Monthly Archives: June 2014

Davidson

Loreburn Central School students put their “Leader in Me” skills on display

Students at Loreburn Central School put their leadership skills on display last Tuesday before a large crowd of family and friends who packed the gymnasium to take part in the school’s first annual Leadership Day.

The celebration allowed the community to view first hand the success the kids have gained over the past two years in “The Leader in Me” process implemented at Loreburn Central School. This process allows students to practise “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” that leads to a culture of leadership in the kids.

“It’s given the kids a lot of empowerment and voice, so they know they can come to any staff member and say ‘I think we need to do this in the school or we need to have this,'” said Jill Long, principal of Loreburn Central School. “We basically turn around and ask them how that will look and we offer the facilitating to that program, but it’s the kids that are the ones who do the work for that.”

Grade 7 student and Leadership Day co-emcee Abby Adams, 12, said Leadership Day allowed the kids to showcase how they are changing their school and their own lives for the better through the “The Leader in Me” process. She said at the school it has brought about a closer relationship between the elementary and high school students giving them a chance to work together to build a better school.

“I am a busy person with dance and music and sports, so I really think that the course has helped me to become a better person with time management and getting everything done,” Abby said. “That’s important before I go on to other things.”

Abby’s classmate Abigail Graham, 13, shared the stage as co-emcee during the morning presentation in the gym that featured a discussion on the seven habits by a number of elementary and high school students as well as different class presentations including a couple fun musical numbers. Following the main presentation the onlookers were able to tour different classrooms at the school to find out how the kids are implementing leadership principles in their daily work.

Abigail said the main thing the process has helped her is being able to get along better with her younger brothers Brennan and Dillan. She said all the kids at school have been working for the past four or five months on preparing for Leadership Day and she’s very happy on how well everything turned out.

“Staff and students both put in an equal amount of work to make it the best it can be,” said Abigail. The day “helps develop leadership skills, so like in the workplace when you’re older you can get along with people and you can help others improve.”

Abby said she was “actually quite surprised” with the amount of work the younger kids put into the show and how well everything came off during the day. She said the hope now is to make Leadership Day an annual event at Loreburn Central School, so the students can continue to show the advantages they are gaining from the process.

“I really feel like this school is growing as a better school with the leadership that is going out and the roles that people are taking,” she said.

Long said the presentation was the accumulation of two years of work with “The Leader in Me” process and she is very happy with all the talking and planning by the kids over the past few months especially that led to Leadership Day.

“They were so nervous talking, but they did an awesome job,” she said. “It really showcased that they can be leaders in tons of different areas.”

Obituary

obitThomas,-Bill-card

William (Bill) Max Thomas
It is with profound sadness that the family of William (Bill) Max Thomas announce his passing on April 19, 2014 at the age of 68 at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon. Bill will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 47 years, Melanie, his daughter Wendy (Gerry Broom) of Frontier, his son Jeff (Shauna) Thomas of Davidson and his beloved grandsons, Ryan Broom of Saskatoon, Christopher Broom of Frontier and Isaiah Thomas of Davidson.
Bill was born in Davidson, Saskatchewan on December 9, 1945, the oldest child and only son of Wendolin and Catherine Thomas. He was followed by two sisters, Barbara and Margaret. He attended school at Detchon School, a short distance from the farm and when it closed, he rode the bus to Davidson for classes. School did not appeal to Bill so he left the area in his late teens to work at various other opportunities, but did not stray long from the land. He returned to Davidson where he met a “new-comer” to the area, Melanie Marie Rice in 1965. On July 16, 1966, Bill and Melanie were married at St. James Church near Lake Lenore, Saskatchewan and they took up residence in a small yard site west of Davidson. Wendy was born a year later on July 13, 1967, then Wendel passed away shortly after, in August of 1967 and Bill moved his new family to the home place where he took over the farming and cattle operations. Jeffrey was born on September 5, 1968.
Bill and Melanie worked the land and raised cattle for many years, facing the day-to-day tribulations of the industry. Both of them spend endless hours driving and riding on buses attending many hockey tournaments as Jeff was very active in the sport. The Thomas farm was always busy with many friends stopping in at all times as Bill was never too busy to visit. They enjoyed winter ski trips with friends and relatives to various ski resorts in the United States and spent as much time as possible during the summer at the cabin on the lakeshore of Marean Lake. Spring and Fall always brought lots of activities on the farm with calving, then seeding, then finally harvest. Life was full and later on, Bill enjoyed travelling to Frontier to visit with Gerry and Wendy and occasionally helping out with their farming if the timing was right.
Bill’s pride and joy, other than the farm, were his grandsons – all three of them. He was proud to attend the graduation ceremonies of both Ryan and Christopher and enjoyed attending as many of their school and sports functions as possible over the years. He particularly enjoyed when he got to attend hockey tournaments and volleyball games to watch his grandsons play. With the arrival of Isaiah, he adjusted to a younger version and was happy to see Jeff and Shauna plan, build and move into a new home right in the farmyard.
For the past several years, Bill and Melanie ventured south to Yuma, AZ where they had purchased a trailer at an active little resort. They couldn’t wait to get there so they spent Christmases down South Frontier with Gerry and Wendy, then would leave shortly thereafter to arrive in Yuma on New Year’s Eve. This past Christmas saw Jeff, Shauna and Isaiah drive to Frontier to have the entire family together.
In January of this year, Bill and Melanie had their first flight in a jet when they flew to Cancun to attend Gerry ad Wendy’s wedding on the beach in Playa del Carmen. Even though Bill didn’t venture out and about much while there, he got to walk on the white sands and see the blue of the ocean.
Bill was predeceased by his parents Wendolin and Catherine, his parents-in-law Sidney and Marie Rice and sisters-in-law Dorothy Rice and Norma Gaillard.
He will be sadly missed by his sisters, Barb (Sonny) Weinberger of Creston, B.C., Margie (Ron) Bort of Saskatoon, Sask., many aunts and uncles, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law along with numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Funeral services were held at the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Parish in Davidson, Sask. on Saturday, April 26, 2014. Hanson’s Funeral Services was in charge of arrangements.
Friends so wishing may make a donation to a local charity of their choice.

Obituary

obitRussell,-Calvin

Russell, Calvin
1928 – 2014
Calvin Harding Russell of Davidson, Sask. passed away peacefully at the Davidson Health Centre on June 1, 2014 at the age of 85. Calvin is survived by his brother Grant, sister Kathleen Loseth, nephew Rick (Jan) Loseth, nieces Lori (Rick) Frank, Cheryl (Kent) Frank, Marilyn (Terry) Barros, as well as many great nieces and nephews. Calvin was predeceased by his parents, sister-in-law Eileen Russell and brother-in-law Victor Loseth.
The Celebration of Calvin’s life took place Friday, June 6, 2 p.m. at the Davidson United Church with Rev. Diane Eurig officiating.
For friends so wishing, memorial donations in memory of Calvin may be directed to the charity of your choice.
Hanson’s Funeral Home of Davidson in care of arrangements.

Davidson, featured

Wicked storm blasts through Davidson

Residents of Davidson woke up to a scene of devastation last Thursday morning after a fierce hail, rain and wind storm tore through the town the previous night.

Leaves, pine cones and branches both big and small littered the streets and sidewalks throughout town May 29 after around two inches of rain fell late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning. A savage wind accompanied the rain during the storm that followed a display of constant lightning that lit up the night sky while grape-sized hailstones fell to the ground blanketing the town in white.

“When we lived on the farm we had a lot of hail, but I’ve never heard anything like that,” said Holly LePoudre, about the thunderous noise the falling hail and wind made in people’s homes. She said the storm blasted branches and leaves off a few trees near her property on Washington Avenue and the ice also punched a few holes into the roof of her car port.

Lyle Wightman, who lives across the street from LePoudre, surveyed a yard filled with broken LED lights mixed with debris and mounds of hail yet to melt the morning after the storm. Before the hail found its resting place on the ground it shattered a few of his home’s windows and pot-marked the siding on his western wall.

“I’m going to phone the insurance and see what they’re going to say,” said Wightman. “If they say it’s up to me then I’ll have to start working at her. At the moment I’m trying to get the ice away from (the wall) because it’s running into the basement.”

Davidson’s Herman Crescent seemed a focal point of the storm as it preyed on vehicles parked on the street and the homes the car’s owners resided in.

Sharon Church said her GMC Terrain suffered cracked taillights and numerous “dints” on the hood and roof. She said the motor home parked at the back of her driveway also experienced damage from the falling hail and a “little bit” of flooding inside.

The Lang family’s newly sowed garden outside their home fell victim to the hail as well. Francisco Lang said he and his wife spent the previous evening planting flowers at the front of their Herman Crescent house that were now nothing more than damaged crop.

To read more please see the June 2 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Davidson

Cyclists brave “Hell” of a storm at Davidson Campgrounds

Two cyclists who pitched their tents at the Davidson Campgrounds last Wednesday may have experienced some nasty weather, but the welcome they received from the town’s residents was really nice.

Juergen Fegpeitel and Bill Inden, who are travelling separately across the country, braved last week’s ferocious hail and rain downpour while camped a few feet away from each other behind the Davidson Swimming Pool with only a canvas shelter to keep them safe from the storm. Both men said with a laugh that prayer is how they survived.

“It never hurts especially when you think Hell is coming down,” said Fegpeitel, who is biking from his home in Edmonton to the East Coast for the enjoyment of the ride. “The sound alone was deafening. The impacts on the tent were really scary. It didn’t seem to want to stop.”

Fegpeitel said once the hail ended everything turned calm before the rain began its assault. He said the whole event was lit up for them “like a strobe light” by the constant lightning being thrown down from the heavens.

“I’ve seen some pretty good storms in Edmonton, but I’ve never experienced one like this especially trying to sleep in a tent,” he said. “That was quite the experience.”

Inden made his way into Davidson after almost a month on the road biking from his home in Vanderhoof, British Columbia, to Eastern Canada. He is making the long trek to try and raise awareness for a project called Children of Yekooche, which aims to provide help for educational programs for kids of a First Nations community located on the northwest side of Stuart Lake.

The amazing part of the night for both Inden and his fellow camper was not the storm the two men had to endure outdoors in a tent, but the generosity displayed by a number of Davidson residents who made sure they were doing alright after the onslaught. He said first a man came by their tents while the weather was still bad to check on them and then the morning after the storm a lady approached the campsite to make sure they made it safely through the night.

“That to me is community,” said Inden. “Why do I want to see Canada? I want to see Canada because I came here in 1975 from Amsterdam and you want to see what Canada is all about and Canada is about the people in this country. It’s not about the mountains or the highways, (but) the people who live in this country and last night truly and this morning with the lady shows that.”

Despite the appreciated concern, Inden admitted he’ll probably “go into a motel” the next time he’s warned violent weather is brewing. Even though both men took different paths to get to the Davidson Campgrounds last Wednesday night, both were cautioned on their way in to beware of the oncoming prairie storm.

“I was warned about two towns back by this lady at a bar, I had a hamburger there, and she said you better find a place for tonight because it’s supposed to be nasty out,” said Fegpeitel, noting he soon found out nasty in Saskatchewan is a bit different from what he’s used to. “I have no internet or phone with me, so I have to go according to what I can see or hear from people. Most people are really helpful. Out in the country people don’t mind helping others. I really love that.”

Davidson

Old gas station might cost Davidson taxpayers

Town of Davidson officials have found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place concerning what they should do about an old gas station on King Edward Street.

The owners of the former S. M. Gas and Convenience station near the north entrance to town are behind on their taxes, so Davidson council faced a decision at their monthly meeting May 20 about whether or not to advance with tax enforcement to take the title of the property. This may cost Davidson taxpayers thousands of dollars due to the need of having the ground tested for any contamination from a possibly leaking underground storage tank and then the eventual cost of the cleanup of the site if the concerns of town officials prove true.

“They owe us taxes and we have to get them back,” said Davidson councillor Tyler Alexander about council’s decision to go with tax enforcement. “We can’t let that person get away with not paying their taxes when we’re enforcing it on other people and that (is) the bottom line.”

As discussed at the May council meeting, town officials recently sought advice from the Law Office of Dellene Church on what they should do next as far as putting some pressure on the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment to help them get the owners to get the ground tested and clean the site. The law office advised council the Ministry of Environment would not proceed with any extra pressure on the gas station owners due to results of precision leak tests of the storage tank previously undertaken by the owners determining it was not leaking.

This outcome leaves council with the problem of proceeding to take the title without having proper ground testing of the site first, which comes at a cost of around $10,000.

“It’s kind of a catch-22 situation,” said Davidson administrator Gary Edom. “We take the damn thing and you know you’re going to get caught and sure as heck it’s going to be polluted. There’s going to be something in the ground somewhere and it’s going to cost you thousands of dollars. And to sell it, (well) nobody will buy it. The bank won’t enable anybody to buy a service station property unless it’s been tested and everything is absolutely clear. They just don’t want anybody to take the responsibility.”

To read more please see the June 2 print edition of The Davidson Leader.