Special weekend for 84th Independent Field Battery

Freedom of the City event to be held Sept. 29, open house set for Sept. 30

A big weekend is on tap for the 84th Independent Field Battery in Yarmouth, which will have a Freedom of the City parade Saturday, Sept. 29, and an open house Sunday, Sept. 30.

Saturday’s event will have members of the 84th – the Yarmouth-based army reserve unit – gathering on Parade Street, near where the Zion Baptist church used to be (behind the Yarmouth County Museum), and marching from there towards the town hall, where the Freedom of the City ceremony will take place at 2 p.m.

The march, which will start at 1:45, will include the 36 Canadian Brigade Group Band and members of Yarmouth’s army, sea and air cadets.

Major Murray Roesler, commanding officer of the 84th Independent Field Battery, says the Freedom of the City ceremony is a tradition that goes back centuries, when armies were not normally allowed to enter a walled city or town.

“If an army was allowed inside the walls, this was a big deal, and it was celebrated with an actual Freedom of the City event, which would show that ‘ we, the citizens of this particular community, trust the military,’” he said. “And that’s what it’s all about. It’s about the trust.”

The Yarmouth event will include a roll-past featuring a light armoured vehicle and five Howitzers. These will be positioned by the Firefighters’ Museum prior to the ceremony, Major Roesler said.

The Freedom of the City ceremony and the following day’s open house are meant to help celebrate the 84th battery’s long-standing connection to Yarmouth and the surrounding area.

Sunday’s open house is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Members of the public are invited to the armoury at 82 Parade St. to check out displays and see battery members in action.

“There’s going to be repelling demonstrations,” Major Roesler said. “The band is going to be there to play some military tunes. We’re going to have a live demonstration of bringing a 105-mm Howitzer into action and what that entails.”

Those who may have attended the 84th battery’s open house last year can expect to see more this time, Major Roesler said.

“It’s going to be a lot more dynamic,” he said. “There’s going to be more going on. We’ve got a lot more equipment to show off.”

The open house is a chance to try to familiarize people with what An image from an open house hosted last year by the 84th Independent Field Battery in Yarmouth. The battery is getting ready for another open house – to be held Sunday, Sept. 30 – as well as a Freedom of the City ceremony to take place the day before at Yarmouth’s town hall. the 84th is all about, he said.

“We try to promote ourselves as much as we can,” he said, “but we’re limited somewhat as to what we can do, so word of mouth tends to be the most common way of doing it, and we’re trying to push a lot of this out on social media.”

Organizers of Sunday’s event also hope it will help the battery recruit some new members. The 84th has about 50 members now.

Membership is open to those as young as 16. Parental permission is required if they’re under 18. The application process is done online, but the 84th battery’s recruiter, Sgt. Catherine Hunt, can talk to applicants about the procedure if they need help, Major Roesler said.

Adults can join the battery up until their 55th birthday and can stay until they’re 60.

“We parade on Tuesday evenings at the armoury and for that a soldier gets what’s known as a half-day pay and then we parade a minimum of one weekend a month and for that they would get two-and-a-half days’ pay,” Major Roesler said. “A recruit just joining makes approximately $100 a day, so a half-day is $50, less taxes, of course, but that’s not bad wages, you know, for a young high school student or someone looking for a little extra cash.”

There are benefits for those going to university too. Members who show proof they attended university and paid tuition can receive $2,000 per year to help recover their tuition costs.

The battery also offers full-time summer employment, about three months of it. This takes place in various places but mainly in Aldershot, N.S., and Gagetown, N.B.

As for the Sept. 30 open house, Major Roesler says it’s for every- one, whether they’re interested in joining or perhaps just want to check out the displays.

“We’re inviting everybody that wants to come out and have a look,” he said.