrol Team had an interesting beginning
when they started in 1975 with no uniforms. On a Traveling
Gavel trip they stripped down to white t-shirts and white “long
johns” before showing off their marching ability. It wasn’t long
before the Lodge invested in uniforms; shirts, pants, sashes,
neckerchiefs, and purple cowboy boots with white heel and
toe caps. They competed for many years finally winning in
Fernie, B.C. in 1999, and sharing first with the Sherwood
Park Patrol Team in 2000. Wherever the Stavely Patrol Team
28 1987-2012 History
The most recent project will be a house build in Three Hills in
one hundred hours. Three Hills Lodge No. 190 has taken on
the lead role in the project. They have partnered with Habitat
for Humanity, the Provincial Elks, Grand Lodge of the Elks of
Canada & the Town of Three Hills. The build will take place
in June of 2012.
The Lodge has about 130 members and they consider themselves very active. They have been quite successful recruiting new members and continue to work hard doing this.
1987-2012 History
28
VEGREVILLE ELKS LODGE NO. 143
he present home was purchased in 1942 and has been
added to since, with a major renovation and addition taking place in 1986. A further minor renovation occurred this
past year with the installation of a metal roof and new siding
on the front portion of the hall. As well, new signs for the Elks
Hall were purchased and installed. The Lodge is very proud
of two Brothers, Robert Robert and Dr. Nick Kuzyk, who became Grand Exalted Rulers of our Order in 1967 and 1975
respectfully.
T
Over the years, the Lodge has participated in many events
and carried on many projects. These include supporting minor sports, Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, Kid Sport, and Cadets to mention a few. As well, the Lodge has supported the
building of playgrounds, and the provision of transportation
services through VTSS. The Lodge hosts an annual Fair Raffle, and participates in bingos with Vegreville Alclub Bingo. At
one point in history the Lodge sponsored a brass band. The
Lodge also sponsors the Elks Fish Pond and Park (where
Vegreville’s world famous Pysanka is located).
During the early years of the Lodge’s existence, carnivals
were held at the old Heather Curling Club Building. The Fair
Raffle was also instituted as a means of raising funds for our
many local projects. The early raffles had tractors and boats
as prizes. Today, the raffle features cash prizes. The Lodge
also held several Cultural supper nights under the capable direction of master chef Brother Robert Robert. Throughout the
years, the Lodge hosted many New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Near the end, they even joined with the local Legion, Branch
No. 39, to keep these annual celebrations continuing, but with
declining interest and increasing band costs, the event was
eventually phased out.
In 1992/93, the Lodge members decided to erect a replica
of an Elk at the Elks Park and Fish Pond. The statue was
mounted in the centre of the flower bed and later raised on a
pedestal, to prevent joy riders from trying to ride the Elk.
The Elks Lodge continues its strong community participation
by sponsoring local youth groups and non-profit groups by
providing the use of the hall at minimal cost to them for their
annual functions. The groups basically get the use of the hall
for the cost of janitorial services. They have also purchased
hockey jerseys, baseball uniforms and other minor sports
equipment. The Lodge is a strong supporter of Kid Sport in
Vegreville. As well, the Lodge has also been a strong supporter of school programs. The Lodge currently supports
the Big Drum Program at St. Martin’s Catholic Elementary
School and various awards programs at St. Mary’s Catholic
Junior/Senior High School as well as Vegreville Composite
High School. A major program undertaken by the Lodge was
the provision of shirts for the VCHS band and a contribution
of $30,000.00 towards the purchase of two 24 passenger
buses for Vegreville Composite High School. Another area
of long time support is St. Joseph’s General Hospital where
the Lodge undertook the funding and construction of a Helicopter Landing Pad at the hospital. In addition to this, the
Lodge has supported programs aimed at the provision of major equipment for use in the hospital and in the local senior
care centres. They have also provided a specialized wheel
chair and specialized equipment for the speech, visual and
hearing impaired.
Currently, the Lodge participates in a Casino at Fort McMurray. This annual event helps the Lodge support its hall and
provides large sums of money for distribution to various local
groups.
As a result of the various fundraising efforts, over $265,476.00
has been donated to various local, regional, provincial, and
national charities, programs and projects. The Lodge also
participates in the annual Exhibition parade. The Provincial
Parade Float is brought in and members walk alongside the
float, distributing candy to the children lined up to watch the
parade. This is done with the support and cooperation of the
Royal Purple Lodge.
The Vegreville Lodge has been and continues to be a strong
supporter of arts programs. On an annual basis, the Lodge
supports the Wendy Brook Music Festival and the Fine Arts
Cultural Fund maintained by the Vegreville Cultural Association.
Recently, the Lodge has been a strong supporter of the Vortex Football Team, and the Dare Program. As well, the Lodge
has provided funds for the Lions Spray Park. Their commitment to the youth of the community is very strong and continues to grow on an annual basis. The Lodge is also a supporter and contributor to the Canada Day Program Fireworks
hosted by the Knights of Columbus Council in Vegreville. The
Elks Park is usually the site for the annual Canada Day fireworks.
In 2010, the Elks played a large role in hosting of the Olympic
Torch on its way through Vegreville, with Brother Elks providing security and serving on the planning committee. In
November, 2011, the Lodge celebrated its 85th Anniversary.
During the celebration, the Lodge donated $2,000.00 to the
Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children.
1987-2012 History
29
Finally, the Lodge has been and continues to be a strong supporter of all Elks sponsored programs. The Lodge is a strong
supporter and contributor to ISTAR, the Alberta Elks Foundation and the Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children. The
Lodge has hosted and participated in the Walk for Children
and has participated in the Annual Curling Competitions held
by the Elks and Royal Purple at both the Provincial and National Levels.
This is merely a glimpse of the history of the Lodge and is by
no means inclusive. If any major items were omitted, it was by
accident and by no means intentional.
WESTLOCK ELKS LODGE NO. 330
I
n the past 25 years, Westlock Elks Lodge No. 330 has continued to be active in the community since their institution.
The members continue to perform the Elks Ritual in full regalia at all meetings and believe this helps to retain their membership and attendance at meetings. For several years they
held the trophy for Ritual competition. The Lodge has over 30
members and enjoys the participation of over 65 percent of
the membership at meetings and fund raisers.
The Lodge believes in socializing and having fun. They have
an annual summer BBQ, Christmas party, as well as some
BBQ supper meetings. They believe in working with other organizations, offering assistance to the local Agricultural Fair
and Museums.
other local clubs are housed in this Hall.
The major source of revenue for the Elks has been the
weekly Monday night bingos that they have operated for over
25 years. During these bingos the Elks offered the concessions to the Girl Guides who operate it as their fundraiser.
The members also continue to raise funds by selling raffle
tickets in the Alberta Elks Foundation Raffle. Recently in the
past number of years the Elks have participated in assisting
in the operation of a Casino which provides them with additional funds. The Funds raised from these sources have been
distributed to local community needs as well as generous
contributions to the Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children
and the Alberta Elks Foundation. Other programs supported
by the Elks Lodge are: school scholarships, ISTAR, STARS
Ambulance, Food Bank, Hospital equipment fund and longterm care equipment, Library, Fire Safety House, local sports
clubs, sponsor of free-swim at the pool and major contributor to playgrounds and many other organizations. One of the
major contributions was $60,000.00 towards a CT scanner for
the local hospital.
Recently the Westlock Elks Lodge members have undertaken the organization of delivering the Elks float to Lodges
throughout Alberta. The Elks Lodge is well known and highly
respected in the community.
Through the efforts of some Elk members and the Hall Board
of Directors a new Memorial Hall was erected after a fire destroyed the old Memorial Hall. The Elks contributed to the
purchase of a parking lot for the Memorial Hall and since
2001 the Elks Lodge has taken over the operation of the new
Memorial Hall. All meetings and functions of the Elks and
Congratulations Elks of Canada on your 100th Anniversary!
Your commitment to community and to children
with speech, language and hearing disorders is
unparalleled. This year we are also celebrating the
25th anniversary of ISTAR and our extraordinary
partnership with the Elks and Royal Purple of Canada
and Alberta. For a quarter of a century together we
have transformed countless lives. On behalf of our
staff at ISTAR, Happy 100th – may you revel all year
in knowing with certainty that your work and your support has helped so many individuals
find their voices and achieve their potential.
Congratulations!!
Marilyn Langevin
Acting Executive Director 30 1987-2012 History
www.istar.ualberta.ca
SASKATCHEWAN
Brother Ron Potter
Greetings Brothers and Sisters:
As my year as President is winding down I want to thank all
members who I met and talked to this past year and were so
gracious to me. I enjoyed every minute of the times spent at
meetings and events. I now have a whole new list of friends
that I will cherish. I spent the year talking to anyone who
would listen about Elkdom and the joys of being part of an
organization that cares about the quality of life for children
less fortunate. I stressed the importance of the Fund for
Children being our first priority for our charitable dollars from
our Lodges as I discovered it was just a reminder that they
needed. Most Lodges made a motion to make a donation to
the Fund that same evening and presented it to me right on
the spot. To those Lodges I say Thank You.
a family that has received our assistance in any way. It makes
you feel so good about what we do.
I really enjoy seeing the real life effects of the children we
help at our Walkathon in the fall. The testimonial families are
overcome with joy that we were there to help their child be
able to live a normal life like their friends and siblings. I would
encourage all members to check out the stories or meet with
Fraternally submitted,
In Saskatchewan our Senior Homes residents are the same
way. If they know you are a member of the Elks they stop to
say thank you or even give you a hug for providing low cost
housing for them in our province. Makes you feel so good.
In closing I want to again thank all who stopped to talk to
me or came to listen to me when I visited their communities.
Keep up the good work.
Remember be proud of who you are and what you do!
Ron Potter, President
Saskatchewan Elks Association
ALLAN ELKS LODGE NO. 546
hrough the efforts of bingos and other fundraising it was
decided in the mid – to late 80’s to put money aside to
build a new hall. In 1994 the Allan Elks had enough money
for half the cost of the hall as well the loan that was required
from the local bank for the remaining money with the backing of members of the Allan Lodge. Demolition of the old hall
took place on May 10, 1994, and the new hall was constructed and opened in 1994. The hall has an upper and lower
level and was built to be wheelchair accessible.
T
The Allan Elks made the final payment of their mortgage for
the hall on April 10, 2003 with the mortgage burning ceremony taking place on Oct. 11, 2003.
The Allan Elks have hosted four Provincial events - the Walka-Thon, Seniors Curling, Men’s and Master’s Curling, bowling and are now preparing to host their 5th event to have the
Men’s, Seniors & Masters Curling in 2012. In the past few
years Allan Elks did quite well in the Provincial Curling events
and some of the winning teams went on to participate at the
National level.
Allan Elks also participated in the Provincial Bowling over the
years to being the Champs in 1990 and 1997. They still host
their annual District Bowling every year, an event that has
been going on for a number of years.
The main fundraiser for the Allan Elks is their bingos which
they’ve held every Friday night for the past 37 years. The
Lodge has an appreciation bingo the 3rd Friday of September as well as ham & turkey bingos for the holidays.
Continued on page 34 ...
1987-2012 History
31
CONVENTION 2012
25th Convention - Flin Flon, Manitoba
50th Convention - Calgary, Alberta
75th Convention - Winnipeg, Manitoba
32 1987-2012 History
33 1987-2012 History
Allan Elks get the students of surrounding communities to
participate in the poster, literacy, and essay contests. Thy
present proficiency awards to the students at the Allan High
School. This has been going on for a number of years as well.
We also assist with the Terry Fox Run each year.
Allan Elks have hosted a community Christmas Party for the
past few years with a supper & entertainment. In the past
they have held the Allan Jamboree’s in the summer (local entertainment during the day and a family dance at night). The
Lodge still presently has steak suppers and a family dance
when the community has their annual Fun Day in the Park.
Over the years they have held many kinds of tournaments,
such as golf, horseshoe, and card games, etc. The Elks along
with the Royal Purple participate in various parades. The
PCS (potash mine) gets the Lodge to put on 2 steak suppers
each year where they cook 120 + steaks and all the fixings.
The Allan Elks has been quite active within their community
and surrounding communities as well. Some of the Elks contributions are: Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children, Elks
Provincial Seniors Housing, S.P.A.R.C., Elks & Royal Purple
Addictions Awareness, Allan Centennial Housing, Allan 1st
Responders, Allan Communiplex, Allan Curling Rink, Allan
Swimming Pool, Allan School, Teen Challenge and other various charities. With the population we have in the Town of Allan, we are pleased to see that our Lodge is as strong as it is,
and grateful for all the volunteers we get from the community.
BENGOUGH ELKS LODGE NO. 517
ince their institution the Bengough Elks have been very
active in all their member communities. Starting with the
leadership shown by their first Exalted Ruler, the Bengough
Elk members have continued to provide Charity, Leadership,
and Benevolence to those in need. They also continue to be
active in their social functions with their many annual events.
S
However, their greatest claim to fame must be their Patrol
Team. In the 1970s an experienced Patrol Team member from
Weyburn joined the Lodge. Brother Cec Chambers provided
the leadership and the knowledge to begin marching. With
the musical abilities of Judy Koszman, our Patrol Team has
marched Grand Exalted Rulers, Provincial Presidents, and
many, many Lodge Officers, leading them to their respective
seats in Elkdom. Brother Chambers has been our Sergeant
at Arms ever since the beginning, and but for a few missed
dates Judy has been our organist, even creating the Bengough Patrol Team March for our concluding march at each
ceremony. The team members and indeed the Lodge members owe both of them a great deal of thanks and gratitude.
BLADWORTH ELKS LODGE NO. 575
he club has been involved in local events such as holding
a fall program of local talent in which many of the Brother
Elks took part. The community ladies were most important in
T
34 1987-2012 History
the production, costumes and finding people to take part. At
least three productions were made and they were so good
that the hall was full and part of the money raised was used to
put a steel roof on the hall and support its operation.
The Lodge has duck races that are held at our annual parade and sports day. They have proven to be so popular they
bring many people out to our day as well as being a good
fundraiser.
The Elks have a Steak Night in early spring and late fall,
which seem to be quite popular. At the last one they sold over
200 steaks. An added feature this fall was a Target Shoot with
pellet guns.
We are sure that Elkdom has been important to the town and
district for its financial support of so many things not to mention the help they have obtained from the Fund for Children.
In 1988, Bladworth Elks hosted the Provincial mixed curling
in Davidson with 30 rinks taking part in the event. The Tomorrow Run 91 was organized as a Fund Raiser for the Elks
Purple Cross Fund (now the Elks & Royal Purple Fund for
Children). It was a cross Canada run by a long distance runner, Al Howie and Elks Lodges all across the country took
part in this worthwhile cause. In 2000, they hosted the Elks
Provincial Corby Cup in Davidson. It was a huge success
with 32 rinks taking part.
On June 23rd, 2011, the Bladworth Elks hosted a ceremony
at which time the Saskatchewan Elks Senior Housing Committee took over the Senior Housing units at the Davidson
Health Center. These units are in need of some repair but are
all rented at the present time.
CANWOOD ELKS LODGE NO. 183
he Canwood Lodge consists of 32 members. To raise
money over the years they have twice monthly bingos,
community calendar, snowmobile rallies, elimination raffles,
New Year’s Eve and Halloween dances, worked bingos in
Prince Albert, and held Turkey Shoots. Up until 2006 they
sponsored a 2 day Ball Tournament.
T
As the only service club in the community they have donated money to the Curling and Skating Rinks, constructed a
third diamond at the Regional Park, put chain link fence and
shaled all 3 diamonds at the park, built a Beer Garden and
donated money for water fairways at the golf course, donated
to the high school and minor sports. They run and maintain
the hall and bowling alley and hold a Santa Claus day for the
children.
The Lodge celebrated its 75th Anniversary on February 1,
2003 with a free supper for the Elks in District No. 2 followed
by a free dance for the community.
In 1992 they put a 4 lane bowling alley and recreational room
in the basement of the hall. It has become a very important
money maker and gathering center for the community.
Within the Lodge they hold a pin night followed by a steak
supper in June. The Elks and Royal Purple hold a Flag Day in
May and in the District they enjoy inter-Lodge visits with the
Travelling Elk and district Fun Day in January.
Our Lodge supports all of the Elks ticket sales as well as
those sold by other community organizations. The Lodge has
15 members with six of those being charter members.
Over the years they have donated regularly to the Elks and
Royal Purple Fund for Children. They have drawn from the
Fund whenever the need arose in the community and District.
2011 finds the Canwood Lodge in good financial shape with
a good mix of young and older members. Elkdom is alive and
well in Canwood.
CRAVEN ELKS LODGE NO. 581
CONQUEST ELKS LODGE NO. 294
I
n the last 25 years from 1986 to 2011 the Conquest Elks
have maintained a presence in Conquest and area. They
have hosted July 1st sports days up to 2009 but since then
this has been handled by Minor Sports. They ran bars for
weddings until the numbers dictated the service be dropped.
They hold their Fall Suppers and most years are well attended. The original Elks Hall was demolished in 2011 for
safety reasons. Over the last 25 years they have supported
educational endeavours of local students by having bursaries
for those wishing to go on. They try to make yearly donations to the Fund for Children. They helped financially to build
a gazebo for the senior citizens at Outlook. The Lodge and
the Conquest hockey team hosted a Ladies’ Night that was
enjoyed by those in attendance. They hope to continue as a
Lodge as long as possible.
CORONACH ELKS LODGE NO. 562
I
n the last 25 years they have purchased the Coronach Community Hall from the Town of Coronach and renamed it the
Coronach Elks Community Hall. They put on metal siding and
roofing, and upgraded the interior by adding a unisex handicap bathroom with plenty of room for those in wheelchairs.
he Craven & District Elks was instituted in April of 1986
and in 2011 celebrated their 25th anniversary. Over the
years the Lodge has won many awards for their ritual work
as well as wearing of the regalia. Some of these awards have
been on the national level.
T
Since 1986 the members have worked very hard on various projects for the betterment of their community. Perhaps
their biggest project would be the building of a new town hall,
which was turned over to the village in 1993.
Money for this project was raised from working bingos plus
our annual BBQ. The Elks also equipped the hall with new
tables and chairs, plus fully equipped the kitchen with stoves,
fridges and a dishwasher.
Other noteworthy projects they have taken on were a total
clean up of the village cemetery and build a new fence and
gate. They purchased land next to the hall for a playground
for the kids. The property was fenced and fully equipped with
playground supplies.
The Lodge has been very generous with funding for any type
of emergency that may arise being sickness or fire disaster.
They fund a yearly scholarship at the local high school, support the school band association and help to fund sending
young adults to camp or conferences. It appears when there
is a need or request for help, Craven Elks rise to the challenge. Running bars, cooking grad breakfasts, catering to
weddings, putting on BBQs, all seems to be normal for them.
One of their most notable feats would have to be their November 11th Remembrance Day service. It started in 1986
and no matter what the weather, it has carried on continuously. They parade down to the cenotaph from the village and the
amount of involvement is fantastic, especially the young kids.
The current membership is 47 and their numbers go up and
down depending on members’ commitments to family and/or
work etc. They still have thirteen charter members active in
the Lodge and the ones who are active do take their commitment to Elkdom very seriously and are ready to lend a helping
hand whenever needed.
The hall has a bowling alley and games room in the basement. Upstairs is used for various functions such as meetings, funerals and lunches, youth dancing 3 days a week,
dinner theatres, fiddlers’ jams, craft shows, cabarets, grad
and birthday parties, and many other community functions.
The dinner theatre was a real huge success in the years that
it operated, and it was during those years that the Elks saw fit
to equip the hall with proper lighting and a portable stage. The
Lodge seems to be doing alright and look forward to many
more anniversaries.
1987-2012 History
35
CUT KNIFE ELKS LODGE NO. 380
he Lodge first started with a membership of 76 and now
stands at 52. In the past, they engaged in many community affairs such as sponsoring student Queens, Sport Days
and activities at Atton’s Lake. The first major undertaking was
the operation at Atton’s Lake, with first a regatta and fastball
tournament.
T
They subleased 20 acres from the R.M of Cut Knife at Atton’s
Lake to increase the size of the park. They have a children’s
day with free treats for all children twelve and under, public
school ball and children’s races.
Over the years, Cut Knife Elks have sponsored pee-wee
hockey, set up a scholarship for a grade 12 student having
the highest academic standing, have sponsored the Red
Cross swimming instructions at Atton’s Lake and they took
over the operation of the local theatre that is still in operation
today.
The Atton’s Lake Regional Park Authority Board was organized by the Elks. Work was done on the Atton’s Lake golf
course and they built a new Elks recreational hall at the golf
course.
When their July Fastball Tournament grew to sixteen teams,
drawing class A ball teams from all across Saskatchewan and
Alberta, the Lodge built two new ball diamonds with shale
infields, then built a dance shelter and Beer Gardens.
In 2002, due to the lack of fastball teams the mid July tournament was dropped from their busy summer schedule. The
Lodge starts the year out with Children’s Day the first Sunday
in June, followed by a two day Co-ed Slow Pitch Tournament
on the closest weekend to July first. The Elks operate a lunch
booth, beer gardens and a dance. On the August long weekend they run another 2 day tournament. On the second Saturday in December they sponsor Santa Claus Day, donating
a free show with Santa delivering candy bags for the children.
FOAM LAKE ELKS LODGE NO. 174
he sign reads “Best Place in the World to Live”. The town
was awarded this official name through a competition on
quality of life throughout the world.
T
Foam Lake Elks continue to operate a vibrant Lodge assisting the community as the primary charitable service organization. Foam Lake Elks celebrated its 80th anniversary in the
fall of 2007. Much of what they do is in support of Foam Lake
and surrounding area. Recipients of their pledge to the community are: Foam Lake Minor Hockey, Foam Lake Handi Van
Committee, Foam Lake Recreation Centre, Parkland Region
Science Fair, Foam Lake Yearbook, Centennial Park Swimming Pool and Quill Plains Music Festival. These along with
individual cases are a fact of life. Of course the Elks National and Provincial Charities continue to be the focus of the
fundraising efforts. There is also Children’s Hospital Lottery,
P.E.A.C.E 100 and the Provincial Walk-a-Thon.
In the community the Lodge attempts to be visible by volunteering at a variety of events. They have bartended and
provided limousine service at weddings, put floats in the summer and winter celebrations, volunteered a week in the local canteen at the rink, Santa Claus Day supplying oranges
to the shut-ins and seniors, purchased and laid a wreath at
the Remembrance Day service and contributed to the color
guard parade and attended our annual church service.
Recently, Foam Lake Elks began a Vintage Snowmobile Derby which has the potential to grow exponentially. They are
hoping to write a short biography of their Lodge when it is
their 100th anniversary. They continue to seek to make life
sweeter, people better and the world a happier place by assisting where there is a need.
HANLEY ELKS LODGE NO. 153
he eighties was a time of diminishing membership for the
Hanley Elks. The decade began with 110 members. By
the end we had dropped to 48 and continued into the nineties
down to 28 members. This decline created a financial burden
for the Lodge so they began looking for ways to generate
monies for their projects and the Lodge. Bingos seemed the
way to go.
T
The Lodge always has projects that they work for. They ran a
paddling pool with the help of the Royal Purple until the pool
closed in 1999. Since then they have partnered with Parks
and Rec to build a new water park complete with washrooms
and showers. They also teamed up with a parental group to
build a new playground for the children at the school grounds.
By early 2000 their membership grew to 42 members. They
continued to raise money for children’s programs and minor
sports. They support the Hanley Little Theatre group and the
Community Center. They look forward to their annual turkey
shoot every fall as they watch the local marksmen ply for the
historic prize turkey.
In 2006 the Lodge hosted the Provincial men’s curling play
downs, an event that was well received and profitable for the
36 1987-2012 History
1987-2012 History
36
Lodge. The event was so successful that they again hosted
the mens, masters and seniors in 2010 which was also successful.
As they enter 2011 the Lodge boasts a healthy membership
of 54 and look forward to making the organization and community part of the future.
HUDSON BAY ELKS LODGE NO. 456
I
n 1999 the Lodge acquired the Pioneer Lodge Complex.
This consisted of the main building and ten rental suites for
seniors. A lot of repairs and renovations were needed in order
for the units to be rented. It has indeed been a joint effort between the Elks and Royal Purple Lodges to sustain the Lodge
complex and continue to donate to their national, provincial
and local charities.
The Elks support and raise funds for many local projects:
schools, minor sports, needy individuals, fire victims, senior citizens and just about anywhere help is needed. They
also support most provincial and national charities and send
children to summer camps. The Elks donated $20,000.00 to
the Tisdale Dialysis Unit and $20,000.00 to the Hudson Bay
Health Care Facility. The Elks and Royal Purple jointly gave
$5,000.00 towards the M.R.I. at the Royal University Hospital.
In 1991 the Hudson Bay Lodge was the largest per capita
contributor to the Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children.
For the year 2010-2011 they received a thank you certificate
from the Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children for donating
$142.17 per member. Most of their funds are raised by their
monthly bingo which would not be possible without the help
of the Ladies of the Royal Purple. Along with the Royal Purple
they sold calendars with daily draws. For two years this has
worked very well.
They enjoy participating in joint activities with the Royal
Purple – church parade, barbecue in June, Elks and Royal
Purple float in the Heritage Day Parade, Remembrance Day
Service on November 11th, Elks and Royal Purple Memorial
Service, a Christmas party and some fundraising activities.
They have had 50 years as a successful Lodge.
KINDERSLEY ELKS NO. 492
fter hosting a successful provincial conference in 1985,
the Kindersley Lodge proved that it was capable of handling anything. The conference had been a complete success, with participation from many Lodges in Saskatchewan,
and hard work by the committee.
A
Over the next few years they concentrated on paying off their
mortgage by holding socials, doing catering, and anything
they could do to make money. At the same time many of their
members were involved in provincial activities such as curling, bowling, and golf. They also had one member on the
Provincial Executive. In 1991 they had their mortgage and all
debentures paid off, and on March 21, 1991 had a mortgage
burning ceremony. Two hundred people attended the function, and the Lodge could finally say “IT’S OURS”.
They continued their catering activities over the next ten
years, and donated their earnings to the Elks and Royal
Purple Fund for Children, their local Handi Bus, Camp Tamarac, Kindersley Hospital, Muscular Dystrophy, Camp Easter
Seal, C.N.I.B, High School Scholarship, KCS yearbook, KCS
S.A.D.D. group, and the West Central Events
Centre Committee for the new rink. Their fundraising projects were: bartending, catering, selling charity appeal tickets, win the world lottery, P.E.A.C.E 100 tickets, and anything
they found that would raise money.
At present their membership is 13 members but all members
are active in the Lodge and help out where and when they
can. The Elks and Royal Purple held a membership drive
which helped a bit. They did gain some much needed publicity. In October 2010 along with the Royal Purple they hosted
the Elks Provincial Walk-A-Thon. This was a great success
and a lot of fun.
Community events they supported were: Meals on Wheels,
United Church Conference, Minor Sports, Canada Day
Celebrations, Remembrance Day where they laid a wreath
and the KCS School band project. They were instrumental
in starting the School Patrol program in Kindersley and also
sponsored the D.A.R.E program.
1987-2012 History
37
One of their pet projects was their Midget Hockey Club. The
Lodge sponsored the club, supplied the coaches, drove the
players to games, and at the end of each year, put on a banquet for players, and their parents. At this time they presented
awards to the best players. Interesting to note that they had
three father and son combinations in their pictures, and the
Lodge gained several members through this project. In 2001
they started sponsorship of the female Midget Hockey Club a project that continued for about six years.
In October 1999, Kindersley Elks took over the Bingo from
the Kindersley Klippers Hockey Club. This Bingo has become
the main fundraiser of the Lodge, and has continued right up
to the present day. The Kindersley Elks have always been
active provincially, and in 2001 hosted the Provincial Darts
and the Provincial Conference in June. In March, 2002 they
hosted the national Elks and Royal Purple Curling.
In 2009, after much discussion, the Lodge decided rather
than pay school taxes, they would turn their hall over to the
Town of Kindersley. They in turn have given us a place to
meet. The Elks manage the bar, and any rent from the small
hall is theirs. This has worked out well for all concerned and
if for any reason the town sells the hall in the next 15 years,
the proceeds after expenses will revert to the Elks as long as
there is a chartered Lodge in Kindersley.
Over the years they have enjoyed success and have made a
measurable difference in our community. As with all organizations their membership is growing old, and their members are
not able to do what they once could. They plan in the near future to host an information night to try to get some new members, and keep this Lodge a viable part of this community
KYLE ELKS LODGE NO. 169
K
yle Elks Lodge No. 169 for the past twenty-five years has
been busy supporting community events. Going back to
1977, the $1,000.00 draw per month with tickets at $100.00
each was started. Money went towards the new hall. The
$1,000.00 draw evolved and became a one night event with 5
- $1,000.00 and 10 - $500.00 draws. The $100.00 draw ticket,
of which the buyer received a $100.00 tax receipt, and a $1.00
price of a ticket provided their chance to win and included a
fine supper supplied by Elks and Royal Purple members. For
an extra charge you could bring an escort for the supper and
dance. The format changed as other local groups helped and
a committee was organized to allocate donations. The Recreation Board, Rink Board, Royal Canadian Legion, Elks and
Royal Purple and Walleye were prize donators. Many worthy
groups received support – hospital, hall, rink, rodeo grounds,
ball diamonds, and library. Over the last 34 years there has
been over a million dollars raised.
Kyle hosted the first Provincial Mixed Curling in their new rink,
with 24 rinks entered. They were very proud of their membership and volunteers who supported this event. The Provincial
Elks Association has also been supported each year by local
38 1987-2012 History
membership attending the Provincial Mixed Curling Bonspiels
in various locations. Kyle Elks also hosted the Provincial Senior Curling as well as Provincial Golf.
The Kyle Elks Lodge No. 169 has a total of 73 members
with a good mix of young and old. It is an ongoing struggle
to maintain the organization and to promote it. Membership
nights are held periodically where a member is encouraged to
bring a potential person for supper and to attend the meeting.
Meetings are well attended with about 6 to 7 supper meetings
per year.
MAPLE CREEK ELKS LODGE NO. 490
T
he most important thing that Maple Creek Elks have done
was to develop their Lodge room that was just a basement hole. They share this with the Masonic Lodge and all the
furniture belongs to them. The furniture is over 100 years old.
They’ve installed a new
sound system for upstairs
and also one in the Lodge
room. Their revenues come
from rentals, two annual
fish fries and tending bar
for rodeos, weddings, etc. They
had a trailer made
to accommodate
running the bar
and they rent this
unit out for other
occasions.
The Lodge has a good group of members and they participate
in many community events. They are proud of their Lodge
room but ritual is stepping away.
MEADOW LAKE ELKS LODGE NO. 281
lthough the Lodge, like many others, have difficulty recruiting younger members and many of the older members have passed away, the Meadow Lake Lodge is still busily engaged raising funds and supporting community needs
through volunteer efforts.
A
In addition to putting on an annual two day family fishing derby for the public, the Lodge continues to support the Elks and
Royal Purple Fund for Children, the District Music Festival, a
High School Scholarship, the Salvation Army Stocking Fund,
the NW Health Facility, the Meadow Lake July 1st celebrations plus others. The Elks Park continues to be enjoyed by
the citizens of the City.
The Meadow Lake Lodge initiated a “Travelling Clock” to promote inter-lodge visits in the District. The Lodge is the keep-
er of the “Clock” and each fall delivers it to a Lodge who in
turns takes it to another Lodge. At the District Meeting in the
spring, the “Clock” is returned to the Meadow Lake Lodge.
Each Lodge who receives the “Clock” writes in a log book
which goes with the “Clock”. A Lodge who keeps the “Clock”
more than 45 days is fined 2 cents per member per day. The
“Clock” should also have a minimum of 4 members accompany it and a fine of $5.00 per member under 4 is also charged.
All monies collected goes to the Saskatchewan Elks Foundation. In 2012 the “Clock” will begin its 50th year of visiting the
Lodges.
The Meadow Lake Lodge No. 281 is proud to be around to
celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Elks of Canada.
MOOSE JAW ELKS LODGE NO. 7
oose Jaw Elks Lodge No. 7 has changed quite a bit in the
last 25 years. The membership is down, like everyone
else, however they are still fairly active in their community.
M
The Lodge established the Moose Jaw Elks Athletic Field
(football/soccer field) complete with lights, a scoreboard and
clock mainly for minor football. The Lodge also ended their
sponsorship and operation of minor football in Moose Jaw.
Some of the events that have taken place in the past 25 years
are: Provincial Walkathon, Provincial Mixed and Men’s curling, Provincial golf, Provincial and National Darts, Provincial
Conferences and honoured their Past Exalted Rulers. They
also hosted the Newfoundland team in the Canadian Senior
Men’s Curling. They have established four high school scholarships that are in addition to the Moose Jaw Elks Trudie
Temple Music Scholarship.
Presently, they run a concession every year in Crescent Park
on July 1st when the city celebrates Canada Day and hosts
Park Art. They also have other fundraisers during the year.
During Fair week they enter the parade down Main Street
and present a trophy to the Grand Champion steer in the 4H
beef competition.
They support the national charity and donate to various local
causes. They are also proud to be one of the locations for the
Provincial Elks Association Senior Homes and take pride in
the 20 units that are here and donate when possible.
They sold their hall and lounge in 2008 and disposed of everything by auction in January, 2009. They are now renting
office space at the Legion Hall in Moose Jaw.
MOOSE MOUNTAIN ELKS LODGE NO. 483
oose Mountain Elks remain active in the community.
With the decline of population in rural Saskatchewan in
the past years, the membership is down to 24 members. With
the increase in oil activity the future should have a positive
increase in membership.
M
The Lodge supports numerous local charities and projects in
the area such as local nursing homes, local hospitals, local
rinks and other community facilities as well as minor sports,
youth organizations, Saskatchewan Elks Foundation, Senior Homes, and Charity Appeal. They have participated in
all thirty six walk-a-thons for SPARC, and the P.E.A.C.E 100
snowmobile rally for drug awareness. Some years, some of
the members have ridden to Nipawin from Kisbey – a distance of about 400 kilometers. They have supported the Elks
and Royal Purple Fund for Children and have assisted children in the area. They have provided funding for an individual
through the Saskatchewan Elks Foundation.
For a number of years their fundraising projects were to run a
very successful sports day, a community bingo until changes
in gaming rules made it not a viable option, served meals for
the Royal Purple Ladies night out, New Years Eve dance that
is now a very successful smorg, and a very well attended
Mother’s Day brunch. The Lodge has assisted other organizations in the area. They helped with homecoming celebrations for the 100 years of the village running a refreshment
gardens and other events. Members are involved in the community. Some of their members have served as mayor and
on council.
In 1992 the Lodge undertook a salvage project for Sask Power of some 30 miles of power line, with the assistance of the
community and members. A profit of $15,000.00 was donated
to different projects in the area.
A number of our members have served on various committees at the local, provincial and national level. The Lodge still
remains serving the area and hopes to continue in the future.
MUENSTER ELKS LODGE NO. 550
he Lodge has been going strong and with the recent initiation of four new members, brings their total to an amazing
72 members, not bad for a population of 448. They are very
proud of their numbers which have steadily increased every
year. They think their popularity stems from the fact that only
a few of their members wear the “purple regalia”.
T
Fundraising is a key component of the Muenster Elks with
the two main being, the annual “Steak Supper” and the “Club
200” cash raffle. In recent years they have also started an annual “NHL Hockey Draft”. Their small town boasts great hockey and baseball programs. Their annual Minor Hockey Day
is held annually in January with a Muenster team in every
category, from initiation to Midget. The Elks work the concession, timer bench and gate admittance throughout the day. In
late May they host the Muenster Elks Minor Ball day with girls’
and boys’ teams in all age groups. For a small town they have
an excellent baseball program and it shows with the many
provincial banners that hang proudly in their new facility.
1987-2012 History
39
Over the years they have helped many individuals and
families who have come to them for help in a tough time,
whether it is a disaster, illness or loss of employment. We
wish to thank Grand Lodge for all the help in these cases.
The Muenster Elks keep all the members informed of their
meetings and other happenings in their local community
with their newsletter that is sent to every member monthly,
October thru to April.
The Muenster Elks hold their monthly meetings every third
Monday (Oct. to Apr.) at the Muenster Curling Club in the
upper floor lounge.
NIPAWIN ELKS LODGE NO. 251
edication of the Nipawin Elks Hall took place in 1987,
and the first bingo was held in the afternoon of June 6,
1988. Finding that bingo was well received with the public,
they continued with afternoon along with evening bingo.
D
Nipawin hosted the 60th Provincial Conference and Golf
Tournament in 1989 and in
1991 Nipawin Lodge held
the first annual P.E.A.C.E
100. Over the years,
the Elks raised close to
$500.00.00 to drug aware-
ness and in 1991
they held a mortgage burning ceremony for their Elks
Lodge.
In 1992, they pledged
and donated close to $50,000.00 to the Nipawin community
and various charities. The unveiling ceremony for funding
and construction of the Elks Guy Jennings Ball Park took
place in June 1993. This project was built over three years
at a cost of $40,000.00. In the same year the Elks pledged
$30,000.00 to the Nipawin golf course, hole No. 18. In 1994
they were able to fund a batting cage for the Elks ball park
and a mechanical lift for Pineview Lodge Nursing Home in
Nipawin.
The Lodge has donated $10,000.00 to the Nipawin winter
games and $20,000.00 to the Tisdale dialysis fund. A rescue
sled was bought for the Nipawin fire department.
Millennium year 2000, the Elks Lodge spent $20,000.00
building the Elks Millennium Park on Coventry St. in Nipawin
along with the Millennium Gazebo that is placed in downtown Nipawin. The Elks Lodge organized the first D.A.R.E.
40 1987-2012 History
Program (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), one of the
most widely used drug education programs in the world. This
is taught in the schools to students over a series of weeks
by the R.C.M.P. The Elks Lodge has given $10,000.00 per
year for this cause which has been ongoing and continues
to this day.
The Lodge gave $7,500.00 to the Nipawin Health Foundation and hosted in celebrating the mortgage burning of
Elks Seniors Homes. A bed was purchased for the Pineview Lodge Nursing Home and the Elks Lodge gave three
scholarships of $700.00 each to select students at L.P. Miller School as well as donating $5,000.00 to the Saskatoon
Children’s Hospital.
2009 was another year of celebration when the Lodge
celebrated its 75th anniversary and in the same year purchased and donated a new lift for Handiworks. In 2010 the
Elks helped with numerous projects in the community. In
October 2011 the Nipawin Elks hosted the Provincial Walka-thon with many members from different districts in attendance and in November 2011 had a weekend of fun hosting
the Provincial Bowling.
NORTH BATTLEFORD ELKS LODGE NO. 369
he Lodge committed $18,000.00 to fund the continuation of the Multipurpose Exercise Trail from Scott Drive
to Douglas Avenue which has signs noting this as the “Elks
Trail”, purchased at a cost of $40,000.00, 4 emergency
room beds and 2 heart monitors for the Battlefords Union
Hospital and the Lodge committed $9,500.00 to furnish 1
Palliative Care Room.
T
Due to the increasing expenses in upkeep and maintenance,
in December 2005 they sold their hall to the Air Cadets with
the agreement that they could hold their meetings when
they required. They are one of the groups that the Lodge
sponsors by donations and they work bingos together. They
both have a very good working relationship and they are
invited to all their activities.
The Lodge donated $4,000.00 towards the purchase of the
Score Clock at the Civic Centre and supplied material and
stools for the Patio Box in the upper level. They joined with
other organizations and service clubs to share funding to
provide free skating for children and adults in the community.
After considerable discussion the City of North Battleford
decided to build a Multiplex Community Centre in 2010. The
Lodge donated $50,000.00 to the multi-purpose facility towards the Aquatic Centre which is used mostly by children.
We will have signage acknowledging our contribution in the
reception area.
1987-2012 History
40
PADDOCKWOOD ELKS LODGE NO. 344
A
lthough the average age of the Lodge members is increasing and the number of members is decreasing, they
nonetheless have accomplished a lot over the last 25 years.
With the exception of the last few years, they have participated in senior curling and continue to host a District 2 golf
tournament each June.
“Rotary Trail” surrounding the city, and a playground and
benches overlooking the Saskatchewan River. The Lodge
has found the ownership of a building assists in obtaining and
maintaining members to continue a vibrant membership.
The Lodge has supported minor sports in the community and
have currently pledged $5,000.00 to the Paddockwood Arena
for the re-shingling of the roof of the building.
One of the biggest projects they have taken on over the last
25 years along with the other Lodges in District 2 is the establishment of a Renal Dialysis Unit at the Victoria Hospital
in Prince Albert. This was the first dialysis unit to be established outside the Saskatoon and Regina hospitals. Over
$500,000.00 has been raised for this ongoing project.
Our members have participated in charity sporting events
such as the Hjertaas Charity Golf Tournament, Big Brothers
and Sisters Charity Golf Tournament, P.E.A.C.E. 100 and others as was possible.
The Lodge home is in the Paddockwood Community Hall and
they have provided the maintenance on it since becoming
a Lodge some 60 years ago. As everyone realizes this cost
has increased dramatically over the years, however, between
their local turkey bingos and bingos in Prince Albert they continue to keep the hall going.
PRINCE ALBERT ELKS LODGE NO. 58
he story of the Prince Albert Elks Lodge No. 58 is long,
the work humble and the history proud. The focus of the
Prince Albert Lodge has continued to be children, seniors and
the community. The Lodge has also focused on maintaining
its membership numbers so that it can continue to support
their aims and objectives as well as having a strong Elk’s
presence in the community.
T
Prince Albert Lodge has been instrumental in bringing many
facilities to the city in recent years all of which have prominent recognition features of the Elks involvement, including
naming rights, signage and plaques. Some of these projects
include Elks Park, the Rawlinson Center of the Arts, the Alfred
Jenkins Field House, the Nordale Community Club and a new
Boy Scout Hall.
In 1993 the Prince Albert Lodge constructed a new lodge
building for Elks and Royal Purple Lodge meetings and a
licensed lounge for the members, located in a park setting
along the North Saskatchewan River. The Elks were able to
obtain the land for the building from the city of Prince Albert
in exchange for developing the land around the building
known as “Elks Place River Park”. The park contains a
paved walking trail, now encompassed in the city wide
In the late 1980’s the Elks and Royal Purple of Prince Albert along with the members of both Elks and Royal Purple
Lodges encompassed by the Elks District No. 2 became involved in the establishment and operation of a Dialysis Unit
at the Victoria Union Hospital. A commitment was made to
fund all capital costs associated with a dialysis unit including
dialysis machines and equipment updates. To date in excess
$500,000.00 has been raised and the unit has undergone two
expansion programs.
The Lodge also supports the national and provincial Elks
charities including the Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children, the Saskatchewan Elks Foundation projects and local
charities such as “Two Miles for Mary” a seniors’ transportation program, the Salvation Army Christmas Cheer Fund, the
Children’s Haven and the Victoria Hospital Foundation. The
Lodge also provides an annual scholarship to each of the six
high schools in the area and a number of other smaller donations.
Prince Albert Elks Lodge has been active in the National Elks
and the Provincial Association with representation on Grand
Lodge Committees, Provincial Executive and a number of
District Deputies. Prince Albert has also hosted a number of
Provincial Conferences and hosted many Grand Exalted Rulers. Prince Albert continues to recruit members and currently
has a strong representation of women in the Lodge.
The Lodge has a long term plan for the maintenance of its
building and a continuing membership drive. Prince Albert
Elks Lodge No. 58 will celebrate its ninetieth year when our
Grand Lodge and our Order celebrates its 100th year and will
be there for many years to come.
1987-2012 History
41
RAYMORE ELKS LODGE NO. 485
RUTHILDA ELKS LODGE NO. 419
n the last twenty five years Raymore Elks Lodge has made
an addition to their hall, put in a new ceiling and new steel
roof. Major fund raisers that were held to raise money for our
community – steak fries in spring and fall, sports days which
included children’s rides, ball, auto drag racing, and pony
chariot racing. The Elks also have a community Christmas
Party dinner and dance.
Some of the
major donations to the
community
have been:
$10,000.00
to the Raymore arena
and
pool,
$10,000.00
to the Raymore Silver
Heights Special Care Home, donated money to Eastview Lodge and
Manor, donated to the Raymore Curling Club as well as a donation to help with the renovations to the curling club, draperies for the stage and sound equipment in the Raymore gym.
T
I
Raymore Elks Lodge assisted many children in the community and outside the area in deaf detection, computers for learning and speech therapy through the Elks and Royal Purple
Fund for Children.
Donations that the Lodge makes each year: minor hockey,
minor ball, dance club, Raymore Senior hockey club, Ronald
McDonald House, donors choice and fund raising for the new
Children’s Hospital to be built in the future.
ROSETOWN ELKS LODGE NO. 123
I
n 1991 the membership decided to expand its present facility by building on a 16 x 76 foot addition. This would provide
a larger kitchen area, wheelchair accessible bathrooms at
ground level, and more seating area for banquets. This has
made for a completely wheelchair accessible facility.
here has always been a sound relationship with the Ruthilda Royal Purple No. 218. However due to circumstances,
attendance was poor for both Lodges. The Elks invited the
Royal Purple to join them and they accepted. The first joint
meeting was held on March 8, 2006. The two Lodges worked
well together. The first Joint District meeting in our District
was held at Ruthilda on April 5, 2009. Due to several Ladies
being unable to participate for various reasons, attendance
was poor. This relationship was dissolved in 2010 when the
Royal Purple set the wheels in motion to surrender their charter. To date 5 Ladies have joined the Elks.
The Ruthilda Elks initiated the building of a new community
hall and maintain the building. Recently a sound system and
new furnace has been installed. They participate in various
community events, which benefits everyone in the area, and
are always ready to lend a helping hand when needed.
SASKATOON ELKS LODGE NO. 12
ince the last history was compiled in 1987, Saskatoon
Elks Lodge is proud to have on their rolls, Brother Dick
Hollier who served as Grand Exalted Ruler in 1989-1990.
S
Saskatoon Elks Lodge hosted the first two Provincial Walk-AThons and an additional one in 2002, Provincial Dart Tournament, Provincial Curling Bonspiel and two National Curling
Bonspiels, done ticket sales in malls every year for the Provincial Charity Appeal and the Provincial P.E.A.C.E. 100, held
membership drives, put on garage sales, held Annual Fowl
Suppers, monthly Kaiser tournaments and breakfasts, and
the members and the Patrol Team have travelled to many
Lodges across the province to visit and assist them with installations of their Officers, etc. The Lodge has also hosted
National Conventions.
Several members deliver Meals on Wheels the first week of
each month plus frozen meals every Thursday morning. They
work bingos once a month which brings in some much needed funds to support various charities and repairs to the Lodge
building. They made a donation to the S.P.A.R.C. program
to purchase new office equipment in February 2008. When
the Delisle Elks Lodge No. 564 folded, six of their members
transferred into Saskatoon Elks Lodge No. 12. Saskatoon
Lodge has held a breakfast and flag raising ceremony the
first Saturday in May for many years and the City of Saskatoon has allowed us to fly our flag at City Hall.
The Lodge sold their building at Herman Avenue on the river
bank in 1995 and moved into a rented facility for seven years.
They purchased their present facility at 508-12th Street E.
They were able to pay off the mortgage and have a mortgage
burning ceremony in 2008. There have been several changes
made over the past ten years, such as removing trees, painting the exterior, new carpet in the games room, replacing ceiling tiles and light fixtures, refinishing the floors in the main
42 1987-2012 History
hall due to a leaking roof, painting and making the games
room into a Rough Rider Sports Bar, adding two TV’s with
surround sound speakers, and new light fixtures.
ished a ball diamond with crushed shale and new seeded
grass along with a new dugout.
The Lodge has assisted many local charities in the past several years as well as the Provincial Foundation, the Elks &
Royal Purple Fund for Children, the BMX Bikes Group Foundation with financial assistance to build a small building and
the race track, working with the Provincial Royal Purple Ladies, and have distributed over two hundred of the TAB Teasing and Bullying Program Kits containing a lesson plan and a
video to all public schools in Saskatoon and in communities
across Saskatchewan.
Saskatoon Elks Lodge No. 12 Past Exalted Rulers formed
an Association that hold a supper meeting quarterly. They
started a “Club 52 Draw” that has brought in enough funds to
supply Christmas hampers to three families each year, and
also assisted the Lodge with an additional $500.00 to host a
Christmas Turkey Supper for the Friendship Inn in 2011. They
have provided funds to purchase a TV for the games room
and a fridge for the kitchen.
The Elks and the Royal Purple members of our two Lodges
in Saskatoon have assisted the Provincial Elks Association
with their Drug Awareness program; have been involved with
supplying schools with the Literary, Poster, and Video Contest materials and judging. Saskatoon Elks Lodge No. 12 has
purchased an A.E.D. (Automatic External Defibrillator), and
several members have taken the training on CPR, choking
adult, and the use of the A.E.D.
The Lodge has decreased from twelve hundred members
in the early seventies to approximately seventy-two in 2012.
This is due to members not wishing to belong any longer,
transfers, deaths, and an aging membership. We are very
concerned about what the future holds for Saskatoon Elks
Lodge No. 12.
ST. WALBURG ELKS LODGE NO. 389
S
t. Walburg Elks Lodge No. 389 has had a very busy 25
years. In 1993 we decided that the community needed a
hall. Construction was started after a lot of studying and comparing other halls we had visited. The building has a seating
capacity of 420 with a 40’ x 60’ hardwood dance floor. The
building is fully air conditioned and has a commercial style
kitchen.
In 1999 they purchased a quarter section of land on the south
edge of town and constructed a 9 hole grass green, irrigated
golf course. They operated it successfully for 8 years, and
as they found this venture too difficult to run with volunteers,
they sold.
In 2009 they looked at their outdated playground equipment
in the park, and decided new equipment was required. The
children are making very good use of it, and the mothers have
enjoyed the small shelter for birthday parties. In 2011 we fin-
We are not sure what our next project will be but new ideas
always come along to challenge us.
SWIFT CURRENT ELKS LODGE NO. 8
ince inception disaster has struck this Lodge not just once
but twice when the building was destroyed by fire. Both
times rebuilding took place in the same location. When it was
time for renovations in the lounge, the Lodge had to get a
second mortgage. With financial difficulties looming they had
to lease their auditorium in order to save their building. They
managed to burn their latest mortgage in 1988. By 1994 the
doors of the Elks lounge were closed for the final time as
they could not make ends meet. At present what was once
the lounge is leased out as a restaurant and the auditorium is
leased out as a fitness centre. They still have the basement
which is fully finished and serves as a Lodge and games
room.
S
Too numerous to mention some of their members have held
positions at national, provincial and local levels, from Grand
Exalted Ruler to Provincial Presidents to District Deputies
and Exalted Rulers.
The Swift Current Elks Lodge has assisted many families in
the Swift Current area through the National Charity, (Elks and
Royal Purple Fund for Children), the Provincial Charity (Saskatchewan Elks Foundation). Back in the early years Swift
Current Elks Lodge No. 8 sponsored an Elks Band and many
clubs such as ball teams, swim and hockey teams. The Elks
purchased and strung Christmas lights in the trees at Memorial Park which is approximately 7 miles of lights at a cost of
about $25,000.00. In 2006 the City built a new hospital and
the Lodge furnished a room for a cost of $25,000.00.
The Lodge presently assists the following organizations: S.W.
Abilities Center, Swift Current Oratory Choir, Salvation Army
1987-2012 History
43
Christmas Food Drive, Prairie Pioneer Lodge Auxiliary, the
City Summer Playground (6 yrs and under), Elks and Royal
Purple Fund for Children, the Saskatchewan Elks Foundation
and for the last 18 years the Lodge has sponsored free swimming and skating for children 11 and under through the city
at a cost of $50,000.00, and answer to many other requests.
The Lodge fundraisers that support these charities come
from rentals from the building, annual fowl suppers for the
community, Valentine Roast Beef Supper, Easter Ham and
Scalloped Potato Supper and many raffles.
YORKTON ELKS LODGE NO. 392
he Yorkton Elks Lodge was situated approximately 2½
miles west of the city on Highway #52, twenty five years
ago. Meetings were held twice a month in full regalia. Members worked hard on committees to raise funds to support
Elk projects, local charities and maintain the Lodge building.
As the building was in need of major repairs a decision was
made to look for another place. A building came on the mar-
T
ket at 70 Palliser Way which with renovations they felt would
meet their needs. In 1988 the new Lodge was purchased and
a number of renovations were under way. The old property
west of Yorkton was sold and the acreage became a family
home. With many hours of work by members selling tickets,
managing hall rentals and other fund raisers, they paid for
their Lodge in 1993.
In 2003 after much debate, the decision was made to again
sell the property. This was due to declining membership and
the workload to maintain the Lodge. They now had to find
a new home to accommodate their needs. This became the
lower hall of the Masonic Temple situated at 111 Haultain Avenue. The Lodge continues in 2011 to hold monthly meetings
and social gatherings in this facility. They believe this move
has benefited both organizations.
They have hosted Provincial Conferences, walkathons, bowling, darts, and curling. Members have also attended many
of these functions hosted by other Lodges. Donations are
still made to local charities, Elk functions, and projects. They
hope to continue Elkdom in the future.
The Saskatchewan Pediatric Auditory Rehabilitation Center would like
to wish the Elks of Canada the best on their 100th anniversary.
Thank you for your financial support over the last 35 years.
It is a privilege to be associated with such a caring, benevolent
organization. The families we have seen over the years
have greatly appreciated your involvement.
Lynne C. Brewster, Ph.D.
Program Head, SPARC
www.usask.ca/healthsci/sparc
Don’t forget the deadline for the next
CANADIAN ELK
will be August 20, 2012
44 1987-2012 History
MANITOBA
Brother Chuck Dalgliesh
Brother and Sister Elks:
Well here we are, 100 years of Elkdom. Can you imagine the
Best Fraternal Organization in Canada has made it through
100 years? Yes, that’s right 100 years!
It would seem that we, the fraternal service sector, are still
needed as much as we ever were. Our communities need us
just as much now as we were ever needed in the past 100
years. With the powers that be tightening the purse strings
and failing to cover some of the luxuries that we have come
to think of as necessities, we will need to be more vigilant and
help out our friends and neighbours. The non-profit sector
and service clubs will be more needed in the future than ever.
Here in Manitoba, our Association is celebrating our Centennial by offering a free experience for those members attending the conference in May. That’s right! There will be no
charge for those members attending the conference in Portage La Prairie. Come and help us celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Elks of Canada and the 85th Conference of
the Manitoba Elks Association.
If you can not attend the conference, at least plan to attend
the 100th Anniversary on the evening of Friday, May 4 at the
Canad Inn. We have planned a special program to celebrate
Elkdom. Come on out to this event for sure.
Both the Association and the Foundation will need new members to be elected to the Executive and Board of Directors.
We need several members to step up and help out by serving
as an Executive member. Please take this opportunity to help
us serve the Order. We also have an opportunity for several
members to take part in a leadership seminar which will help
you not only in Elkdom but also in your professional life. If you
are interested in this chance of a lifetime or would like more
info please let the Grand Lodge office know that you would
be interested. All of the expenses and registration costs will
be covered so it will not cost you for this opportunity.
In closing, congratulations to the Elks of Canada for 100
years and let’s look forward to the next 100 years.
Fraternally,
Chuck Dalgliesh, President
Manitoba Elks Association
ALTONA ELKS LODGE NO. 447
hen the bingo revenues started to decline due to competition, the Lodge had a significant drop in attendance.
They started to have a few difficulties keeping up with their
usual charity donations and hall maintenance. They kept on
operating till they found themselves working just to maintain
the hall. It was at this time that the town approached the
Lodge and asked if they would be willing to look after the day
to day operations of the community owned hall, the Pioneer
Centre. The Elks had been an active member of the Community Hall Committee right from the start. They always had an
active member on this committee from the planning stages,
fundraising and door to door canvassing for donations and
pledges, and building the Rhineland Pioneer Centre.
hall for the town. Operating weekly bingos, dances, weddings, celebrations, craft sales, auction sales, etc. kept them
busy. They still run the two largest dances in town, the Sunflower Festival Dance and the New Year’s Eve Dance.
They then sold the old Elks hall and moved into their new
home, the Pioneer Centre. From this new home they ran the
No. 447 who gave a very nice encouraging speech, some
history as well as humor.
W
This has worked well for both the Lodge and the town, until
the town added a hockey rink, curling rink, and an exhibition
centre with meeting rooms. They now make annual donations to the facility in return for the bi-weekly use of a meeting
room.
Last year they were fortunate to be able to celebrate their
50th anniversary with three of their charter members in attendance, one of whom was the first Exalted Ruler of Lodge
1987-2012 History
45
In the late 1990’s the Altona Royal Purple handed in their
charter, and ceased operations. Because a lot of these ladies were energetic and professional people, a lot of them
joined the Elks Lodge. The Lodge today is somewhat smaller
than it was 20 years ago, but what they lack in numbers they
more then make up for in quality members. It is this new influx
of energy and ideas that have helped to keep their Lodge
alive. Currently 50% of their active members are ladies. The
two things that we believe have been the salvation of a small
town’s Elks Lodge, namely Altona Elks Lodge No. 447, was
the influx of the ladies joining their roles, and that all of their
members believe in participation. In the last thirty years this
small Lodge, beside being active in charity work in the community, has actively been involved in the operations of the
Manitoba Elks Foundation i.e. chairman and several members of the board had Altona No. 447 as their home Lodge.
The Manitoba Elks Association has also had a President and
at least six Executives calling Altona their home Lodge. They
have also had members serving as District Deputies and on
several Grand Lodge committees. So you can see that all of
their active members participate in the Order and try to uphold the ideals and ethics of the Order.
tween. Many of the Brother and Sister Elks that they’ve met
have become lifelong friends.
Years ago the Lodge started a ski area on Thunderhill, 8 miles
north of Benito, that has now been taken over by the local Ski
Club. Many of our members are avid snowmobilers and in
2008 the Lodge built a warm up shack for ATVs in the summer and snowmobilers in the winter. It is on a groomed trail
on Thunderhill not far from the original ski slope. It was built
entirely by the members and a few friends. It is the only warm
up shack that is stuccoed; even the biffy has a coat of stucco.
The area is used both summer and winter and is referred to
by many as Elks Lodge No. 2.
They still meet in the MEC Centre (227 - 10th Ave NW) on the
first and third Mondays every month, and would love to have
YOU as a visitor.
BENITO ELKS NO. 458
enito, Manitoba is located on highway 83, 200 miles north
of the US border and one mile east of Saskatchewan.
B
During the 1980s we hosted a Valentine Supper in conjunction with our Ladies Curling Bonspiel every February and
participated in many Elks Walk-a-thons. Since the 1990s we
have held Snowmobile Poker Derby every February and we
continue to host these Derbies. They have become our major
fund raisers each year.
In 2005, Benito celebrated its 100th Anniversary with a homecoming and our Lodge organized and operated the Beer Garden. This was a huge financial boost to our Lodge and helped
us put more support into many community projects.
We currently sponsor our “Santa Daze” every Christmas, contribute to free public skating in our Arena and support school
projects. Over the years we have contributed many times to
renovations and improvements at our Recreation Centre.
Our Lodge has been very active in the Elks National Curling
over the past 25 years. A significant event that we co-hosted
with the now defunct Kamsack Lodge in 2001 was the National Championships. Curling was held at both centers and
the curlers were housed at the Duck Mountain Lodge which is
halfway between the two towns. The event was a big financial
success and benefited both Lodges. The Benito Elks have
had a tradition of competing in our National Curling competitions. These curlers have travelled from Thunder Bay ON to
Lilloett BC, north to Yellowknife NT and many places in be-
46 1987-2012 History
50 years have gone by and now we look forward to serving
our community for the next 50 years. Thank you to all our
Brother Elks for their continuing support over the many years
of Elkdom.
BRANDON ELKS LODGE NO. 14
I
n 2011, Brandon Elks Lodge celebrated its 85th anniversary.
The Lodge has hosted many events such as the Ink Spots,
Tommy Hunter and Inclination as well as other various performances. District meetings, curling, Walk-a-Thons, dog shows
for Kids, Kiddies Day at Kinsmen Stadium, are a few of the
other memorable events that have been hosted or sponsored
by the members of this Lodge. They also hosted two Grand
Lodge conventions. The “Come and Mix in ‘96” convention in
1996 was when Brother Dennis Stewart was elected Grand
Exalted Ruler.
Over the years that the Brandon Elks Lodge has existed,
through various fundraising activities, the members have
graciously donated medical equipment to the local hospital,
helped the physically challenged, helped children with special needs and made donations to the Elks and Royal Purple
Fund for Children. They have donated to the building and upkeep of different parks and playgrounds, sponsored children
to summer camps, supported minor hockey and baseball
teams (such as the Brandon Elks Hockey and Brandon Elks
Minor Baseball teams). A more recent project that the Lodge
has undertaken is the construction of a gazebo in Dinsdale
Park on First Street North.
Over the years, there have been many other donations and
sponsorships too numerous to mention here.
Fundraising activities for the Lodge have consisted of bingos,
dances, auction sales, hall rentals, raffles, ticket sales, and
the operation of the canteen. Many other fundraising events
have taken place, both within the Lodge as well as out in
the community. Over the years, the bingo, hall rentals and
the canteen have been some of the best annual fundraisers.
As the years went on their bingo crowds diminished to the
point where they had to stop having weekly bingos. Due to
decreasing funds they decided to sell the hall.
They now have meetings in the Ukrainian Reading Association Hall every fourth Monday of the month. They help with
some fundraising events and many donations to individuals
and groups who need help. Through the years, the Lodge
has had its high and low periods, has weathered the good
and the bad, and the members past and present should be
proud of their achievements.
Smaller things the Elks have done to make life better and
sweeter for others: donated money for furnishing to Plains
Lodge Seniors Citizens Housing, presented a Braille writer
for use of a local boy, purchased hand controls for car operation for a local man, money assistance for fire victims in
our area, purchased an exercise bike for home use of handicapped, Carberry Christmas Cheer Board, Carberry Fair and
Santa Claus Parade with float and chocolate bars, sponsor
two to four children every year to Camp Wannakumbac, and
many others too numerous to mention.
It has been 50 years of meeting, talking, socializing and
working for the youth and seniors of the town and area. This
is a great place to live and to do charity work. The Lodge appreciates the support they have received in the past and how
each new idea is embraced and supported. In other words
where there is a worthy cause you will find a worthy Elk wanting to help.
GLADSTONE ELKS LODGE NO. 317
In closing, this is a condensed version of the history and a
summary of the work and accomplishments of its members.
The volunteerism displayed by its membership speaks to the
unresolved devotion of the Brandon Elks Lodge No. 14.
T
CARBERRY ELKS LODGE NO. 466
Some of the donations and assistance provided: the Elks
supplied and placed a concrete side walk at the local day
care centre and together with the Royal Purple Lodge purchased and erected a play structure at the local Park.
arberry Elks Lodge celebrated its 50th anniversary in
2011. In the last 25 years, Carberry Elks have been
busy in their community. When their TV bingo was started
in 1988, one of their largest donations from their bingo fund
was given to the swimming pool. They purchased road signs
to advertise their meeting nights and location and a couple
members spearheaded a local committee to keep Access TV
from leaving town. To further make a dollar or two they sold
Elks licence plate holder frames, many of which are still in
use today. They have Easter ham sales where they sell approximately 700 hams each year.
C
A fundraising idea the members came up with was to build
a garden shed and with basic materials donated by Acadia
Colony and Knox Builders, the shed was built and ticket
sales on the shed started. The idea was so well supported
that they did it again in 2011.
They have made donations to the Elks and Royal Purple
Fund for Children, provided funding to assist a fire loss in the
R.M. of North Cypress, and to the Carberry Child Care Co-op
towards the construction of a fence. Assistance was given to
purchase a shower chair for patients at Carberry Hospital.
They have supported the CCI Reach for Top Team, assisted
the D.A.R.E. program, and youth bowling. Others who have
benefited through the Elks generosity have been the Carberry Figure Skating Club, the Memorial Park Development,
Victoria Lifeline for Service for Seniors, the Health Centre
and Service for Seniors to assist with local transportation service for cancer patients to Brandon.
he Gladstone Elks continue to support their community
with the purchase of equipment and uniforms for minor
sports teams.
In 2005 the Gladstone Elks arranged a bus trip for members
and families to attend a Manitoba Moose hockey game at the
new MTS Centre in Winnipeg as well as arranged a couple
of bus trips to attend Winnipeg Goldeyes baseball games in
the summer. In 2007 the Elks purchased a hand held Doppler Ultra Sound Unit for the Seven Regions Health Centre
in Gladstone and in 2009 the Lodge donated funds to help
furnish the kitchen in the new Gladstone District Community
Centre.
The Gladstone Elks and Royal Purple purchased an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) for use at the Gladstone
and District Arena. The Gladstone Elks have also in past
years provided funds to sponsor free public skating at the
Arena.
HARTNEY ELKS LODGE NO. 357
he last 25 years of Elkdom in Hartney has been very active for a small community. They still have their volunteers
running a new ambulance which was taken over by the Regional Health Authority in 2002. They have helped families
and individuals in need around the community since 1957
when they purchased their first ambulance. Their annual
weekly money draw still supplies them with funds for kids’
uniforms and sporting equipment.
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1987-2012 History
47
Some of their larger projects have been helping the Golf Club
put in grass greens, bought an all terrain vehicle for the club,
donated to playdowns at swimming pool, donated to new
hockey and curling complex to Hartney Centennial Centre.
They still have their annual fun bonspiel, fish fry in January
and their annual Grey Cup party where they raffle off a large
screen TV at half time. The Hartney Lodge hosted the 2003
and 2008 Manitoba Elks annual “Walkathon” in which they
cleared a few thousand dollars each year. A scholarship fund
was started by a few members of the Lodge and they still
provide a yearly scholarship to a deserving young adult pursuing a post secondary education. They are proud to be the
second largest Elks Lodge in Manitoba and this is because of
their excellent Membership Director who was elected to the
“25 Club”. Last but not least, they added on to their Lodge
building with the help of their great membership.
With the experience and drive of their membership and the
help and continued support of the community the members
are sure that the Hartney Elks Lodge No. 357 will remain
successful in many years to come.
KILLARNEY ELKS LODGE NO. 238
he current membership of the Lodge is 69. Their membership has many couples and this has proven to be advantageous especially in meeting attendance with a high of
38 and regular attendance of 22 to 32 including the winter
months when many are away.
T
velopment of tennis courts, $1,000.00 as a start up for congregate meals, a room in the basement of the library was
converted to a studio to be used by the Elks bingo and Access TV for the community. The Elks volunteered labour and
financed this project. Other donations included $3,000.00 to
Killarney Minor Hockey for lighting up grades in the arena
and $1,000.00 to the Curling Club, $5,000.00 to the Killarney White Public School, $2,000.00 for the pavilion at the
beach, $3,200.00 to minor ball for diamond renovations,
$1,500.00 to MSOS games, an additional $1,000 to the pavilion, $3,500.00 for ambulance radios and 911 equipment,
$1000.00 presented to the day care for playground equipment. The Elks committed $28,000.00 to the new facility in
Killarney. A cheque for $32,268.00 of the fund plus interest
was presented to the facility now known as The Shamrock
Center. In recognition of this contribution the lounge is known
as the Elks Lounge. $6,000.00 was presented to the Killarney golf course and the Elks provided volunteer labour to
erect a building.
During these years and to date they continue to assist victims of fire, sick, needy, and deaf children with travel expenses and equipment with varying amounts of money from the
Lodge, the Fund for Children and the Manitoba Elks Foundation. They have assisted with special training for a day care
worker to facilitate care for two deaf Killarney children, playground equipment and benches for the Manor and Lakeview
Home. They supported youth to the Forum for Young Canadians, Boy Scouts and Girl Guides and drug awareness
in conjunction with the RCMP. They have donated pucks
for Killarney recreational hockey and funds to the library for
purchase of book bags and books for preschoolers. Every
spring they provide four $500.00 bursaries to four graduates
and a Special Achievement plaque to a graduating special
needs student. Their hall has been donated as a day camp
for hearing impaired children. Their support of the Fund for
Children is ongoing and every Walkathon they present a
cheque for $1,000.00. They have sponsored up to 4 youths
to Camp Wannakumbac, and were involved with the Literary
and Poster Contest. Yearly they put a float in the Santa Day
Parade and provide hot dogs and hot chocolate to parents
and children who come to have a visit with Santa.
The Elks are visible volunteering in the community at the fair,
MSOS games, RCMP musical ride and blood donor clinics to
name a few. In 1994 they purchased purple T’s and sweatshirts with the Elks logo to make them easily identified in
the community. They also wear them for meetings, outings
to other Lodges, as well as parades and the Remembrance
Day Service for those who do not have regalia.
The focus of their Lodge remains as always to serve children
and community. In the last 25 years they have been involved
in several major community projects. Some of these are as
follows: Handi Van start-up fund, $10,000.00 to Kerry Park in
a joint effort with the Killarney Kinsmen, $5,000.00 to the de-
48 1987-2012 History
To raise funds for our projects they continue with access TV
bingo. Since 1987 this has been a major fund raiser as well
as a service to the community especially seniors who play
regularly. They work bars, food booth at race days, hold an-
nual Sweepstake Draw Dance, Grey Cup pool and an annual luncheon and bake sale.
It is not all work for Killarney Lodge members. They yearly
have a fall barbeque and golf, a Christmas party, and dinner
meetings. Spouses and partners are invited to these events.
They celebrate special occasions with the last one being their
80th anniversary in 2010 with dinners and their own special
entertainment. Their meetings are a sea of purple, well run
formally and informally and a “fun time” the second and fourth
Tuesday of every month. With a concentrated effort by all
members they are optimistic that their Lodge will continue to
flourish.
for the children in the community, which continues to this day.
Curling playoffs lasted a few years in the 90s with the Elks
participating enthusiastically. Old time dances started in the
90s, stopped for a few years and continued on again with
more seniors becoming interested. The Lodge enters a parade float each year and is active in the Agricultural Society
Fair including the sponsoring of a queen each year for the
Spring Carnival. A couple of children are sent to camp each
year and two bursaries are given for ongoing education.
MORDEN ELKS LODGE NO. 478
LUNDAR ELKS LODGE NO. 528
he first project of the Lodge after its inception was to construct a diving raft to facilitate the holding of swimming
lessons at a beach on Lake Manitoba. The Lodge took over
the operation of and leased the Lundar Community Hall and
have enlarged and done extensive upgrading of the premises
since.
T
The Lodge organized an annual “All Canada Goose Shoot”
and Calcutta auction which consists of twenty teams of four
hunters, who are given guides and draw on pre-selected
fields. The two day event includes dinners, raffles, breakfast,
dancing, the weigh-in, a trap shoot and many prizes from
sponsors, including guns and trophies for bagging the greatest number and heaviest geese with the allotted number of
shells. This has brought hunters from Canada and the U.S.A.
and as far away as Hawaii. As this is Goose Country, the hunt
will, no doubt, continue well into the future.
ver the last twenty five years Morden Lodge has taken on
many projects large and small.
O
“Morden Elks Park Place” is a non-profit life lease residence
for seniors that the Elks had built on a lot that had at one time
housed an old hockey arena. The capital cost of the building
was financed under the Life Lease Act and 1/3 of the equity
was cash tendered by the tenants and 2/3 was provided by
a mortgage with the Credit Union. The total cost of the project was $2,391,606.00. The preliminary planning for the marketing was paid for by the Lodge and was about $3,500.00.
This building is managed by a board of directors consisting
of three Elks members and a tenant. As of last month the
tenants elected a new board member who happens to be an
Elk member living in the building. The building has operated
smoothly since opening and there has never been a vacancy
and a long waiting list to get in. The building is kept in new or
better than new condition as they added improvements such
as electric doors and replaced worn floors and other items as
needed. This year in addition to new carpets, they installed
CO detectors as is now required by code in new buildings.
They pay for these major repairs by re-borrowing some of the
equity paid, so the tenant rents are not affected.
When the Lodge applied to the Town Recreation Director to
book diamonds to host the Western Canada Senior baseball
championship and asked for the main diamond to be repaired,
they were told there was no money in the town budget. The
Lodge was invited to raise the money themselves and doing
some research found that they could qualify for a grant from
the Manitoba Lottery Corporation if the Lodge could raise an
equal amount. With the help of a local manufacturer agreeing to give the naming rights for an equal amount of money
they agreed. They started working bingos to earn the necessary funding and Buhler Park was completed on time for the
tournament.
The Lodge has held, in conjunction with the Portage Rotary
Club, a Rotary Amateur Talent Show which is broadcast over
C.F.R.Y. radio station at Portage la Prairie in Manitoba. This
is held as the need arises in the community. Weekly bingos
were held and continued until 2008 when they were considered no longer profitable. The picnic and horseshoe tournaments also went by the wayside leaving the Christmas Party
A smaller project was to raise money for the Boundary Trails
Health Centre (B.T.H.C.), new Regional Hospital. The Lodge
ran a golf tournament called the “Bach Classic” to raise money for a fund that the Morden Legion had begun to enable the
then existing Morden Hospital to purchase a C.A.T. scanner.
The Lodge pledged to donate $10,000 to the fund. The Bach
Classic was run for four years with great community support,
and the $10,000 pledge was fulfilled. As it turned out the new
B.T.H.C. was announced and it came with a scanner. The
1987-2012 History
49
Legion fund by then was about $400,000.00 and was given
to the new facility to provide other furnishings and equipment.
In 2001 the new health centre (B.T.H.C.) was completed between Morden and the neighbouring town of Winkler, to replace the aged hospitals in both Morden and Winkler. They
learned that this building was to contain a speech and hearing unit, with a speech pathologist to serve both children with
speech impairment and adults whose speech was impaired
due to stroke or head injury. The Morden Lodge also donated
$11,500.00 to purchase several articles of equipment for this
project.
They joined with their neighbouring Lodges, Altona and Emerson to make a District application for a $5000.00 grant
from the Manitoba Elks Association, to put toward buying
computer software to use with the equipment that had been
purchased for this unit. This application was successful. During more recent years their Lodge has made other donations
to Boundary Trails Health Centre, last year donating a fetal
heart monitor and blood pressure monitor for paediatric use.
The Lodge has donated to other community health related
causes. $400.00 to the Morden Fire Department to help pay
for Jaws of Life, $1,000.00 to help install electric doors in
Tabor Home, a personal care home, and a donation to the
Legion to install an elevator, as the clubroom was not accessible for handicapped people. The town of Morden was given
the old hospital for $1.00 and proceeded with investors to
renovate the building and make a new medical centre named
Agassiz Medical Centre. The Lodge donated $1,000.00 per
year for three years to purchase equipment for the Centre.
When the Lodge received their charter they had sixty two
members. Membership grew to about ninety in the late seventies and then started to decline. They recognized that activity built interest, but going to meetings was less interesting.
They have a yearly Fish Fry with an entertaining and informative speaker, and invite prospective members. During the
past ten years they have managed to increase their membership to ninety five members. What has seemed to work is to
approach people they know and get them to get together with
some friends with common interests and come as a group
to join. There are always some in the group who have good
ideas and are eager to bring their friends in to make something happen and have some fun.
The Lodge has two major fund raisers, the Corn and Apple
B.B.Q. and Lobsterfest. These require larger work parties
over more than one day, so all able members are assigned
jobs by the chairman well in advance. This is done by email,
and if you are not able to work that shift it is your responsibility to exchange with someone else or find a substitute. This
seems to work out very well.
If an organization is to get lots of support from its members
and keep getting that support, there has to be lots of fun
involved. Morden Lodge never forgets that. After work, the
members always stop for refreshments and conversation,
sometimes referred to as B&B (beer and bull****). Golf tournaments, family curling day, Christmas parties, B.B.Q. meetings are all part of the fun of being a member in Morden.
Over the years they have often made donations to families in
crisis. Many times these donations are made in conjunction
with other organizations or local fundraising groups.
They have always supported minor sports in their community
making numerous donations to capital projects by the Recreation Department. During the past three years they donated
$2,000.00 toward construction of a skate park, $1,000.00 toward a large play structure, and $1,000.00 for a splash park.
These donations were made in conjunction with donations
from other organizations and businesses. The Lodge provided labour on two occasions to assist the Golf Club to construct a retaining wall around, first the old clubhouse (1990)
and then the new one (2010). The Lodge has spread its interests to the wider community to donate $5,000.00 for playground materials in a park in the village of Thornhill six miles
west of Morden. They have participated for many years, with
the Morden merchants to have a “Santa Day” renting the local
theatre for a movie.
The Lodge also supports many local causes such as: The
Christmas Cheer Board, Big Brothers, United Way, Festival
of the Arts, Special Olympics, Community Safety Net, scholarship awards for High School, Child Identification Plan and
donation of at least $1,000.00 to the Elks and Royal Purple
Fund for Children each year.
50 1987-2012 History
NEEPAWA ELKS LODGE NO. 398
he main accomplishment of Neepawa Elks Lodge No. 398
in the last 25 years has been the building and operation of
the Neepawa Elks Manor – a six floor, 50 suite senior citizens
non-profit housing building.
T
They have continued their donations to community activities, minor league involvements, Save the Children Fund and
gave a $1,000.00 award to the ”runner-up” Governor-General
award winner at the local collegiate awards night.
recent and incidentally, their 75th Anniversary project – a complete renovation and refurbishing of the Elks Children’s Playground in Victoria Park. This facility is well used by families
year round. Total cost in the neighbourhood of $32,000.00.
In 75 years of existence their Lodge has raised and contributed in excess of $240,000.00 to the community and national
appeals. In March of 2002 the Lodge received permission from
the Souris Town Council to refurbish the old Court Chambers
in the Civic Center. The Elks members did all the renovations
with the town supplying the materials. When completed, this
became the new home for the Elks Lodge.
In 2004 the Lodge decided to take on another fundraiser –
the selling of Easter hams to the town and surrounding community. This is a large undertaking with hundreds of phone
calls made to sell the hams, having hams ready for country
residents to pick up, and for members to deliver to the town
residents. A lot of work involved but a successful undertaking
which remains their main fundraiser to this day. Other fundraisers are: weekly TV bingo, donor choice, Christmas card
fund, calendars, $100 a month draw, and bartending duties.
SOURIS ELKS LODGE NO. 21
ince inception the Lodge immediately became community
active and organized the Souris Amateur Athletics. Some
of these leagues are still active today.
S
In March of 1993 their TV bingo hit the airwaves. The Lodge
spent approximately $10,000.00 refurbishing a trailer for use
as a studio. Also in that year they pledged $1,000.00 dollars
to the Town of Souris to aid in the production of a Souris segment of the television documentary series “Sketches of our
Town”.
In October of 1996 the Lodge together with the Ladies of the
Royal Purple completed a pledge of $10,000.00 dollars toward the construction of the new Souris-Glenwood Memorial
Complex. In the late 1990s their donations helped the Souris
Fire Department purchase a Zodiac Rescue Boat, the memorial complex complete a heating system, the Access TV committee buy a needed piece of equipment, the Souris school
buy a closed captioned TV set, and the Souris Daycare Centre complete some renovations, along with their commitments
to the Fund for Children and Souris Donors Choice. These
donations totalled over another $10,000.00. They also helped
the Souris School Playground Committee obtain new equipment, helped various young people in the community attend
several unique trips and supported the Rodeo Committee,
the Town Beautification Committee, and the Homemade Jam
Music Festival Committee with volunteer help.
In February 2001 they reintroduced a bartending service for
the community as a fundraiser and have had a very busy
three years. In April 2001 they presented Souris Lions Club
with a cheque for $1,000.00 to aid in their washroom project
in the park adjacent to their playground. This led to their most
They have been proud to support their community with contributions of: $2,000.00 sponsorship for a change room at
the sports complex, $2,700.00 to our fire department for an
S.C.B.A., $500.00 for silver metals at the synchronized skating competition, and $1,200.00 for rugby uniforms for Souris
school. They have supplied minor hockey with pucks for two
years, soccer balls to the school, sponsor children to attend
Camp Wannakumbac, and continue the upkeep and improvements to their park playground.
They hosted the 2006 Provincial Conference and took part in
Souris’ Homecoming celebration. A sign was purchased and
erected at their Elks Children’s Playground located in Victoria Park. Two new structures were purchased for the children
to enjoy. The playground has become a very popular spot.
Placemats were distributed to a local café in May, bingo and
bars worked at, the Poster contest was conducted and business directories were compiled and sold for a very nice profit. A donation was made to the school rugby team to assist
with their trip to Calgary and $15,000.00 was pledged to the
new swimming pool. They also assisted in the canvas of the
Donor’s Choice program which benefits the Elks and Royal
Purple Fund for Children. Two bursaries were presented to
students. In 2011 Souris and surrounding area was hard hit
by devastating floods that kept everyone very busy building and maintaining dikes and all the many tasks involved.
Once again kept up with their commitments and pledged
$10,000.00 to assist in the construction of an outdoor rink for
children to use.
Their membership is not as large as it once was but are committed to carry out the same level of contribution and assistance to their community and to the national charity, the Elks
& Royal Purple Fund for Children.
1987-2012 History
51
VIRDEN ELKS NO. 387
t the beginning of the new millennium Virden Lodge continued to be a community focal point providing a facility
for socials, banquets and rentals for all occasions.
A
The biggest fundraising is regular Tuesday evening bingos
that bring in capacity crowds. A Special May bingo and bake
sale is held jointly with the Royal Purple and in the year 2001
raised nearly $3,000.00 for the National Charity. A donation
of $5,000.00 was made to the Sherwood Seniors Home to
help purchase a handi-van. The Lodge continued to sponsor
the 1st Virden Scout Group and assist the Pathfinders with a
yearly donation in exchange for caretaking at the playground.
The playground, operated and maintained by the Lodge since
the 1970s, is recognized as “the best” in the community.
In 2000 with the excavation completed, the fish pond was
complete. The Fish-For-All Trout Pond along Scallion Creek
is an on-going project of the Elks Lodge who provides fingerlings each year along with start-up food and supervision. The
pond is a popular place for children to learn to fish.
Virden Elks continued to support District and community
activities. The John Kaplan Magic Show drew a capacity
crowd of children and adults raising over $2,000.00 for the
Virden Junior High School Playground project. A donation of
$10,000.00 was made to the Association for Community Living for the purchase of a van. The first of several annual Classic Car Shows was held with 77 vintage cars being displayed.
The proceeds of this event, $2,435.00 were donated to the
Multiple Sclerosis Society. $20,000.00 was donated to the
First Department towards the purchase of a new fire truck.
A bold undertaking by amateur chefs and servers happened
when the Elks and Royal Purple hosted a Valentines Supper,
gourmet style. The evening was not without “glitches” but the
guests responded favourably for the efforts of the amateur
hosts. This, with other fundraising events resulted in a donation of $20,000.00 to the Hospital Auxiliary – half the cost of a
Central Monitoring System for the Hospital.
A downturn of interest/attendance by members and changes
in the community became prevalent around 2005. The once
popular bingos, hosted by various groups five nights a week
began to decline. Rumours that the town intended to build a
large “community complex” proved to be true – a cause of
concern to organizations that had a hall for rent.
In January 2007 the members voted to have the hall appraised with the intent of listing it for sale. All attempts at revitalizing the Lodge failed. The die was cast. It was time to sell.
The Lodge continued with meetings at various places until
the end of December 2011. Dispersal of Lodge funds was
discussed and cheques were presented to the selected beneficiaries. An agreement was made with the Town of Virden
to continue operating the playground under the Elks’ banner.
Other monies were donated to Virden Golf Course for the re
52 1987-2012 History
construction of #1 Green with signage perpetuating the Elks
name. Donations were made to the proposed new curling
rink, purchased a power-lift stretcher for Emergency Medical
Services, construction of baseball diamonds, renovations to
the Historical (1912) Auditorium Theatre, 10-year funding for
the Trout Pond and the Fund For Children. $5,000.00 will be
deposited with Grand Lodge for start-up funding to re­ establish an Elks Lodge in Virden at some future date. Sadly, after
57 years the once vibrant Virden Elks Lodge and entertainment centre of the community surrendered its charter.
WINNIPEG ELKS LODGE NO. 10
O
ver the years Winnipeg has hosted six Grand Lodge Conventions, with the biggest and most elaborate in 1987 to
celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Elkdom in Canada.
In 1989, St. James Elks Lodge No. 498 and Fort Garry Elks
Lodge No. 504 amalgamated with Winnipeg Lodge to form
the Winnipeg Elks Lodge No. 10. They purchased the Safeway store on Wall St. that they converted into a Lodge building
and remained there until 1995 when due to high maintenance
costs it had to be sold. Since then they’ve held meetings in
various places with the most current being in the Royal Canadian Legion Elmwood Branch on Nairn Avenue.
The Lodge has made some major charitable contributions
in the City of Winnipeg, to the Manitoba Movement Centre,
the Children’s Rehabilitation Centre, the Children’s Hospital,
Deer Lodge Hospital Star Program, Cancer Care for Kids,
Christmas Cheer Board, Cochlear Implant program, Bronx
Park Community Centre, and with a significant donation of
$50,000.00 made to the Winnipeg Central Speech and Hearing Clinic to assist them in building their new audiology centre.
Not only has the Lodge donated to the City of Winnipeg but
also the Manitoba Elks Foundation and their special project
Camp Wannakumbac. The Lodge annually contributes to the
Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children and in 2011 made a
$10,000.00 contribution.
As his term in office came after the printing of the 1987
History Book, they would be remiss if they didn’t mention
that one of their members Brother Dennis Stewart was
Grand Exalted Ruler in 1996.
WINNIPEGOSIS ELKS LODGE NO. 108
W
innipegosis Elks Lodge has been a vital part of the
community, whose population is less than 1,000.
Throughout the years, the Lodge has initiated over 390
members. Some had joined and found Elkdom not to be
their forte. Others, such as teachers, members of the
RCMP, and other itinerant members left the community.
In the beginning, a small meeting place was acquired and
has undergone many renovations and expansions and is
now the main hall for social functions in the community. A
dance floor, stage, kitchen, dining room and other small
rooms keep the Elks busy with fundraising to maintain the facility. Records show that the Elks have been very charitable.
Many eye-glasses for needy children have been paid for by
the Lodge. In addition, over the years, the Lodge has sponsored and made the hall available for blood donor clinics,
dental clinics, X-ray clinics, rifle club, tennis club, badminton
club, wrestling, boxing, Red Cross swimming and Boy Scouts
and for many other fund raising activities within the community. Other notable achievements by the Elks in Winnipegosis
include the purchase of radio equipment for the ambulance
as well as pagers for the drivers and attendants.
donated in the area of $10,000.00 for improvements to the
Beach Area of Winnipegosis which included the purchase of
CSA approved playground equipment, the construction of a
BBQ shelter, a walkway and reconstruction of the lake shore
at the Lake Winnipegosis beach. Donations in the thousands
of dollars have been made to the curling club, arena, golf club,
scholarships, handi-van, minor hockey, breakfast for learning,
Happy Face Nursery, Winnipegosis Museum, Junior Fiddlers
and 4H. Other major donations include a tympanometer (deaf
detection device) for use by the Duck Mountain School Division, a heart monitor for the Hospital and two electric organs
for the Senior Citizens’ homes.
Through the efforts of the Elks members about $10,000.00
was raised for the construction of the Marv-Elks Senior Citizens Home. A second Senior Citizens Home, Elks Manor was
built. These homes are administered by a Board of Directors
comprised entirely of Elks and became mortgage free last
November. The Lodge donated $10,000.00 for the construction of a new regulation size hockey arena after the original
rink was completely destroyed by fire. The Lodge has also
Volunteer Elks work weekly bingos, the July Family Fun
Weekend, sell Nevada tickets, bartend for community events
and many other fund raising events such as hosting of a talent night to support their contributions to the community. With
more than 85 years of community service to their credit, the
Lodge upholds the good name of Elkdom in Canada.
On behalf of the Newfoundland and Labrador Elks Association, I would like to congratulate the Elks of Canada for the
On behalf of the Board of Directors, the Staff, the
children and families of the Clinic and the adults in
the Cochlear Implant Program, I wish to extend
our sincere Congratulations on your
100th Anniversary.
The Elks of Canada were one of the first supporters of our Clinic initiative. The Clinic was established
in October of 1989 to “provide the opportunity for every child born with a hearing loss to learn to listen,
hear and speak”. For the past 23 years the Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children have provided
funding for families to purchase incidentals related to hearing loss through the Elks and Royal Purple
Auditory-Verbal Fund. This financial support to families has been invaluable. The support from the
Elks and Royal Purple at the national level, the Manitoba Elks Foundation and various Lodges within
the Province of Manitoba, in particular, Winnipeg Lodge #10, has ensured that the Clinic has the
most up-to-date audiological testing equipment and Auditory-Verbal teaching toys
and assessment materials.
We are truly grateful for the relationship we have established with your organization. Without your
support, both financial and moral, the Clinic would not be what it is today. The Elks at all levels
should know that their volunteer efforts over the years have ensured that more than 300 children
with a hearing loss are now speaking.
We look forward to the future and our continued partnership.
We value your friendship and we salute you.
With the greatest respect,
Pamela L. Campbell, Executive Director
www.centralspeech.ca
1987-2012 History
53
ONTARIO
Brother Ron Hough
Brother and Sister Elks, Ladies of the Royal Purple:
It is hard to believe that almost a year has passed since my
installation at our 2011 Conference, in Trenton-Wooler No.
486. By the end of my term I will have visited all of the Lodges
in Ontario. It has been very rewarding to have met so many
Brother and Sister Elks and their spouses. I am very proud of
the work that the Lodges in Ontario are doing by supporting
their local charities and in most cases “our own Fund”, the
Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children.
As I mentioned in an earlier message, I have been promoting leadership and increasing membership, as well as maintaining the members we now have. I also promoted that all
Lodges have some form of celebration for the Elks 100th Anniversary to raise awareness in their area to maintain the Elks
as a viable community charity organization.
My motto this year “WHY BOTHER” raised several questions, but I feel that it caused members to think of the positive
answer which is “WHY NOT BOTHER”. We all know why we
KW REGION ELKS LODGE NO. 578
K
W won the Jackson memorial trophy for highest per capita donations to the Fund for Children consistently from
1988 through 1993.
They hosted the Ontario Provincial conference in 1989 with
one of the highest attendances on record. In 1989 they
leased a building near downtown Waterloo and began renovations to the Elks Lodge.
KW Lodge has supported the Waterloo Region Food Bank
beginning with distributing food hampers to the less fortunate. This practice was carried on until the late 1990s when
they began giving cash donations as they found that there
were matching sponsors that stretched the dollars a long
way. In 2001 the Lodge was presented with an award from
the food bank honouring their almost $100,000.00 in dona-
54 1987-2012 History
are Elks but it is sometimes good to think outside of the box
and see what more we can do for our community.
I would like to thank my Provincial Executive for their support
that I received during my term. A thank you also, to the staff at
Grand Lodge Office for their assistance throughout the year.
I have arranged to attend the 2012 National Convention in
Chilliwack, B.C. This is a special year in the history of the
Elks of Canada, and it would be great if at least one member
from every Lodge could be part of this memorable event.
Thank you for a great year. See you in Chilliwack.
Sincerely and fraternally,
Ronald Hough, President
Ontario Elks Association
tions over the past 9 years. 2011 will put that number well
over the $100,000.00 mark.
From 1985 to 2001, the KW Elks had entries in the Oktoberfest Parade on Thanksgiving week-end. These entries varied
from their own float and a colour party, to bringing the Sault
Ste. Marie Elks Drum and Bugle Band and their float down
for the event. It was quite a sight to see a sea of purple and
white marching down the street. Many GERs and HRLs were
invited and attended to ride the float. This annual parade is
the largest parade in Canada and is televised nationally on
the CTV network. The KW Elks float was a familiar sight at
many area Santa Clause parades as well as the Niagara
wine and cheese festival grand parade, where it won the best
entry by a service club award.
In 2000 the costs of operating a Lodge became too steep
with the limited membership, and the building was let go.
Meetings moved to the common room in one of the mem-
ber’s apartment buildings and have moved again to a different building. In 2001 due to a serious decline in membership in both the Elks and Royal Purple Lodges, a petition was
sent to Grand and Supreme Lodges to allow the KW Region
Elks Lodge No. 578 and the Waterloo Halton Royal Purple
Lodge No. 356 to become a Joint Lodge. All members of both
Lodges were contacted and the result was unanimously in
favour of this proposal. As the Lodges had worked hand in
hand since the beginning it was a natural fit. Once approvals
were received, the birth of a new “entity” followed. The “Waterloo and Halton Region Elks and Royal Purple Lodge” has
become a well known charitable organization in the area. It
is estimated that well over a million dollars have been raised
and distributed through the Elks and Royal Purple Lodges.
Over the years membership has come and gone, with a high
in the early 90s of about 55, to the present 31 members, 36
when you count the Royal Purple. Both sides of the Joint
Lodge maintain their identities as Elks or Royal Purple. KW
has been an active participant in many provincial conferences and Grand Lodge conventions over the past 25 years and
look forward to continuing their work for many years to come.
NORTH BAY ELKS LODGE NO. 25
PICTON ELKS LODGE NO. 326
I
n the last 25 years the Picton Elks have held the Ontario
conference twice. Their Lodge is now 62 years old with 130
members which includes three ladies. However they can only
count on 25 being active. The Lodge has initiated up to 12
new members at one time, but seem to lose more members
than they gain.
Their biggest fundraiser is their weekly bingo, allowing them
to return approximately $20,000.00 to the community annually. The Lodge has the best and largest hardwood dance floor
in the area and is also used for card parties, meat rolls and
rentals. Their basement area has active shuffleboard, pool,
darts and super bowl activities. The biggest single fundraising
event is their annual golf tournament.
They participate actively in the community having won many
Elk national awards for their healthy choices poster program.
They provide funding for the local provincial police, school
safety programs, local fire department for equipment, school
programs. Many schools are supported with sports equipment, team sweaters as well as sponsor a variety of sports
such as soccer, ball and hockey. They also gave and initiated
the building of the new skateboard park. Having furnished
a room at the local hospital in the past they donate generously to the equipment fund. Twice a year they host their seniors from the eight local nursing homes with transportation,
a dance and treats. The Lodge is told that the seniors look
forward to these parties. The Lodge has annually given to the
national and provincial Elks programs.
I
n the mid 1950s, the Elks obtained a piece of property and
commenced a building fund which culminated in their permanent Lodge building being completed in 1960. The building
has had many renovations but basically sits today as it did
when built. Central air was added in 2000 to complete the
renovations.
Over the years North Bay has hosted many Conventions and
in 2005 at the 93rd Convention hosted by North Bay Elks and
Royal Purple Lodges, Brother Mark Montgomery was elected
Grand Exalted Ruler and Lady Enola Mathieu of North Bay
Royal Purple was elected Supreme Honoured Royal Lady.
This marked the first time that the GER and the SHRL were
both from the same community at the same time.
The members of the North Bay Elks have remained active in
the Ontario Elks Association as well as being hosts to a variety of fundraisers and helping out in their community when
the need arises.
The biggest change in the Lodge has been the renovation
of their building. In order to compete with other rental buildings in the area, improvements had to be made such as new
washrooms, entrance, lighting and insulation. This project
cost $50,000.00 with a lot of the work done by members. This
has provided a good camaraderie amongst the members and
having two bars didn’t hurt. We need younger blood and a
means to keep them interested.
1987-2012 History
55
SARNIA ELKS LODGE NO. 503
arnia Lodge continues to be very community minded and
are active in supporting the needs of their community.
They sponsor many minor sports programs such as baseball,
golf and bowling. They provide support to the Sarnia Lambton
Canadian Hearing Society’s community development program and work with them to assist needy seniors with hearing
equipment. They actively support Sarnia’s Kid Funfest each
year helping to provide a fun filled day for area children and
they host bingo at area seniors’ homes monthly. They annually donate to both the Ontario Elks Charity Fund and the Elks
and Royal Purple Fund for Children.
S
At the National Convention in North Bay in 1999, Paul Clendenning was elected Grand Exalted Ruler and his theme for
the year was “Be Membership Proud”.
Helping provide assistance to needy children and seniors
continues to be very important to the members of Sarnia
Lodge.
THUNDER BAY ELK LODGE NO. 82
s part of the Elks National Fraternal Organization they are
dedicated to provide charitable assistance, to promote
and support their community and continue to do so through
the volunteer efforts of their members. The Lodge has hosted
many national and provincial Elks conventions and conferences, District and local meetings. Banquets, bingos, dances
and other events are still being held, but the hall is in less
demand due to parking problems and the fact that the Lodge
needs major upgrades. The older dedicated Lodge members
continue to stop by daily and even with
all the neighbouring construction the
Elks Lodge is still fairly active.
A
Sports are still a part of the Lodge
history. The Elks curling league was
forced to make changes due to the
aging members and also the declining membership. They have a Dart
League and their golfing that was once
known as the Memorial Golf Classic
was played annually as a fundraiser
for the Children Trust Fund. This event
is still held annually with approximately 10 to 15 teams (40 to
50 players) and is now strictly a fun event.
Approximately fifteen years ago, required changes were
made to the Elks Hockey program, mainly because of lack
of participation. Changes had to be made to all the Hockey
Leagues in the City due to costs and lack of participation. The
Elks now sponsor 360 players in the league in three divisions
and also sponsor a Bantam and Midget Team in the Thunder
Bay Hockey League. Weekly bingos are the main source of
fundraising for this program.
56 1987-2012 History
The newly formed Elks/Labatt’s 8 Ball Pool League started a
few years ago and has now evolved into a major attraction in
the Lodge club room. Pool has created a lot of interest at the
Lodge with league play and league playoffs.
The Thunder Bay Elks Klown Band has been in existence
since 1942 and at that time they became an instant success.
Beginning with bonafide musical instruments and early Vaudeville characters to the famous Maximilian having performed
with the band, this group has performed ongoing since they
started. They have been and still are available for many charity fundraising events, in hospitals, senior homes, parades,
children’s parties and other social events too numerous to
mention. They have performed throughout most of the communities in Northwestern Ontario and some cities and towns
in Northern Minnesota. All members of the group are volunteers and provide their own musical instruments. They’ve introduced the modern children characters which are especially
delightful when dancing with the children at their parties. During the Christmas
Season, the Klown
Band is in great
demand performing every weekend and sometimes scheduled
for three shows a
day. They provide
entertainment
in
many of our Senior
Homes on a regular basis within the
City of Thunder Bay. The Klown Band
also provides the music for dances, socials, fundraisers and still is very much
in demand. They are a very active group
of volunteers and are most enjoyable to
watch.
The band was afforded a signal honour
by the City of Thunder Bay when they
were given official recognition as “Citizens of Exceptional Achievement” at an
Annual Awards Dinner. The certificate
reads: “The City of Thunder Bay, Ontario
achievement award is presented to the Elks Klown Band in
recognition of distinguished contribution to the Community of
Thunder Bay.” And the Band plays on.
Elks membership over the past 25 years has declined considerably and over the past several years the Lodge had to
set aside the colourful ceremonies of Joint Installations, full
regalia, Hour of Eleven, etc. Newer members refused to join
if they had to partake in these Lodge functions much to the
dismay of the older members.
Ongoing Elks and Royal Purple events, meetings and functions are still being held on a regular basis. The building
has provided a source of revenue for both Thunder Bay
Elks Lodge No. 82 and the Royal Purple Lodge No. 14 for
many years. Both the men and ladies use the facilities for
bingos, banquets, conventions, Children’s Christmas Parties,
dinners, meetings, fundraisers and socials etc., on a regular basis. They still participate jointly in the November 11th
Veterans Day Service that is followed by a hot dog feed for
the cadets. The Royal Purple Ladies hold a monthly pan-
cake breakfast. Bingos are ongoing by both Lodges and
the men do contribute to the annual Children’s Christmas
Party. Both Lodges provide memorial services for their respective deceased members when requested.
WELLINGTON ELKS NO. 566
H
ow quickly 25 years pass when you enjoy supporting
a worthy cause, the Elks of Canada.
Since the last Elks History Book was published, Wellington
Lodge has been maintaining its membership. The Lodge
membership has been as high as 60 plus, but at present
is at 37.
They have made several changes to their building with adding a
members’ room, a bar, and a walkin cooler. The future plans for the
Lodge are to increase the kitchen
area and upgrade the appliances,
with a grant from the Trillium Foundation of Ontario.
hall rentals, Mother’s and Father’s Day Breakfasts as well
as catered functions. The Lodge is involved with local festivities such as Remembrance Day ceremonies, Canada
Day and the Pumpkinfest Parade. For many years they
have run a Dart League. They support the local Food
Bank with Christmas baskets, both area hospitals in their
fundraising campaigns, as well as local individuals who
require assistance. The Elks and Royal Fund for Children
and the Ontario Charity are both a big priority.
In 2009-2010 the Lodge received the Wayne Bottenfield
Award for the most money raised per-capita for the Ontario Walk-a-Thon and the Dan Bastien Award in 2010 and
2011, for the most money donated per-capita to the Elks
and Royal Purple Fund for Children.
In 1978, Belleville Lodge drove a golf cart from Belleville
to the Convention in Newfoundland to raise money for the
Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children. At the annual
Region No. 3 “Elks and Royal Purple Auction and Spaghetti Night” the plaque with the license plate mounted on
it is raffled off. The winning Lodge keeps the plaque for
one year and the money raised goes to the Elks and Royal
Purple Fund for Children. Wellington Lodge has obtained
it many years.
This being the 100 year anniversary for the Elks of Canada, they
hope to make it a successful year
in their Lodge and in the Order as
well.
Wellington continues to support the
community with the proceeds raised
from ham and turkey raffles, B.B.Qs,
“It gives all of us at VOICE for Hearing Impaired Children great pleasure to wish
Elks of Canada an outstanding celebration of your 100 year anniversary! Since as far back
as 1998, The Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children has contributed to the
VOICE Auditory-Verbal Therapy Program, helping hundreds of children to learn to hear,
listen and speak. On behalf of all the families, we are sincerely grateful.
Thank you for helping to give children with hearing loss a VOICE for life!”
Best regards,
Norah-Lynn McIntyre, Executive Director
VOICE for Hearing Impaired Children
www.voicefordeafkids.com
1987-2012 History
57
QUEBEC
Brother Gaétan Daigle
Salutation à tous, frères et sœurs Élans!
Le printemps est arrivé! Je vois du renouveau dans toutes
vos loges! Le beau temps encourage à mettre la main à
la pâte, le soleil brille et nous donne de bonnes idées afin
d’avancer dans votre quête de faire du bien autour de vous!
Profitez de ses rayons et rayonnez dans vos bonnes œuvres
auprès des vôtres.
Un petit mot au sujet des sous noirs la campagne va bon
train aussi, n’oubliez pas de continuez à ramasser ces petits
sous, ils font du bien autour de vous. Apportez-les à votre
loge respective, insignifiants seuls dans vos poches, ils font
un beau montant regroupés ensemble!
Je vous souhaite un merveilleux été remplis de générosité,
d’amour et de fraternité!
Gaétan Daigle, Président
Association des Elans du Québec
NEW BRUNSWICK/P.E.I. ASSOCIATION
FREDERICTON ELKS LODGE NO. 274
A
s an update to the Elks of Canada history book on the
100th anniversary of our Order, the Fredericton Elks have
grown gracefully into their old age.
Since 1987 when the history book was published to celebrate
the 75th anniversary of Elkdom in Canada, the Fredericton
Elks have been influential on the national scene and our representatives have lent an Eastern slant to this national organization. They have had two of their members elected to the
position of Grand Exalted Ruler: Eugene (Gene) H. Wood in
1993/94 and D. Clark Kilburn in 2008/09. Both had successful
terms as the Leaders of the Order. The Lodge now has a third
member climbing that ladder to the top step in Dominic Leach
who is currently serving as Grand Esquire and is expected to
serve as Grand Exalted Ruler in the year 2015/16.
Along with the other four Elk Lodges in New Brunswick, the
Fredericton Elks support financially the NB/PEI Elks and Royal Purple ‘Deaf Children’s Summer Camp’ held annually at
Camp Maguagadavic. The NB Elks Association has partner-
58 1987-2012 History
red with the Capital Y’s Men Club for the last twenty years in
the operation of this one of its kind summer camp. Fredericton Lodge continues to play a leadership role in the annual
operation and management of the Association’s provincial
project. They spend hundreds of volunteer hours each year
on this very successful project.
The Fredericton Elks continue to be located in their two story
masonry 4800 sq. ft. facility on one of the main streets of their
provincial capital. The past year has seen the Lodge receive
an offer to sell their building, which did not come to fruition
but has set the seed perhaps that they may see a change in
venue down the road. The Lodge has adjusted with the economic times and a somewhat reduced membership but their
Lodge volunteers continue to operate the facility in a financially positive manner.
The Lodge continues to work closely with the Royal Purple
Lodge in their charity efforts and continue to service the less
fortunate in their area, both with their own funds and with the
assistance of the Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children.
The Fredericton Elks raise funds in the community through
donations by members and the public, indoor yard sales at
our Brunswick Street facility, breakfasts and dinners, raffle
ticket sales and their own “Kans for Kids” recycling program.
The “Kans for Kids” program is approximately ten years old
and works in conjunction with the University of New Brunswick, the membership, several Fredericton area businesses
and a few provincial government offices. Our members pick
up the donated recyclables, sort and re-bag them and transport them to the recycle centre. This process is repeated on
a weekly basis year round with the busiest time obviously
between September and June.
This year 2012, will mark the 75th anniversary of the Fredericton Elks and they are looking forward to a fitting celebration
to commemorate this occasion.
PERTH ELKS LODGE NO. 362
he Village is located on the Saint John River, 40 km south
of Grand Falls near the mouth of the Tobique River. Perth
on the east side of the river and Andover on the west were
amalgamated into a Village in 1966 and have a population
service area in excess of 6,000 people. Nestled between the
rolling hills of the upper river valley, this picturesque village is
often referred to as the “Gateway to the Tobique”. The Village
takes pride in its scenic views and rich quality of life. PerthAndover has plenty to offer their residents and visitors - from
a unique blending of numerous cultures creating a multicultural community, a scenic waterfront, recreational facilities,
newly renovated tourist information centre to fantastic restaurants and friendly people. The quality of life here is second to
none! This picturesque village is home to the Perth Elks
Lodge who at one time had 361 members.
T
The Fredericton Elks are a proud member of the Elks of Canada and wish all Elk Lodges across the country the very best
of luck and hope all will continue to be a force in their respective communities.
MONCTON ELKS LODGE NO. 229
he Moncton Elks presently have 170 members, including
13 Life members.
T
The Lodge presently sponsors a Moncton Elks Hockey Team,
and also hosts golf tournaments, CFL Atlantic Bowl, Grey
Cup and Super Bowl events for sporting event fund raisers,
as well as a Christmas Draw and a Purple Cross Draw.
They assist with community requests as well as the Moncton
Hospital Foundation, the Dr. George L. Dumont University
Hospital Centre “Tree of Hope”, the Kidney Foundation, local
food banks, Christmas Daddies, the Xmas turkey drive and
the Elks Deaf Camp.
Over the years the Elks have donated to many causes such
as scholarship programs, financial help to extend the gym at
the new middle school and helped support the summer camp
for the hearing impaired a Magaguadavic Lake.
Groups and families use the Elks building for benefit breakfasts and dances, which have raised over $50,000.00 over
the last 10 years. With the Elks owning their own building,
they rent (or give) the use of the building for fundraisers.
The Lodge will be 60 years old in May, 2012. Their goal is to
have 212 members by then. Their slogan is “212 by 2012”.
Congratulations Elks of Canada
As you celebrate your 100th Anniversary!
Stanton Hospital would like to take this opportunity to thank the
Elks for their continued support of our Infant Hearing Program
including donations totaling $57,500.00.
Shirley Johnston
Manager, Rehabilitation Services
Stanton Territorial Health Authority
www.stha.ca
1987-2012 History
59
NEWFOUNDLAND
Sister Susan Ash
On behalf of the Newfoundland and Labrador Elks Association, I would like to congratulate the Elks of Canada for the
100th year Anniversary.
In 1912, did those men think that the organization they founded would expand across a continent from South to North, from
West to East, from Vancouver to St. John’s? That the Elks of
Canada would have Elks Lodges in most of the Canadian
provinces and the territories and that an organization would
grow from a fraternal organization to a family orientated organization? That the children across our country would receive
care, equipment and be able to go to camp? Those few men
stirred people across our country to lend a hand to others.
“Elks – 100 years of Caring for Canadian Communities”. Very
well stated. Very powerful. Very proud.
The Elks Lodges in Newfoundland and Labrador are not
as old as the 1st Elks Lodge, although our oldest Lodge in
Grand Falls is 90 years old. Only ten years younger than
our National Organization. Can you imagine the imagery of
the roots of our organization growing in grass root communities with our members caring and providing for the people of
their communities. Grand Falls Lodge was the beginning for
Newfoundland. Newfoundland has had historically four major
communities - St. John’s, Gander, Grand Falls and Corner
Brook. Each community had a labour industry from which it
grew. Our youngest and 5th Lodge is in Leading Tickles. They
are in a small coastal community and offer assistance to all
the people in their community.
I am proud to say the Elks Lodges are doing well. Although
GANDER ELKS LODGE NO. 310
T
he spirit of Elkdom has remained alive in the Gander
Elks Lodge throughout the past 25 years. Their membership is steady at 20 to 22 members with approximately 60%
of the membership active in Lodge activities. They continue to donate to local charities and the Elks & Royal Purple
Fund for Children.
we have the same challenges as across our country of retaining members, recruiting members and modernization. While
we are striving to retain and recruit members, we are busy
and active with our Lodges. I wonder about the modernization. How far do we have to advance before we look to see
where we have come from? Would taking the time to reflect
bring us full circle?
I have had the opportunity to travel to three of our Lodges. At
each Lodge I was very warmly welcomed. At all three Lodges I was given the privilege of installing the Officers. At all
the Lodges I have been most impressed with the devotion
and dedication of the members. It was very evident that the
members were kind and respectful of each other and were
working to provide assistance to the people of their communities. I have met many wonderful people through the Lodges
of Newfoundland. They have been very kind to me and I have
learned about the Elks from them. I enjoyed the time I spent
with them when I visited their Lodges. We chatted a lot, we
laughed a lot, and we did Elks business. I consider these
practices – “best practices” and encourage all the Lodges to
keep up the excellent work.
WOW, a hundred years, a century. Look how far we have
come in the past one hundred years. The next 100 years will
be just as exciting.
Take care,
Susan Ash, President
Newfoundland/Labrador Elks Association
WOW, what experiences – leadership, fellowship, knowledge, very inspiring. These events showed them what a
great Lodge they have and how passionate and powerful
they are as Elk members. On the 100 year Anniversary, we
look forward to the future.
In 2001 during 911 the Gander Elks Lodge was host to 156
people. They hosted the National Darts in 2006 and the National Elks & Royal Purple Convention in 2011.
60 1987-2012 History
1987-2012 History
60
GRAND FALLS ELKS LODGE NO. 59
G
rand Falls Lodge No. 59 has seen many changes in the
past twenty five years. They have renovated their building inside and out. The Lodge has been involved each year in
their annual Labor Day Parade and along with Cabot Lodge
No. 65 sponsor the Sea Cadets.
They as members of Grand Falls Lodge No. 59 are very proud
of what they have accomplished in the past twenty-five years
and look forward to celebrating 90 years in October. It is such
an honour to be a part of the one hundred year celebrations
of the Elks of Canada.
The Lodge makes numerous donations each year to many
organizations such as the South & Central Health Foundation, Salvation Army, Local Food Bank, Jane Way Children’s
Hospital, the Fund for Children and many more totaling in the
thousands of dollars.
RICK HANSEN DIFFERENCE MAKER AWARD
PRESENTED TO
PAST GRAND EXALTED RULER DAVE HURLEY
I
mmediate Past Grand Exalted Ruler Dave Hurley was
honoured on January 23rd, 2012 by being awarded a
“Difference Maker” medal by Rick Hansen as part of the
25th Anniversary Man in Motion Tour. The Rick Hansen
Difference Maker Awards recognize individuals who have
made a significant impact in the area of accessibility, researchers who have advanced discoveries related to SCI
research, community leaders and youth who have put
“service above self” to make an extraordinary difference
in the lives of others.
rother Hurley was nominated due to his incredible selfless contribution to others and in particular for his tireless work in starting a Habitat for Humanity affiliate in the
Northwest Territories. Brother Hurley worked with his planning committee during his travels as Grand Exalted Ruler
and often had to pull his motor home over to the side of the
road to join a conference call with the committee. Through
Brother Hurley’s leadership and guidance Habitat for Humanity Northwest Territories was formally accredited in
December of 2011, making Habitat for Humanity Canada
complete by having an affiliate in every province and territory in Canada, truly from sea - to sea - to sea.
B
I
n addition, Brother Hurley has served as Chef de Mission for Team NWT at various Arctic Winter Games, Winter and Summer Games, as well as the Western Canada
Games.
I
n 2002, Dave was presented an Honorary Life Membership by the Yellowknife Elks Lodge for his dedication and
promotion of Elkdom within his community and surrounding areas.
I
n 2003 Brother Hurley chaired the Elks National Convention held in Yellowknife and followed that by bringing the
RCMP Musical Ride to Yellowknife in 2003.
I
n 2006 he assumed duties as General Manager for the
2008 Arctic Winter Games where he spearheaded a
group of 2,500 volunteers as the City of Yellowknife hosted the 20th Arctic Winter Games with over 2,000 participants representing nine units coming from the countries of
Canada, Russia, United States, Greenland and Norway.
e has served at the Elks national committee level
working with the Finance, Member Services, Ritual,
National Charities, Marketing, and Sport committees. In
2010 he was elected Grand Exalted Ruler.
H
urrently, Brother Hurley is Facilities Manager with the
City of Yellowknife with managerial responsibilities for
the city’s infrastructure, parks, playgrounds, arenas, and
the newly constructed fieldhouse.
C
J
oin us in congratulating Brother Hurley on receiving
the Difference Maker medal and wishing him continued success in making a difference in the lives of others.
1987-2012 History
61
TERRITORIES
Brother Ken Rogers
Brother and Sister Elks and members of the Royal Purple:
We have survived another winter in the great white north and
we are all looking forward to a great summer, and this is going to be a great summer celebrating the 100th anniversary
of the Elks of Canada.
I hope all of our Lodges are going to have at least 1 member
going to Chilliwack in July for our National Convention. This
is going to be the Convention of the century. I know that Yellowknife Lodge No. 314 has registered 14 members plus 2
PGER’s and me. Let’s make this the convention with the largest number of delegates ever.
What is your Lodge doing to promote your Lodge and advertise that we the Elks of Canada are celebrating our 100th
anniversary? I can speak for Yellowknife Lodge No. 314. We
are sponsoring bringing the Vancouver Aquarium AquaVan to
Yellowknife in July for a week arriving July 17th. The AquaVan gives children and adults as well the opportunity to see
and touch live marine animals. The BC Hydro AquaVan is
YELLOWKNIFE ELKS LODGE NO. 314
T
he hall has been used over the years to host a variety
of events some of which are as follows: Elks and Royal
Purple meetings, annual Fireman’s Ball, D.M.S. annual dinner and dance, annual Commissioner of the NWT Ball, the
Supreme Court of the NWT as well as the Territorial and
Magistrates courts and the R.C.M.P. Regimental dinners.
The Elks hall was the largest hall in Yellowknife for many
years. In 1966 when the Stanton Hospital burnt down, within
a few hours the Elks building was turned over to the hospital
and the Elks became the hospital until the new hospital was
ready. Everything was done in the Elks i.e.: births, surgeries
etc. Many “Yellowknife Babies” were born there and many
still reside in Yellowknife.
Many other events were held in the hall over the years such
as public dances where the money raised went to offset the
operating cost of many sporting teams for their yearly expenses and travel to out of town events. Bingos have been
held in the Elks hall since it first opened and have for many
62 1987-2012 History
one of the Vancouver Aquarium’s most exciting educational
initiatives. Home to many local marine species and a variety
of props, the BC Hydro AquaVan complements the B.C. Ministry of Education’s curriculum guidelines for K-12. BC Hydro
AquaVan educators deliver award-winning aquatic programs,
featuring live animals, props and activities, throughout British
Columbia and as far as Northeastern Alberta.
National Darts is coming up May 23 - 26 in Okotoks Alberta, sponsored by Okotoks Lodge No. 31. Yellowknife and
Frobisher Bay Elks are sending players and I hope there is
representation from all of the provinces.
In closing I just want to say I am looking forward to April and
May when I am planning on visiting both Frobisher Bay Lodge
and Ikaluktutiak Lodge.
Ken Rogers, President
Territorial Elks Association
years been a focal point for many community activities.
They have hosted National Elks Curling events in the hall as
well as National Darts Championships.
The Yellowknife Elks held theGrand Lodge convention in
2002 when one of their members, Brother Roland Gagnon,
was elected as the Grand Exalted Ruler/National President
of the Elks of Canada.
Over the years the Yellowknife Elks Lodge No. 314 has
donated millions of dollars back into the community. Last
year alone they donated in excess of $400,000.00 back to
the community. In the fall of 2008 the Yellowknife Elks celebrated their 60th anniversary and it is safe to say that YES
they will be around for another 60 years. In 2010 the Elks
once again hosted the Grand Lodge convention where yet
another of their members Brother David Hurley was elected Grand Exalted Ruler/National President of the Elks of
Canada
In 2011 the Yellowknife Elks spearheaded the formation of
Habitat for Humanity NWT.
ISTAR CO-FOUNDER RETIRES
Dear friends,
It is with profound gratitude that I write to thank you for establishing a scholarship in my honour: ‘The Elks
and Royal Purple Deborah Kully Scholarship’. I was taken completely by surprise when the scholarship was
announced at the recent celebration in recognition of ISTAR’s 25th anniversary and my retirement. I cannot
think of a more meaningful gift. The scholarship will support the development of young professionals, have a
ripple effect - impacting the lives of many individuals in different ways - and have reach far into the future.
I am moved beyond words by your gesture.
When the late Dr. Einer Boberg and I first began working to establish an Institute for stuttering treatment,
research and education nearly 3 decades ago, I had no idea that our work would bring me one of the most
fruitful and personally meaningful relationships of my professional life. You have been partners in every
sense of the word - providing vital funding support that has helped establish and sustain ISTAR, offering
wise counsel and encouragement, and energizing me and all the staff at ISTAR with your unflagging belief
in the merit and importance of our cause. Over the years I have had the opportunity to attend dozens of
conferences and meetings of the Elks and Royal Purple, host special events and on-site visits, and work
with members of the Elks and Royal Purple on the ISTAR Board. Always I have been struck by your openheartedness and your commitment to contribute to your community and better the lives of others. You inspire
by your example.
My work at ISTAR has been very compelling and deeply meaningful to me, and I am proud of what we at
ISTAR have been able to accomplish with the help of the Elks and Royal Purple and other donors. Our partnership has had considerable impact on the lives of countless individuals across the globe and on the discipline of stuttering nationally and internationally. The establishment of the ‘Elks and Royal Purple Deborah
Kully Scholarship’ will further extend that impact. By supporting the education and training of young professionals, the scholarship is an investment in the future and in the promise and possibilities that dynamic
young people will bring. What a great gift you give to the field of speech-language pathology and what a
great honour you give me. I thank you for your foresight, for your incredible graciousness and generosity
and for your care and support.
With much appreciation,
Deborah Kully
Co-founder of the Institute for Stuttering Treatment
and Research (ISTAR) and recently retired from positions of Executive Director of ISTAR and Associate
Professor in the Department of Speech Pathology and
Audiology, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta.
On behalf of the Elks and Royal Purple of Canada,
Deborah was presented with a plaque by Leonard
Shain (left) and Jim McLeod (right).
1987-2012 History
63
John Izzo PhD to give keynote address at the Inspiring
Community Leaders Session, Elks 100th Anniversary
National Convention, Wednesday, July 25th, 2012
Chilliwack, BC
Dr. John Izzo is a leading business leadership expert, a bestselling author,
and a community leader. He consults and advises some of the most admired
companies in the world, teaches at major universities, conducts leading
edge research on workplace values, and has spoken to more than
one million people across the globe.
He is the author of five books. Izzo’s latest book, Stepping Up: How
Taking Responsibility Changes Everything offers inspiration and practical
advice on how ordinary people can step up and make a difference in work,
family, community or the world. Filled with moving stories of how ordinary
people accomplished extraordinary feats the book challenges each of us
to step up and create change. He shows how leaders can create a
workplace where people will choose to step up.
Be sure to join us for one of the most inspirational speakers of our time.
Historic Era Nite
Planned for Wednesday night - the host committee asks you to wear clothes from different eras over the past
100 years. This will be a fun event and made better by having you take part in full costume. Pack accordingly!
The cost for the supper and entertainment is only $10.00. To make it a special evening and give back to you the
members that have worked so hard to make the Elks what it is today the Grand Lodge is helping out to keep the
costs as low as possible. An old time fun event and an old time cost. Make sure you attend.
Tickets will be available at the registration table.
PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT #40013287
Return undeliverable to:
ELKS OF CANADA
100-2629-29th AVE
REGINA SK S4S 2N9
64 1987-2012 History