The members of the Captain Garnet Brackin chapter of the IODE will not forget.
As Remembrance Day approaches, this local branch of the service club recently purchased the Remembrance Day banner of its namesake, Capt. Garnet Bracken, who was killed in the First World War.
In fact, the Brackin branch went four steps further. The group purchased banners for four other Chatham IODE branches that have since disbanded – Lt. Dick Crawford, Maj. George Smith, F.O. Bev Pritchard, and Lt. Austin Wright.
These banners are displayed along King and Fifth streets in Chatham, along with other banners marking the passing of local soldiers lost during the First and Second World Wars. They will remain there until Remembrance Day.
Marianne Johnstone, spokesperson for the Brackin IODE branch, said this is the 125th anniversary of the IODE in Canada, and the branch members “wanted to do a little project or two.”
Johnstone said the IODE purchased the banners through the Royal Canadian Legion.
“They’re beautiful. They’ve been up there for more than five years and they still look good,” she said of the banners. “I think it’s a great way to honour them.”
Members of the Brackin IODE aren’t done. They will stand vigil at the cenotaph on Sixth Street on Nov. 10 as part of the initiative put on by personnel at Christ Church in Chatham.
On top of the banner purchases, which help support the Royal Canadian Legion, Johnstone said the Brackin IODE added five $125 bursaries at Chatham and Pain Court secondary schools this year.
“We always give $750 to each high school as a bursary. This year, we did a $125 bursary for a student at each of the high schools in Chatham and Pain Court who had done a lot of volunteering,” she said. “We encourage kids to be volunteers in their community and at school.”
IODE Canada is a national women’s charitable organization. Women of all ages and from all walks of life and backgrounds “meet in local chapters for fun, friendship and community volunteerism,” according to the IODE Canada website.
The focus of the IODE is on children, education and community services.
The Brackin branch is not the only remaining IODE group in Chatham. Kent Regiment branch also exists.
