Branch History

Since receiving our Charter in 2005, Branch 641 has grown from humble beginnings into a thriving community with over 700 members. Comrade Dave St. Amand recounted our branch history in a 2012 issue of The Advance. We’ve reprinted it below.

The Original Six

Submitted to the February 2012 Advance by Dave St. Amand

No, this is not a hockey story. Anyone who frequents the Barrhaven Legion has undoubtedly heard the terms “Charter” and “Founding” members, especially if you attend the General Meetings or ride a stool at the bar. I was certain that I knew the correct meanings, but was very surprised to learn that I did not. My discussions and research have shown that many others are just as misinformed as me on this subject. To begin, we need to look back at how and when the Branch was formed.

Sometime in the year 2002, Gus Este and Ray Desjardins suggested to a few fellow members of Branch 593 Bells Corners that they should start a new Legion Branch in Barrhaven. They all agreed it was a great idea. But how, and by whom?

Time passed, and human nature being what it is, nothing got done and this dream was only talk by people in blue blazers. More time passed, and it wasn’t until 2004 that Ray Desjardins put pen to paper and started the laborious, intensive process to turn their vision into reality.

There’s no manual on how to start a Branch, and initially, there were few who believed it could be done, including Ontario Command. Luckily for us, Ray is a determined individual who doesn’t easily accept “NO” for an answer.

To obtain a Legion Charter, there were many obstacles to overcome, including the requirement to have 50 members. In that list of 50, there had to be a minimum of 10 new members who had never previously belonged to any Legion.

Allow me to backtrack for a minute. I incorrectly assumed, as did others, that our “Founding” members were the “Original Six” who had the vision and tenacity to start our Branch.

They were:

I also incorrectly believed that our “Charter” members were all members at the time we received our charter and officially became Branch 641 Barrhaven.

After a lengthy discussion with Ray, who has all the right answers, I’ve learned that our Branch has 12 members who are officially recognized as “Charter” members.

These 12 were the new, voting members who had not been re-instated or transferred in from another Branch.

They are:

Our “Founding” members include everyone who was a member in 2005 when our request for a Charter was submitted for approval. At that time, there were four re-instated members, 18 transfers and 32 new members, which included the 12 “Charter” members, for a total of 54 “Founding” members.

Since receiving our Charter on April 22, 2005, our Branch has grown steadily from humble, unlikely beginnings.

From living room discussions to meetings at the Walter Baker Centre and our first clubhouse on Cedarview, it’s been quite the ride.

The latest move to Fallowfield Road has proven to be an unquestionable success by our members and the community at large.

We are now approaching 500 members and have become one of the largest and most vibrant branches in Zone G5. At our present rate of growth, it won’t be long before the need for a larger, perhaps permanent facility, will be thrust upon us.

We owe a great deal of gratitude to the “Original Six” who had the vision, energy and determination to create Branch 641 Barrhaven.

There are dreamers, and there are doers. We at Branch 641 are extremely fortunate to have both.

Please use the Contact Us page to reach out.

The branch that shouldn’t, couldn’t, and wouldn’t happen.