The inaugural "Valour on the Green" golf tournament was held Friday afternoon at the Redcliff Riverview Golf Club. Veterans from across the province were invited to play for free in the tournament, which raised money for the Veterans Association Food Bank and the Field of Crosses Memorial Project--NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
Dozens of Canadian Forces Veterans from across the province and beyond gathered on the links of Redcliff Riverview Golf Club on Friday afternoon to participate in the first “Valour on the Green” gold tournament that supports the Veterans Association Food Bank and the Field of Crosses Memorial Project.
All golfers participating in the tournament were veterans who served with the Canadian Forces and were invited to a free round of golf and banquet dinner to thank them for their service to the country.
“This mission is to have a fun day playing a round of golf while getting to know the many men and women who have served our glorious country,” said Rhonda Barry, tournament organizer.
Funds raised from the silent auction portion of the event support the Veterans Association Food Bank located in Calgary, which provides far more than food assistance to struggling veterans.
Since the food bank was founded in 2018 it has expanded its support to offer homeless veterans housing, employment support and financial assistance programs.
“It’s so vital because the food kind of gets the veterans in the door, if they’re struggling a bit,” explains David Kidd, director. “But then they find out all the different services we provide. If a veteran is homeless, we can get them into a hotel and then start looking for housing.”
The association has now been able to expand services to veterans and military families in Edmonton, Grande Prairie, and across southern Alberta, as well as areas in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and B.C.
Additionally, the inaugural Valour on the Greens golf tournament drew attention to and raised funding for the Field of Crosses Memorial that commemorates more than 3,700 southern Albertans who gave their lives during the Great Wars.
Each November, crosses dedicated to those individuals are displayed in a large private memorial in Calgary along Memorial Drive.
On Friday, 18 crosses that represent the lives of soldiers from the Medicine Hat area who fought in the First and Second World Wars were displayed at each tee box, along with a laminated story of their history that hung for each cross.
On the first tee box, a cross was placed in honour of Walter Raye Absit, who was born in Elkwater in 1887 and joined the Canadian Infantry as a private in the Division 31 Battalion in 1916.
Absit was killed in battle two years later before the end of WWI in 1918 at the age of 30.
“So that is his story, given the research, about him in World War One based on the government information,” explains Bart Peake, Field of Crosses researcher, who says school children in Calgary research and write the biographies of the fallen soldiers which are then laminated and hung to each cross.
“It’s so we never forget them,” adds Gail Peake, Field of Crosses operations team. “We can read their names and see the crosses here and be able to read how old they were.”
Former area MP and veteran Lavar “Easy Rider” Payne attended the inaugural tournament.
“We’ve had veterans from other units show up here, so we hadn’t seen them since maybe we had a get together,” said Payne. “So it was nice to see them again and kind of renew friendships and be able to visit a bit.”
Along with the putting greens, the veterans golf tournament was also sponsored and co-organized by a company founded in Edmonton aimed at providing veterans cannabis services.
Representatives from Canna Connect also attended the tournament. The company founded to help connect veterans to medical cannabis and has grown into a community that allows veterans to connect in its lounges.
“Our purpose has become creating spaces for veterans to come into an ecosystem where they can actually connect with their peers and fellow veterans that have served at the same time as them,” explains Justin Yaassouv, regional manager.
The company is looking to possibly expand to Medicine Hat and currently operate veteran lounges in Edmonton, Regina and Victoria, it says.
Of note, bidders in the silent auction had the opportunity to place a bid on an authentic Canadian flag that flew on Juno Beach, Canada’s D-Day landing beach.
Organizers of the”Valour on the Green” are planning to hold another tournament next year and hope to thank more veterans for their important sacrifices for our freedoms.
