Monthly Archives: February 2016

Davidson, featured, Sports

Cyclones rebound with 7-2 win over Dynamos

Davidson's Tory Allan makes good use of a penalty shot during the second period of the Cyclones' playoff game against the Dinsmore/Lucky Lake Dynamos on Feb. 12.
Davidson’s Tory Allan makes good use of a penalty shot during the second period of the Cyclones’ playoff game against the Dinsmore/Lucky Lake Dynamos on Feb. 12.

 

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — For the Davidson Cyclones, the best revenge was playing well.

The team bounced back on Feb. 12, recording a 7-2 win over the Dinsmore/Lucky Lake Dynamos — the minimum margin of victory needed for the Cyclones to move on to the next round of provincial “C” playoffs.

Manager Kirk Johnson said the team had put its primary focus on taking care of the score and leaving other challenges aside for the time being.

“They didn’t worry about what happened before,” he said. “Everybody put their best effort forward and they got ‘er done.”

The win followed a 6-2 loss to the Dynamos on Feb. 5, which had left the Cyclones in a do-or-die scenario for the second game in the total-point series.

Davidson was also left without its captain and second-leading scorer, Derek Allan, who was sidelined with a possible concussion in the previous game, owing to a hit by the Dynamos’ Carter Thomson.

Friday’s game opened with a tight first period. Both teams were held scoreless until the last four minutes, when Charles Inglis scored the first of two goals for Davidson.

Chris Henry then scored for the Dynamos, followed by Inglis’s second goal, setting the score at 2-1 for the Cyclones heading into the second period.

Davidson went on to enjoy a scoring streak, opened by Rhyse Dieno two minutes into the period. Tory Allan extended the Cyclones’ lead four minutes later with the first of three goals.

Midway through the period, Allan was tripped by a competitor while on a breakaway. He was awarded a penalty shot, which he successfully completed, bringing the score to 5-2.

Allan went on to achieve a hat trick, scoring a third goal with eight minutes remaining in the period. He was appropriately honoured by several young spectators, tossing about half a dozen hats on the ice to be collected by officials.

Justin Williams followed that up with a goal for the Dynamos, setting the score at 6-2 at the start of the third period.

The increasingly aggressive game reached its boiling point towards the end, as both the Cyclones’ Tory Allan and the Dynamos’ Carter Thomson were assessed game misconduct penalties due to fighting.

Finally, with 7:41 remaining in the game, Jared Molnar scored for Davidson, assisted by Charles Inglis, bringing the score to 7-2 and giving the Cyclones the necessary five-point lead.

Johnson noted that scoring that goal with Thomson looking on from the penalty box was probably “the best revenge we could ask for.”

He also had high praise for goaltender Brady Willner, calling his performance “unbelievable.”

“He was stopping stuff that I thought was going in,” said Johnson. “He was probably the difference, I would say.”

In the next round, the Cyclones face the Delisle Bruins in a two-game, total-point series. The first game was scheduled for Feb. 19 in Davidson, while the second will follow on Feb. 24 in Delisle.

The winner of that series will face either the Macklin Mohawks or the Eston Ramblers.

Davidson, featured, Loreburn, Sports

Loreburn 14U team wins gold in first tournament

The Loreburn 14U girls club volleyball team is pictured after winning gold in the Tier III division during the Subway Saskatchewan Cup on Feb. 7 in Warman.
The Loreburn 14U girls club volleyball team is pictured after winning gold in the Tier III division during the Subway Saskatchewan Cup on Feb. 7 in Warman.

 

By Joel van der Veen

LOREBURN — Coming out on top was a good way for the Loreburn 14U girls club volleyball team to start things off.

Earlier this month, the team competed in its first tournament in Warman, winning gold in the Tier 3 division at the 14U Subway Saskatchewan Cup on Feb. 7.

Team manager Amanda Glubis said the eight players on the team — hailing from Loreburn, Davidson and Outlook — have all played on high school teams at the junior level, but this is their first season playing together as a club team.

“They really have clicked as a team,” she said last week, adding that the girls all exhibit a similar skill level. “I’m pretty excited . . . it’s working quite well.”

Playing from Loreburn are Alyssa Glubis, Abby Adams and Baylee Batza, while Davidson is represented by Sydney Smith, Tylar Oliver and Jordan Matheson. Two players from Outlook, Kennedy Pederson and Tanner Neufeld, complete the roster.

The team played seven games over the weekend, beginning with round-robin play on Saturday. Though they endured a couple of losses, the girls won their crossover game on Saturday night to determine their tier.

They went on to enjoy a string of wins on Sunday, culminating in their win over the Yorkton Blitz Storm in three sets during the Tier 3 final.

With club volleyball on the rise, Glubis said having the 14U team is beneficial for the parents as well as the players, giving them a taste of the club experience.

For instance, playing seven games in one tournament gave the girls plenty of time on the court, as opposed to school tournaments where a team might drop out of competition after two or three games.

“I think (the parents) were impressed with how much the kids did get to play,” said Glubis, adding that playing the game is the best way to develop skills.

The team began meeting in January and practises twice a week, but has not had any scheduled games outside of tournaments.

Glubis said it has been difficult to arrange court time in the cities, while their teams are reluctant to travel out of town for games.

“They don’t really want to come out here,” she reported. “It’s just too hard to get that organized.”

The Loreburn team is scheduled to compete in a tournament hosted by Regina’s Queen City Volleyball Club (QCVC) on March 12 and 13, followed by the provincial tournament in Saskatoon and Warman from April 15 to 17.

Carmen Heinrichs coaches the Loreburn team, assisted by Kaitlyn Glubis.

Craik, featured

Restructuring town may be Craik’s best hope, council told

web-craik

By Joel van der Veen

CRAIK — A proposal to restructure the Town of Craik as an organized hamlet will be the focus of a special meeting of town council later this month.

Councillors were told at their regular meeting on Thursday night that such a restructuring may be the town’s best option, as Craik grapples with the cost of rehabilitating its water treatment plant.

Dermot McCaw, who was reporting to council on behalf of the Water Task Force, said Craik will be on the hook for more infrastructure needs over the next few years, from maintenance of the water delivery system to expansion of the sewage lagoon.

He predicted that those costs would reach into the millions of dollars, well beyond the town’s resources.

“We’re just touching the tip of the iceberg,” said McCaw. “I hate to be as blunt as I am … I think that we’re up the creek without a paddle.”

Task force member Mark Wegner, who also attended Thursday’s meeting, said the town isn’t equipped to cover the ballooning costs of maintaining its infrastructure.

Restructuring may be the best way forward, he told the Leader on Friday morning, but ultimately council will need to choose what path the town will take.

“We’re just giving them the information,” said Wegner. “How they deal with it is up to the council.”

As an organized hamlet, the current town would become part of the Rural Municipality of Craik and would come under the RM’s governance.

Residents would elect a three-person board to represent the hamlet before the RM council, according to the province’s website. The RM would collect all taxes and grants for the hamlet, which would not have spending authority.

All grant money received for the hamlet would be allocated to the community, while hamlet and the RM would need to negotiate an agreement by which a portion of the taxes collected from hamlet residents — usually between 40 and 75 per cent — would be allotted towards the community.

McCaw said he recognized the proposal would not be popular, but he advised the town to take it under consideration, given the circumstances it currently faces.

“It’s a terrifying step,” he said, his voice uneven. “I grew up in the town, I don’t want to tear it down.”

Craik has been without potable water since August 2010. The town is in ongoing discussions with the provincial Water Security Agency (WSA), which has set a deadline of Dec. 31, 2018 for Craik to restore drinking water service to residents.

If progress isn’t made soon, McCaw said the WSA may look at taking action against the town, which could include fines or an order of compliance.

He acknowledged that all options should be considered, but added that in his opinion, restructuring would be the best way forward.

“It’s undeniable that you’re treading water,” said McCaw. “It’s (the town’s) responsibility to supply potable water.”

McCaw presented a preliminary engineer’s report from KGS Group, which included an assessment of Craik’s water treatment facilities, based on site visits completed on Oct. 23 and Dec. 10 of last year.

Council gave its approval to request the final report from KGS, which will include estimated capital replacement costs and remaining service life for major system components. The cost of this upcoming report was estimated at $7,500.

Besides the costs of the assessment, McCaw said the town must also anticipate the costs of implementing the engineers’ recommendations, which would likely be upwards of half a million dollars.

Even if provincial and federal grants could be secured, the town would still be on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars for its anticipated infrastructure needs.

Wegner said the proposal had been percolating for some time, while McCaw said that if Craik’s situation improves down the road, regaining town status may be a possibility.

Once council has decided on the direction it will take, McCaw said the town would need to reach out to the Ministry of Government Relations.

Consultations with the rural municipality would be necessary, as would a public meeting with ratepayers.

“This is just a baby step to a long process,” said Wegner, adding that council will also need to consider how restructuring would affect the school, the hospital and other services and facilities in Craik.

He said Friday that council has likely done as good of a job as could be expected with the tools at its disposal, but the town does not draw enough tax revenue to pay for anything beyond normal operating costs.

Wegner likened it to the recent trend of consolidation among the province’s co-operative associations, many of which have concluded that they cannot remain viable as separate entities over the long term.

“Since July, we’ve been going through every scenario that we can possibly go through,” he said, referring to the task force. “Nobody wants to see anything drastic . . . (but) it’s a solution.”

“There’s no easy solution, no easy answer,” he continued. “If anybody’s got a better solution, I’m definitely open to it.”

Council members appeared to have been blindsided by the suggestion, with Mayor Rick Rogers stating, “I had no idea they were going to propose that tonight.”

Coun. Charla Edwards, who serves on the task force, said members have discussed the idea at length. Other council members expressed openness to the proposal.

“I think it needs to be explored,” said Coun. David Ashdown. “Exploring the option doesn’t cost us anything, though it may cause an uproar.”

“We’re not attracting any new development here,” said Coun. Cheryl Klein. “We can’t, our hands are tied.”

Administrator Sarah Wells suggested that the town consult with the provincial government and conduct its own research before making a firm decision.

Ashdown added that councillors would need to perform their due diligence in looking at what was involved and what the outcome could be.

He suggested calling a special meeting of council to decide on the issue. The date was set for Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.

The town would need co-operation from the RM to move forward with restructuring. Reeve Hilton Spencer said Friday morning that he would need to discuss it with his council, but added he was skeptical they would give it their approval.

“I’d have to talk to my guys,” he said. “I would say the answer would be ‘no’ . . . I’m almost positive about it . . . but I guess it would have to be discussed.”

Patrick Boyle, speaking on behalf of the WSA on Friday, confirmed that the agency had set a deadline for Craik to restore its potable water service.

The WSA has multiple options to take action against the town if necessary, said Boyle, but “the regulations are all pretty reasonable.”

He added that regulators are unlikely to take forceful action as long as there’s evidence that the town is making progress.

Davidson, featured

New branch librarian eager to get started

Adrienne van der Veen will begin her position as the new branch librarian for Davidson on Feb. 19.
Adrienne van der Veen will begin her position as the new branch librarian for Davidson on Feb. 19.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — For Adrienne van der Veen, libraries have always felt like homes away from home.

Growing up in Owen Sound, Ont., she and her two brothers would often go to the public library after school.

There, she developed the habit of being a “voracious reader,” making her way through the Little House on the Prairie series and laughing at the antics of Gordon Korman’s Bruno and Boots.

Adrienne, who was hired this month as the new branch librarian for Davidson, said she’s excited to get started and looking forward to meeting the needs of library users here.

“I really enjoy getting to know people and being with kids,” she said, adding that she wants to be an “ambassador” for the library. “It’s an honour to be here.”

Adrienne grew up in Ontario and moved out west to attend Briercrest College and Seminary in Caronport, Sask., graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in intercultural studies with an emphasis on TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).

She then moved to Moose Jaw, spending most of the next five years as an office administrator for Joe’s Place, a youth centre located in the city’s downtown core.

After her marriage in 2013, she and her husband Joel spent the next year in Moose Jaw, where their daughter Ellie was born in August 2014. They then spent seven months in Stettler, Alta., before moving to Davidson in March 2015.

Since last June, Adrienne has worked occasionally as a substitute at the Davidson branch of Palliser Regional Library.

She had previously volunteered with the Moose Jaw Multicultural Council, reading books to newcomers and helping them find materials of interest at the city library. In Stettler, she helped with a twice-weekly “Read and Rhyme” program.

Adrienne said last week she would like to look at developing new programs, starting with a regular story time for parents and children.

“We’ll explore our options in the future,” she said. “For now, we’ll start small, and grow as we go.”

Audrey Hamm, who serves as chair of the Davidson library board, said she and her colleagues were impressed with Adrienne’s enthusiasm and suggestions.

“It’s a good opportunity for some fresh ideas,” she said, adding that the board is hopeful that Adrienne will help draw younger users to the library.

Previously, September Brooke had served as the Davidson branch librarian, beginning in 1998 and continuing until she was diagnosed with cancer in 2014.

Brooke, who died Jan. 10 at the age of 53, is being recognized by Palliser through the institution of the September Brooke Rural Education Bursary, in honour of her dedication to lifelong learning and teaching.

“September left some big shoes to fill,” said Hamm, adding that despite the sad circumstances, “we’re pretty optimistic that Adrienne’s going to do a great job.”

Adrienne also said she was aware of Brooke’s contributions and dedication: “September’s set the bar pretty high, by all accounts.”

Debbie Shearwood will remain in her current role as assistant librarian. Also currently serving as staff members are Donna Sampson and Betty Maunder.

For the full story, please see the Feb. 15 edition of The Davidson Leader.

Craik, Obituary

Obituary: Bligh, Lyle Kenneth

Bligh, Lyle Kenneth
Bligh, Lyle Kenneth

Bligh, Lyle Kenneth
1927 — 2016

Lyle Kenneth Bligh was born in Gerald, Sask., on May 20, 1927. He was the third of four children of Clarence and Stephania Bligh who farmed in the Gerald area. Lyle grew up in the era of horses and steel-wheel tractors and developed a love for farming that would bring him back to his roots later in life.

An adventurer at heart, first he was off to Winnipeg as a new recruit in the Winnipeg police force. During this time, the wedding of his sister Maline introduced him to the love of his life, Gertrude Law (Gertie). Quickly inseparable, they were married on Oct. 6, 1950.

However, Lyle decided that law enforcement was not his calling and soon moved back to Saskatchewan. There, Gertie and Lyle had five children between the years of 1954 and 1962: Sharon, Russell, Roderick, Gordon and Linda. During this time, the family resided in the Hazel Cliffe and Spy Hill area. In the early 1960s, Lyle would be presented the opportunity of training to be a meteorology technician.

In 1962, Lyle, having completed his training, took his family on a grand adventure to Norman Wells, N.W.T. There, Lyle shared his love for the outdoors with all his family — hiking, hunting and fishing. Lyle also became an accomplished photographer during his time in the North. He developed black-and-white photos in his darkroom and took spectacular photos of the Norman Wells landscape; a highlight included one of the midnight sun.

At last, in 1968, Lyle and family returned to his first love, farming. He bought the Leo Bessel farm in the Langenburg area and worked hard to provide for his family. In Langenburg, Lyle joined the local barbershop quartet to entertain many with his singing. He also encouraged his family to develop interests in music.

Another change in the early 1990s, and circumstance took Lyle and Gertrude from the farm. In the ensuing years they lived in numerous communities in Saskatchewan including Fleming, Neudorf and Cabri. They settled in Craik in 1994. There, in their later years, with Gertie’s love of cooking and Lyle’s entrepreneurial spirit, they created a business to sell baked goods at the Moose Jaw farmer’s market.

Lyle was also a lover of books and had a huge library to satisfy that love. In addition he had a keen interest in his family history and helped create the Bligh family tree dating back to the 1700s. He facilitated this with a membership in the Craik Genealogy Society. Lyle and Gertie’s unwavering Christian faith guided them and their family through the illness of a son and the death of a daughter (Sharon) and grandchild (Kaitlin).

Lyle fell ill in 2012, residing in Moose Jaw for a few months before being placed closer to home in the Craik Health Centre. But while his health declined, his spirit never did and Lyle maintained an everlasting love for Gertie, his family, and baked goods. He passed away at the Craik Health Centre on Feb. 2, 2016 at the age of 88 years. A wonderful life well-lived.

Davidson, Elbow, Obituary

Obituary: Greene, Viola May

Viola May Greene
Viola May Greene

Viola May Greene
1920 – 2016

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Viola Greene, aged 95 of Davidson, Sask.

Vi leaves to mourn her son Byron (Iris), Lance and Kayla; son David (Amber), Devin (Renee) Jorja and Finley and Derek (Meaghan) and Kaleb; son-in-law Dennis (Julie) Demeester and family Darla (Scott) Dillon, Riley, Zach and Samantha; and Dwayne (Lisa) Demeester.

Viola was predeceased by her husband Keith and daughter Donna.

An Anglican service was held Thursday, Feb. 4 at 2:00 p.m. at the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Davidson. Rev. Susan Anholt officiated. Interment was at the family plot in the Davidson Cemetery. Hanson’s Funeral Home was entrusted to arrangements.

The following tribute to Viola was given by her grandson, Devin Greene.

Viola May Reding was born on May 10, 1920 in Wakaw to parents George and Juditha Reding of Cudworth, Sask. Vi was the third of four children: there was older brother Alvin, older sister Myrtle, and younger brother Edwin. A fifth child, Lillian, died as an infant. They grew up on the family farm near Cudworth.

After finishing school in the late ‘30s, like many other young women at the time, Vi attended Normal School in Saskatoon to train to be a teacher.

Grandma mentioned this “normal school” many times, and it was something I always struggled with. Why was it called “normal” school? Could anyone go there? It seemed special or different, was it really? Was there an “abnormal” school? Eventually, I found out it was just the name of the school people went to in order to become a teacher.

By the early ‘40s, Vi was teaching in one-room schools in the Davidson area. She taught at Bengough, Lothian and Rosemae. A neighbouring farmer at Rosemae must have caught her eye, and in 1944 she married Keith Greene.

Vi and Keith lived on the Greene family farm, near Rosemae school. For those of you not familiar with all of the names of the rural school districts of 70 years ago, this is 20 miles west of Davidson, where my parents Dave and Amber still live.

I’ve seen some pictures of the farm from that time. The words sparse, barren, isolated quickly come to mind. It was flat bald prairie, with only a tiny house and barn. There were no trees. The entire house is the size of my parent’s current kitchen.

In 1948, they had their first child Donna. The next year they thought it would be a good idea to plant a couple thousand trees. Then after Byron was born in 1951, they planted a few thousand more. Since I’m sure the first round of planting thousands of trees by hand with a baby in tow went so well, a second child must have helped out lots. David was born in 1955. They didn’t plant any more trees.

Life in rural Saskatchewan could at times be lonely. There was always so much work to be done on the farm, it often seemed like there was little time for socializing. But Vi made time for it. She was a member of the Woodmere Sunshine Club (a social group of local farm women). She’d often visit and have coffee with the Dahls, Carrolls, Hewitts or other nearby neighbours. Together with Keith, they enjoyed regular square dancing, and were members of clubs in both Loreburn and Davidson. They also were heavily involved in the Saskatchewan Archaeological Society.

On the farm, Vi loved animals. She loved the cows and gave names to them. Blondie was her favourite milking cow. She loved to garden, and always had a big one. Even when they had moved into town, she still had a patch in the back yard that was always very bountiful. She had a green thumb and a knack for getting anything to grow. One of her favourite indoor plants was an amaryllis that had been given to her mother for a wedding present. It has been grown and split many times since. Some of us have bulbs from it now. For her, it would flower beautifully. The rest of us are struggling to achieve the same level of success as she did.

In 1978, they moved into town and retired from farming. They travelled in the winter months to Europe, South America, Hawaii and other places. But she always loved the farm, and enjoyed coming out to see it. She made a point to always come out at least once during harvest, so she could see the crops and maybe get a ride in the combine.

Most of my own memories of Grandma come from when I was going to school in Davidson and my brother Derek and I would stay at Grandma’s. Sometimes it was just after school for a couple of hours; sometimes it was overnight, because the buses couldn’t run due to a winter storm. We’d often play games: Grandma taught me how to play cribbage, whist and hearts. Or we’d play Rack-O (a card game) or Scrabble. She was particularly good at Scrabble, and difficult to beat. There was often a card table set up in the living room with some kind of giant puzzle on it that we would sit at for a bit and put in a few pieces.

Like most grandparents, she had a candy cupboard, and we were always quick to check it out. Usually there were peppermints or hard candy, but if you were lucky there were macaroons or rosebuds. These didn’t last long, however, because they were also some of Grandma’s favourites.

Grandma was very social and always enjoyed having tea or coffee with someone to visit. In the morning, she’d often walk down the street to Winnie Scott’s house for a coffee. Other days she would go with Nettie Dahl to the A&W. She loved her time at the senior’s centre and was a regular there. As a kid, I loved going there too, always with the hope of being able to play shuffleboard.

Grandma always had this quiet sort of confidence around her. She was this sweet old lady, but if she wanted to go somewhere, or do something, she did it. You did NOT make her doctor or dentist appointments on Tuesdays or Thursdays, because that was senior’s day. You didn’t interrupt her when Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy! were on.

Donna and Dennis were building a new house on the farm and she wanted to see it. So, she grabbed some of her friends, and drove out there and checked out the construction.

If you took her somewhere (like a family supper) and she was ready to leave, you knew. She wouldn’t say anything, but would simply go get her coat and shoes on and wait by the door. That was the sign she was ready to go home.

Not that many years ago, my mom caught Grandma and Nettie Dahl using a ladder in her backyard to pick apples off her apple tree. Mom asked what they were doing. “We want to make apple pie and the best apples are at the top of the tree. Don’t worry, the neighbours can’t see us.” Which is just the thing you’re most worried about when a couple of 90-year-old ladies are climbing ladders to pick apples.

Another example of her “matter-of-factness” was told to me by Grandma just last year. It was the story of when my Dad was born. It was March of 1955. It had just snowed and Grandma knew it was time to have the baby. So did they head straight to the hospital in Davidson? No. They hitched the tractor to the front of the car and took it through the snow to Loreburn. Then they caught the train down to Moose Jaw, so they could leave Byron and Donna with Grandpa’s parents. Then they took a bus back up to Davidson to the hospital to have David. I like to think it was Grandma’s own will power that prevented my dad from being born in the middle of a field or the back of a bus.

Grandma had a habit of “collecting things” from auctions or garage sales and over time, these started to accumulate. Eventually her kids gradually started trying to remove things from the house. While she didn’t like this, she would put up with it to a point. Inevitably, someone would go too far, and attempt to get rid of something Grandma did not want to get rid of, and she basically kicked them out of her house. Donna once got a “Haven’t you got somewhere else to be?” Dave got a flat out “I think you should go now.”

Grandma was one of the sweetest people I ever knew. She was always happy, cheerful, and laughing. I’m sure she must have gotten mad some of the time, but I never saw it. The maddest I saw her get was when a contestant on Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy! got an easy answer wrong. Thank you Grandma for all you did for your family and friends. We love you, and we miss you.