Open house helped with army reserve
Yarmouth-based unit has about 55 members
Last fall, the 84th Independent Field Battery in Yarmouth joined similar units across Canada in holding open houses, part of an effort to increase membership in the Canadian Army Reserve, and a spokesman for the 84th says the event went well, with a similar activity perhaps on the way this fall.
Major Murray Roesler, the battery’s commanding officer, says the open house of last Sept. 30 resulted in two immediate new recruits and helped raise public awareness about the army reserve.
The event included training demonstrations and equipment displays.
“We’re hoping to do another one this fall,” Major Roesler said. “Hopefully, if we can get the message out early through the media, etc. we’ll have more people come and visit and see exactly what we do, which would be fantastic.”
Current membership in the 84th Independent Field Battery is about 55, he said. Eleven members left last year, he said. The unit can lose members for different reasons. Some may transfer to the regular force while others might leave the area for employment reasons and join a unit in their new community, he said, and some may just decide it’s not for them any more.
New members are being processed, although he couldn’t say how many of them came as a result of the open house.
Reservists can be as young as 16 while the mandatory retirement age is 60. Members are required to commit one night per week and one weekend per month and there are opportunities for summer employment.
“We typically get a lot of people who are still in high school and/ or just out of high school,” Major Roesler said. “But we’ve recruited people as old as their 50s ... It all depends where you are in your life. Some people just want a change when they’re in their 30s or 40s and want to try something different and we’re all about welcoming them in at that point, providing they’re medically fit and can pass the aptitude test.”
Asked if he had heard how leaders in the military viewed last year’s open houses from a national perspective, he said, “I think they were very happy with the fact that all of the reserves took this on with gusto and really put a great effort forth to put this on.”