MANITOULIN – A new Manitoulin-North Shore unit of the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans of Canada (ANAVETS) has received its charter and will be officially established at a ceremony next week.
“We have now received our official charter for the Manitoulin-North Shore Unit 176 Army, Navy and Air Force veterans,” said Wayne Golden of the Manitoulin-North Shore War Pensioners of Canada (WPC), after a meeting last week. “Gary Trimmer, Fred Nesbitt and myself picked up the official charter on March 4 for our new unit.”
“It’s the oldest serving club of its kind in Canada,” Mr. Golden said. “It goes back to the days of the Plains of Abraham.
ANAVETS is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization (veteran’s organization) founded in 1840 with more than 18,000 members throughout Canada. Membership includes people who have served as military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, direct relatives of members and also affiliated members.
In 1840 Queen Victoria gave a charter to create an ANAVETS unit in Montreal. But units may have dated to as early as the Conquest of New France in the 1700s.
The name of the organization was derived from the remnants of British and French regiments who stayed behind when they were recalled at the end of their tours of duty to protect the colonies. To exchange information on service benefits and to fraternize, the men organized. They called themselves “the Army Veterans in Canada” to distinguish themselves from other colonies. This reference to Canada became integral as incorporated by the Government of Canada in 1917.
After the War of 1812, sailors from the Royal Navy who remained in Canada joined with the Army Veterans and the name was changed to the Army and Navy Veterans in Canada
During the Second World War, the organization welcomed members of the newly formed air force. The name was again changed by an amendment to the Act of Incorporation by Parliament in 1946 to the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada.
ANAVETS is comprised of a Dominion Command, which is located in Ottawa and the headquarters resides, along with seven provincial commands. Currently ANAVETS has units in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia, as well as a unit in the United States, which is part of the American Legion. Ladies’ auxiliaries may be found at some units. When formed, they come under the jurisdiction of the provincial command’s Ladies’ auxiliaries.
“We will be chartering in 31 members at a swearing in ceremony being held on April 23 at the Anchor Inn in Little Current at 6 pm,” added Mr. Golden.
