Pleasantville, Nova Scotia
Mr. Purnell served in the United Kingdom's Royal Marines Commando from 1964-1979, with tours of duty in Borneo, Malaysia and Indonesia. He immigrated to Canada in 1991 and became active with the Navy League of Canada and The Royal Canadian Legion. Mr. Purnell served as Zone 13 Commander of The Royal Canadian Legion until 2009. He was subsequently elected to District "E" Commander supervising 18 branches of the South Shore of Nova Scotia. Mr. Purnell serves on the Executive of Branch 24 and was President from 2002 to 2005. He has assisted in organizing many commemorative events in his region which include the "Support our Troops Rally", "Family Forces Day," and a massive rally in June 2008 called the "Red Rally Support our Troops Day," where 150 served in the Colour Party and more than 3,000 family members of current and former military personnel attended. Mr. Purnell assisted in the organization of the First Special Service Force - Devil's Brigade Reunion which was held in August, 2009 and will be involved with the Legion's Biennial Convention scheduled to be in Halifax in 2012. In 2005, Mr. Purnell devoted countless hours to developing The Veteran's Memorial Park in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia and continues to be active in this initiative. The park is now decorated with benches, flowers, walk-ways and memorials.