Warrant Officer Daniel Melsted admits that not everyone knows there is a military presence in Yorkton. The 64 Battery, 10 Field Artillery Regiment, located on Smith Street, is the local army reserve unit, and while people might see them training, see their vehicles or know they exist, they might not know what goes on behind the doors at the armoury. As part of a national drive to teach the community about the army and reserves, the doors to the armoury were open to the community over the weekend.
Everything was being shown to the public, from the building, to the equipment, to the training. The goal is to welcome the community into the armoury, especially people who might not have had the chance to visit it before.
“There is someone working here every day, but there isn’t a big draw for people to show up, walk through and check things out. We’re trying to get awareness to the community that we’re here, this is what we do, this is the equipment we have, come and check things out.”
People are interested in what’s going on, and Melsted spoke to everyone from the very young to retirees. Many people touring the armoury are interested in things that they can apply to their own lives, or they just finally have a chance to take a closer look at things they have been curious about.
“A lot of people have a lot of questions. Some people are excited to know the details of the equipment, about the guns. A lot of people who are gun and rifle enthusiasts who just want to come out and see what type of stuff we have. They like to compare to what they have. Some people come because they like the vehicles, they like to come and look inside. A lot of hunters like to look at the tents.”
Part of the goal for the event overall was a recruiting push, and Melsted hopes they see some applicants by the end of the event. For them it’s also getting a bit more involved in the community and just having people know they’re there. They hope the open house makes people more aware of Yorkton’s reserve unit.
