Mayor Matt Brown welcomed as newest member to east-London Legion

Mayor Matt Brown is the newest member of the Royal Canadian Legion’s Victory Branch, after an official induction ceremony Friday at the Oakland Avenue facility.

After being sworn in by A-6 Zone Commander Caspar Koevoets, Brown was given a membership card, an official legion pin, and a celebratory drink.

“This was a really powerful experience for me personally,” said Brown.

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His grandfather, John Brown, served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Queen’s Own Rifles during World War II, and fought in the liberation of Holland. Brown’s grandmother, Florence Dafoe, was a Canadian Women’s Army Corps member at Wolseley Barracks during World War II, while his two great-uncles were RCAF airmen.

“There have been a couple of jokes about poppy routes, that I can deliver poppies in November to areas downtown where there’s very little parking. I’d be happy to volunteer for that.”

Taking an active role in the legion’s poppy campaign is one of Brown’s responsibilities now, as an inducted member. But based on his work for the campaign in the past, Koevoets has no concern Brown will live up to the role.

“We put poppy boxes all through city hall, and the mayor had a rule there that if you came in without a poppy, you put five dollars in the box and get one,” Koevoets laughed.

“Mayor Matt has always been a great supported of the legion’s cause, and we’re very glad to have him as a member.”

Anyone can join the legion, so long as they’re a Canadian citizen or citizen of an allied nation, and 18 years or older. Because Brown has family members who’ve served in the military, he was given an associate member pin. People without family members in the military can serve as an affiliate member.

Koevoets says he’s excited that the Legion’s numbers grew last year, as they attract a younger crowd.

The Victory Branch has more than 800 members, and was founded in 1942.