The Citizen, 1988-07-13, Page 14PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 1988.
Some items tost in Legion fire irreplaceable
Some of the items lost or
damaged beyond repair in the fire
at the Brussels Branch of the Royal
Canadian Legion last week cannot
be replaced at any price, leaving a
bitter aftermath to what appears to
be a deliberate act of vandalism.
Bob Harkness, first Vice-presi-
dnt of the Legion, says that both the
Legion and the Ladies Auxiliary
Charters, datingfrom 1931 and
1946 respectively, have been
damaged beyond repair, with the
knowledge that such documents
can never be replaced even if
duplicates can be made - some
thing no one is certain of at this
point.
Inaddition. Drum MajorTom
MacFarlane of the Brussels legion
Pipe Band says that all the trophies
and awards won by both the pipe
band and by the Legion throughout
their histories have been lost,
along with the engraved names of
those who won them. He adds that
all the photographs of the band,
taken in full regalia every few years
since the band’s beginning in 1952,
have also been lost, with little
chance of most of them, especially
the earlier ones, ever being
replaced.
Other items, such as the
Legion's flags, the framed letter
from Queen Elizabeth II, and other
mementoes that have meant so
much, have also been destroyed.
‘‘It’s not what they (the alleged
arsonists) took that bothers me, it’s
just the sheer, bloody vandalism
and senselessness of the act,” Mr.
McFarlane said.
Mr. MacFarlane added that the
band’s base drum, bearing the
band’s name, and several other
drums had been taken from the
ravaged building to his home
following the fire, where he is
attempting to see if they can be
salvaged. All are badly damaged
by both smoke and heat, he says,
with the heads charred black and
the decorative covering on the
sides twisted and mottled.
He’s not sure at this point if they
can be saved, but adds that the
situation could have been much
worse: six of the drums normally
kept at the Legion hall were still at
drummers’ homes following a
parade in Harriston on July 2. Mr.
MacFarlane says that none of the
bagpipes or kilts were at the Legion
at the time of the fire, but that
several of the tall ‘‘feather bon
nets” that were in the building
were badly smoke-damaged; it
remains to be seen if they can be
saved.
Barb Graber, secretary of the
Ladies’ Auxiliary, says that her
group may have lost up to $1,000
worth of office and kitchen supplies
in the fire, with most of the plastic
ware in the kitchen, including parts
of an expensive cabbage shredder,
destroyed by the heat. In addition,
she says that her group has been
advised to throw out all the canned
goods and frozen foods since
damage to such items can’t be
safely assessed.
Elaine Nichol, civilian instructor
and administration officer for the
Brussels Legion Army Cadets,
reports that she has been unable to
assess the damage to the cadets’
uniformsandequipmentyet, as
the storeroom containing them has
no windows and has been without
light since the fire.
“I don’t think we’ll be in too bad
shape, because the uniforms and
some of our equipment are supp
lied by the Department of National
Defense, and most of the rest of it
can likely be cleaned,” she says.
The corps’ drill rifles, maps,
compasses, camping equipment
and instruction books are all still in
the storeroom over the main
entrance, and can’t be evaluated
until they can be seen, she adds.
Those involved say that most of
the office files and records in the
building have probably survived
the fire, since most of them were in
steel file cabinets. But many files
show severe smoke damage while a
few have been water-damaged,
which will mean many hours of
work for group secretaries and
officers in the months ahead.
Damage estimates to the build
ing range from $150,000 to
$200,000 and it is expected that it
won’ t be ready for occupancy again
for five to six months. Police have
charged two men with break, enter
and theft and with arson in
connection with the fire on July 6.
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Arson suspected
from first in fire
Continued from Page 1
first, Mrs. Burkholder said, since a
downstairs window had been
broken and firemen were able to
determine that the locked door to
the bar had been forced open.
The thieves were selective in the
items taken, she added, noting that
only opened bottles of liquor and
certain brands of beer and cigar
ettes were removed, despite the
fact that other items were readily
available.
“Nobody would have minded
the little bit of liquor they took, (the
thieves) it’s the stupid vandalism
that put my men’s lives at risk (in
the incident),” said Brussels Fire
Chief Howard Bernard, in refer
ence to the fact that volunteer
firemen had to remain on the scene
until after 6 a.m. Wednesday,
several times donning special
breathing apparatus in order to
enter the smoke-filled building.
The fire is still under investigation
by the Ontario Fire Marshall’s
Office, Chief Bernard said.
Mrs. Burkholder said that most
of the lower floor of the Legion has
been completely gutted, while the
entire building suffered heavy
smoke and water damage as
firemenfoughtthe stubborn blaze.
Exterior damage to the steel-clad
building was minimal, but Mrs.
Burkholder says that the amount of
structural damage to the interior
has yet to be determined, since
estimates cannot be called for until
the Fire Marshall’s inquiry has
been completed.
“Thankfully, our insurance
should cover most of the damage -
we have Doug and Keith to thank
for that,” Mrs. Burkholder said,
referring to Doug Sholdice and
Keith Mulvey of Cardiff and
Mulvey Insurance Ltd. in Brussels.
However, Legion personnel are
concerned that the fire will mean
the loss of one full-time and two
part-time jobs until the building
can be re-opened, estimated at five
to six months. As well, several
major events scheduled for the
facility over the summer have had
tobe cancelled, resulting in further
financial loss toboth the Legion
and the Legion Ladies’ Auxiliary,
which caters all meals at the.
facility.
The executives of both the
Legion and Ladies’ Auxiliary have
met several times since the fire and
have another meeting planned for
this week. Members say that as
soon as the full extent of the
damage to the building can be
determined a building committee
to spearhead fund-raising activi
ties for the reconstruction of the
facility will likely be set up, with
activities to begin as soon as
possible.
In addition, Legion members say
that several other branches in the
county have already offered their
help in a variety of ways, including
a fund-raising dance which has
been proposed by the Wingham
Legion.
Legion moves
fish fry to arena
Local people will have the
chance to get in on the ground floor
of the fund-raising for the Brussels
Legion this Sunday, and at the
same time enjoy a finger-lickin’
good fish-fry.
Planning for the Annual Fish-fry
began long before last week’s
disastrous fire, which gutted al
most the entire lower floor of the
Legion Hall and left the rest of the
building uninhabitable, and mem
bers say the event will go forward
as planned - the only difference
being that it will be held at the
Brussels, Morris and Grey Com
munity Centre rather than at the
Legion as originally announced.
The fresh-caught fish will be
fried by the famous “Howells of
Wiarton,” and meals will be
available at any time between 3 and
7 p.m. at a cost of only $7 per
dinner. Hot dog and children’s
portions will also be available, and
tickets are available at Murray’s
Barber Shop in Brussels.
Live entertainment throughout
will be provided by Brussels’ own
Steve Marks and his ‘‘Nashville
Bound” band, which features
some of the best country and
western music in the area.
Tickets for the Fish-fry are
expected to go fast, so reserve
early and put a few bucks in to get
our Legion back on its feet!
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