Velma Emberly

Victoria, British Columbia

Mrs. Emberly is a Second World War Veteran and the spouse of a Merchant Navy Veteran. She is an active member of the Canadian Merchant Navy Veterans Association and, for the past nine years, has been Membership Chairperson, where she collects dues, returns membership cards and sends along a personal note to each member. Mrs. Emberly organizes an annual dinner for her local branch, which consists of approximately 105 members, and she personally makes a gift for each person. Mrs. Emberly compiles "The Red Duster" newsletter for Merchant Navy Veterans, which is produced three times per year. In 2002, Mrs. Emberly assisted in assembling the materials and art work of a book containing photos and histories of 16 Merchant Navy memorial sites from the region. She is now working on additional memorials to be included with this publication. Mrs. Emberly has acted in many positions within the Branch and is currently the Secretary. She raises funds for the Association and canvasses local merchants for donations to be distributed to Veterans at their annual meetings. Mrs. Emberly’s computer and artistic skills are invaluable to the national organization and the local branch.