Not everyone at the Royal Canadian Legion provincial convention that was held here in Estevan was a member of the Legion in Saskatchewan.

The keynote speaker at the opening ceremonies was, instead, a veteran and promoter of awareness for PTSD.

"The aim of my presentation was to connect the past, to today, to the future. As the convention deliberated on what to do in the future, it was not to lose sight of where they have been and where they are. However, they have to change as our society is changing," said Alan Stephen.

He noted that, for many years, the Legion had been dedicated to the veterans of the World Wars and those following.

"That's still a great honor and needs to be done, but as those folks start passing on, there's a whole new group of men and women from the Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Canadian Navy and our Army that also need to be recognized for the new wars and conflict that we've been in."

"I'm hoping that my remarks will reinvigorate and keep kindling that flame, not only of remembrance but of nation building and building our youth," he added.

Stephen started out in the Army Reserves, and then progressed through the infantry. He has held numerous positions of command or command staff in NATO, United Nations and Canadian Forces capacities. Now retired, he is the Executive Officer of Eden Care Communities, which provides child to long term care services, based in Regina.