All posts by Tara de Ryk

featured, Loreburn

Loreburn’s cenotaph restored after 90 years

Legion members, RCMP officers and dignitaries pose following the rededication ceremony for Loreburn’s cenotaph on June 6.

By Joel van der Veen

LOREBURN — In 1927, veterans from Loreburn and area built a monument to their fallen comrades in the centre of their village.

They had hauled rocks — likely from the Wankel farm, west of town — and constructed the stone memorial at the corner of Main Street and Saskatchewan Avenue, near the brick schoolhouse.

Ninety years later, residents of the village gathered to rededicate their cenotaph, and to remember and honour the fallen.

Thirteen men are commemorated on the monument — 11 casualties from the First World War, and two from the Second World War.

During Tuesday’s ceremony, Rev. Ursula Wiig spoke of the importance of continuing to remember their sacrifice.

Recalling the horror of conflicts past and present, she added, “We also want to dedicate ourselves to making a better world.”

The 90-year-old monument was recently refurbished by local volunteers, ensuring it will continue to serve its purpose for years to come.

Andy Wong and his wife May led the repairs, removing and replacing the mortar, which had deteriorated over time. Also, the plaques were cleaned and the letters were repainted by Sue Ann Abbott.

The project cost roughly $1,200, about half of which was covered by a grant from Veterans Affairs Canada. The rest of the costs were covered by the branch’s Poppy Trust Fund and by the village itself.

Around 140 people gathered Tuesday morning for the ceremony. This included close to 100 students from Loreburn Central School, who walked to the site for the occasion.

The date, June 6, was chosen as the 73rd anniversary of the landing at Normandy, popularly known as D-Day.

Joe Sitavanc, president of Loreburn-Elbow Branch No. 251 of the Royal Canadian Legion, served as emcee.

For the full story, please see the June 12 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

Davidson, Sports

Read wins bronze at provincial meet

Emily Read (right) of Davidson School won bronze in junior girls tetrathlon at the provincial track and field meet on June 2.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — A bronze medal wasn’t the only thing Emily Read took home from last weekend’s provincial track and field meet.

Read, who competed in the junior girls tetrathlon, scored a personal best in long jump, one of the four events.

She also gets to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment and pride that comes from competing and succeeding on the provincial stage.

“It’s an amazing experience just to go to provincials and compete there and see the different athletes,” Read told the Leader last week. “Winning a medal makes it an even better experience.”

The Grade 11 student was one of nine athletes from Davidson School to compete at provincials in Saskatoon on June 2 and 3, and the only one to earn a medal.

She said she was feeling nervous but excited heading into provincials. In training, she said, she focused on the track events, where there was the most room for improvement.

“I was hoping for a ribbon, for sure,” she recalled. “I didn’t know how it would go.”

Her first event on Friday was the 100-metre dash, where she placed second in her heat and sixth overall with a time of 14.46 seconds.

Read then threw 8.32 metres in the shot put, placing second. This was an encouraging result and she realized that a medal might be within her reach.

She recorded a personal best in the long jump, 4.42 metres, earning first place in that event.

She said the pressure was on heading into the final event, the 800-metre run. There she placed sixth with a time of 2:47.58.

The run was held just before 7 p.m. and the results weren’t announced for almost an hour afterward, when Read learned she’d be taking home the bronze.

“I was really happy,” she said. “Going into provincials, I didn’t think I’d get a medal, so I was pumped.”

Read scored a total of 1,851 points, only 31 points shy of the gold-medal winner, Ally Kosteniuk of Balgonie. A total of 16 girls competed in the event.

A banner with Read’s name will be presented to the school and hung in the gymnasium. (Her name is already up there on another banner, presented to the Davidson/Loreburn RaiTec for winning 2A volleyball provincials in 2015.)

Read played basketball and volleyball at school this past year and is also active in softball and dance.

She said she plans to continue with track and field next year with hopes of improving her results at the tetrathlon.

Read also competed at provincials last year in the midget girls long jump, scoring a personal best of 4.26 metres.

Two athletes from Davidson reached the top 10 in multiple events at the provincial meet.

Clay Murfitt competed in four junior boys events. He placed seventh in the high jump (1.65 m, 7/25) and ninth in the 100-m hurdles (15.93 in semis). He also competed in the shot put (10.42 m, 13/28) and the 100-m dash (12.48 s, 21/28).

Meanwhile, in the midget girls division, Jordan Matheson placed eighth in long jump at 4.78 metres (8/28) and ninth in triple jump at 9.78 metres (9/27). She also completed the 100-m dash in 13.75 seconds (16/16 in semis).

For the full story and complete results, please see the June 12 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

Hanley, Sports

Back-to-back bronze for Hanley pole vaulter

Jadyn Reiber (right) of Hanley Composite School won bronze in the midget girls pole vault at the provincial track and field meet on June 3.

By Joel van der Veen

HANLEY — Flinging your body around with the help of a long, narrow pole might seem daunting, but fortunately it gets easier with time.

“It can be a bit scary hurling yourself into the air, I guess,” said Jadyn Reiber, a pole vaulter and a Grade 10 student at Hanley Composite School.

“It was hard at first . . . Once you get over the fear factor, then it gets a lot easier and your confidence grows.”

Having won two provincial bronze medals in two years, Reiber knows what she’s talking about.

She won bronze in the midget girls pole vault last year, with a height of 1.90 metres.

On June 3, she repeated the feat, increasing her height to 2.25 metres. Both years, she was the only Hanley athlete to return home from provincials with a medal.

Reiber said she participates in other events but has focused on the pole vault in the last couple of years.

“Honestly, I’d see people doing it and I thought that it would be kind of fun,” she recalled.

She and other rural students practised at the field house on the University of Saskatchewan campus once a week, giving them an opportunity they might not otherwise have at smaller schools.

In recent weeks Reiber has been suffering from a virus, which weakened her somewhat on the day of the event. She said she’s still curious to know how she would have done had she been in perfect health.

“I was hoping to do better, but that didn’t happen,” she said, adding, “I’m happy with the way it turned out.”

She has avoided injury so far in her pole vaulting career, though she had a close call while warming up at provincials this year when the mat was harder than she expected.

“My first jump was kind of a surprise,” she said. “I kneed myself in the face.”

Reiber plays volleyball at school and has also played on various club teams. Her other sports include curling and badminton.

“I do pretty much everything the school has to offer,” she said.

With a couple of years to go, she plans to continue her efforts on the field, with the aim of improving her results and perhaps taking home a silver or gold.

“A lot of the girls do club track in the city,” said Reiber. “I think if I push myself, I can hopefully reach that goal.”

For the full story and complete results, see the June 12 edition of The Davidson Leader, or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

Davidson

Town in motion, but houses standing still

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Davidson is billed as the Community in Motion, and by and large it lives up to that name.

Seeders are rolling in nearby fields. Business is steady. Kids are pedalling their bicycles up and down Davidson’s streets, and soon they’ll be diving into the sparkling waters of the town’s new pool.

But things have slowed almost to a crawl in one sector: the housing market.

According to an informal count by the Leader, there were 17 houses for sale in Davidson as of last Thursday, based on real estate listings, ads online and in print, and on-site advertising. (Four acreages in the area are also for sale.)

Buyers looking for a home here have a range of options — from small starter homes with asking prices under $100,000, to newer, larger houses priced between $250,000 and $500,000.

Of those 17 houses, more than half have been listed or vacant for six months or longer.

Among these is a three-bedroom bungalow on Government Road, currently the home of Carl and Doris Kochendorfer. The house has been on the market for just over a year.

“Houses aren’t moving, not in Davidson,” Doris said last week. “I know it’s a good location . . . The economy is really bad right now.”

The elderly couple moved from the farm into town eight years ago. They tried listing their house with a couple of different agents and are currently trying for a private sale.

Recently, they reduced their asking price by $15,000 and are feeling encouraged after hearing of a couple of other houses that have sold recently.

Doris said they’re hopeful that the warm summer weather will bring more viewers and lead to a sale.

Real estate agent Vanna Gay Shaw acknowledged recently that the number of listings in Davidson at present is unusual.

Shaw, who has been selling real estate locally for more than two decades, also said houses are staying on the market longer than they used to.

“Two years ago, if a house came up, it was gone . . . if it was any good,” she remarked.

Shaw said she’s not sure why houses are moving so slowly, though the asking prices are likely a factor in some cases.

While the number of properties available might seem to suggest otherwise, Shaw also said there’s no mass exodus underway.

Of the owners currently trying to sell homes, only two have moved away from town.

In other cases, the reasons behind the sales are varied — the homeowners are relocating within town, the owner of the house has died, or the house is a new build.

For the full story, please see the June 5 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

Craik, featured

Rubber hits the road in Craik bike rodeo

Aubrey Boyd stops at a checkpoint during a bike rodeo in Craik on May 27. Helping her out is volunteer Judy Anderson.

By Joel van der Veen

CRAIK — Safety was the order of the day during a fun event for the whole family in Craik last weekend.

Several businesses and local organizations partnered to host Craik Community Kids Safety Day on May 27.

Part of Third Street was closed to make room for a bike rodeo. Each participant made their way through seven stations, and volunteers were on hand to provide tune-ups, helmet fittings and other assistance.

Clear, sunny skies were much appreciated by organizers, though they had to keep close eyes on obstacles that were prone to being rearranged by the wind.

“We’ve really lucked out with the weather,” said volunteer Judy Anderson. “It’s not 60-mile-an-hour wind . . . yet.”

Const. Nathan Boyd of the Craik RCMP said just under 30 participants completed the bike rodeo.

The event wrapped up a little earlier than planned due to the wind, though all who had registered were able to make their way through. Boyd said they were pleased with the turnout and results, expressing appreciation to the sponsors and volunteers.

The Craik and District Lions Club and the Craik branch of the Royal Canadian Legion served a barbecue lunch in Cornerstone Park.

Public health nurse Sheri Warkentin provided a car seat clinic, while the SGI Safety Squad was also on hand to provide education.

The RCMP and the Craik Fire Department had their emergency vehicles on display, open for tours.

Craik Playschool operated a bake sale table, and local high school students provided face painting. A bean bag toss in front of the Long Lake Insurance office also proved to be a popular attraction.

Craik, Davidson, featured

Dulle on the road for mental health

Jade Dulle stopped in Davidson May 29, taking a pit stop during her Ride for Mental Health. She’s cycling 1,300 kilometres from Consul to Creighton to raise money and awareness for the Canadian Mental Health Foundation.

By Tara de Ryk

DAVIDSON — With the wind at her back, Jade Dulle’s managed to travel at a pretty good clip in her journey to raise money and awareness for mental health.

She set out from Consul May 23. Six days later she arrived in Davidson after cycling roughly 450 kilometres, completing one-third of a 1,300-km trek called Jade’s Ride for Mental Health. The ride will end in Creighton. Jade says the objective is to get there by June 20, but if the wind keeps blowing her way, she could reach the finish line ahead of schedule.

The fundraising effort is ahead of pace as well, having raised $14,000 towards her $20,000 goal.

These funds are much needed and, according to Jade, will go to a worthy and needy cause.

Jade, 21, battles bipolar disorder. She was diagnosed a year-and-a-half ago and says programs and services offered by the Canadian Mental Health Association have been very beneficial.

“They cover the vastness of mental health. The support is ongoing. I found it very helpful to different people I know and to myself.”

She points to the CMHA’s Mental Health First Aid course as one that helped the most.

“I became more aware. It taught me how to recognize symptoms of mental illness and how to help and how to remove people from situations that could trigger. Overall it gave me more confidence about mental health,” Jade said.

She has company along for the ride. She has a support crew of partner Courtney and her parents Calvin and Tracy Dulle who follow behind in an RV, its hazard lights flashing.

Her dad and Courtney take a shift on the bike every now and then so she can take a break, but Jade says she’s doing the majority of the cycling.

To support Jade’s Ride for Mental Health, people may go to CanadaHelps.org and search for the CMHA Saskatoon branch and under the Donate option, put their donation in honour of Jade’s Ride for Mental Health. People may also follow the ride on Facebook.

For the full story, please see the June 5 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.