All posts by Tara de Ryk

Kenaston, Obituary

Obituary: George, Phyllis

Phyllis George (Whittle)
November 29, 1912 — May 8, 2017

After a long and very full life of 104 years, Phyllis passed away peacefully at her residence at St. Ann’s Nursing Home in Saskatoon, Sask.

Phyllis was born at Hanley, Sask., on the farm of her parents. She grew up in the area until she was 16, when she then went away to finish her schooling and attend Normal School in Saskatoon.

Once receiving her teaching certificate, she was employed as a teacher in several small schools around Saskatchewan. She taught at Zid School, just east of Kenaston for four years. It was during that time she met her future husband, Peter George. And in 1942, they were married.

They eventually settled five miles west of Kenaston, where they farmed and raised their family and in later years, retired to Kenaston.

Phyllis is survived by: her son Don (Gloria) George, their children Deanne (Al) Bleackley and Jason (Shauna) George; her daughter Norma Nordquist (Byron Vicars), her children Blaine (Sue) Nordquist, Jon (Candace) Nordquist and Adrienne (Stu) Harrop; son-in-law Barry Firby, his children Chad (Regan) Firby, Renee Firby and Mackenzie Firby; as well as 15 great-grandchildren, three great-great grandchildren, and numerous nephews and nieces. Phyllis was predeceased by husband Peter George in 1973, son-in-law Jerry Nordquist in 2005, and daughter Chris Firby in 2012.

Service will be held Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 2 p.m. from Kenaston Place, Kenaston, Sask. Pastor Gene Whitehead presiding. Burial to follow at Kenaston Cemetery.

Hanson’s Funeral Home, Davidson, Sask., in charge of arrangements.

Hanley, Obituary

Obituary: McPhee, Audrey Blanche

McPhee, Audrey Blanche (Peggy)
August 12, 1928 — May 5, 2017

Peggy was born in Hanley, Sask. She passed away peacefully in Polson Extended Care, Vernon, B.C., with her children at her side. She is predeceased by her husband Roy, her mother and father, and all her brothers and sisters. Peggy is survived by Jeanette, Larry (Donna); grandchildren Craig and Rob; one great-grandchild Karsen; and numerous nieces and nephews.

The service is to be held in Hanley, to be announced at a later date.

Davidson, featured

Steak supper raises $8,200 for local couple

A benefit held in Davidson on April 25 raised more than $8,200 for Betsie and Peter Leach, pictured here.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — When she and her husband Peter pulled up at Davidson Town Hall the night of April 25, Betsie Leach figured they must have gotten the date wrong.

“I thought there might be a wedding on, with all the cars parked there,” she told the Leader last week.

As it turned out, hundreds of people were there for them.

“We are still speechless about it,” she said. “We can’t believe it.”

The Leaches were the guests of honour at a steak supper held that night, which raised more than $8,200 to support them.

The husband and wife, who reside in Davidson, have both been off of work for the last several months as they deal with ongoing health concerns.

Dana Billett, who organized the event with Lindsay Cross, said they began planning for the fundraiser in late March.

“We just thought they could use a little bit of extra support,” Billett explained.

Co-workers, friends and other residents stepped up, donating food, auction and raffle items, and volunteering their time and effort.

Western Sales donated the food for the main course, Homemade Goodness donated macaroni salad and the United Church ladies contributed the desserts.

The Kinsmen donated the use of their barbecue while Riverbend Co-op provided the propane. Many others volunteered to set up, clean up and run the event. Dozens of items were donated for the silent auction and raffle tables.

Billett said 240 tickets were pre-sold, while many who couldn’t attend made donations in support of the Leaches.

“There isn’t a person that Lindsay or I sold a ticket to who didn’t mention how sweet or kind or caring Betsie is all of the time,” said Billett. “Everyone was willing to help out and support them just on that alone.”

The Leaches, originally from South Africa, moved to Davidson in October 2014 after Peter accepted a position at Western Sales.

For the full story, please see the May 8 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

Craik, Dilke, featured

Dilke Co-op to close its doors after 101 years

By Joel van der Veen

DILKE — After more than a century of serving local customers, the Dilke Co-operative Association is sputtering to a halt.

May 10 is the final day of operations for the Co-op, though most of its services have already wound up and stock is largely cleared out.

The Co-op’s properties — including a grocery store, hardware store, lumberyard, cardlock and oil storage building — went up for sale in an online auction that ended May 1.

Board president Trevor Maerz said the association was forced to address its dire financial situation late last year.

“Our cash flow disappeared on us,” he said, adding that attempts to increase their line of credit were also unsuccessful. “We were basically presented with two options: dissolve or run on a cash basis.”

A public meeting was held in January, packing the village hall, and a vote on dissolution was taken the next month, with 86 per cent in favour.

Maerz, 60, said it was a difficult decision for the board, but ultimately, inevitable given the decline in business.

“You knew there was no alternative,” he said. “You can’t keep stuff open for people that just want to buy a jug of milk and a tub of margarine every week.”

“It was a hard decision, and just a shame to see something else leaving small-town Saskatchewan. . . It’s been a tough winter, hard on the ol’ psyche.”

The association has been in operation since 1916, and continued to provide a full line of services even as patronage dwindled, including bulk fuel sales. The grocery store also houses the village post office.

The Dilke Co-op had roughly 120 active members, though Maerz estimated that maybe a third of those were regular, year-round customers.

The village has around 75 residents, but the area sees increased traffic in the summer as tourists and cabin owners flock to nearby Last Mountain Lake.

Maerz said the population explodes for about three months of the year, adding, “It’s the other nine that kills us.”

For the full story, please see the May 8 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

Craik, featured

Craik drama club tells tales from the circus

The troll (Connor Watt) matches wits with the middle Billy Goat Gruff (Parker Ackland) in a scene from “Stories Under the Big Top,” presented at Craik School on May 1.

By Joel van der Veen

CRAIK — The circus came to Craik last week for a limited engagement, entertaining young and old.

On May 1, the Craik School drama club presented “Stories Under the Big Top,” a 40-minute play by Lorraine Thompson.

The play featured a cast of 23 students in grades 3 through 12, telling a series of fairy tales.

Constance Schneider, an educational assistant who directed the play, said they decided to mount a shorter production this year due to the high number of young students in the cast.

“It was a short and sweet play,” she said. “I had a lot of beginner actors this year.”

Schneider said the play made a good introduction to the stage for the rookies, though it still required plenty of effort.

“With a lot of hard work from the students, we pulled it off,” she said, adding that many of the kids involved are active in sports and other activities.

Grade 12 student Sky Ann Stinson was the ringmaster, introducing each story and presenting the cast at the end for their final bow. Each tale ended with a moral.

For the full story and more photos, please see the May 8 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

Davidson, featured

Kids make splash at fire hall

Davin McNabb, 4, and his sister Jayla, 2, had a blast trying out the fire hose during the Davidson Volunteer Fire Department's open house on April 22. Helping them out is firefighter Tim Bruch.
Davin McNabb, 4, and his sister Jayla, 2, had a blast trying out the fire hose during the Davidson Volunteer Fire Department’s open house on April 22. Helping them out is firefighter Tim Bruch.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Judging by the constant sirens, Railway Avenue must have sounded like a disaster area last Saturday afternoon, but it was all in good fun.

Dozens of kids took their turn at sitting in the fire truck, trying on a firefighter’s uniform or spraying the hose during an open house at the Davidson Fire Hall.

Most popular was the blaring siren, said deputy chief Don Willner, adding that the firefighters like it for the same reason.

“We like making noise and flashing the lights,” he said with a laugh.

The open house on April 22 drew a steady crowd with all ages represented. There were grey skies overhead but the rain and snow held off for the afternoon.

The fire department had all four vehicles on display, including the two fire trucks, a pumper and a rapid rescue unit.

The hose was set up on McGregor Street along with a prop house with wooden flames in the windows. Guests were invited to take a turn holding the hose, directing the spray to knock down the flames.

Hamburgers, hot dogs and pop were served free of charge, and a silver collection was taken to benefit the hose fund.

The event was an opportunity to the public to take a look behind the scenes at the fire hall, meeting the volunteers and seeing the tools they use.

Willner said the department is also continuing its appeal for new members.

Three people have joined in the last two months, taking the number of active members to 14.

“That’s pretty good, considering it’s a small department,” said Willner, adding that the target is set at 20 members. “Like any volunteer department, we’re constantly looking for new members.”

Anyone interested in joining or learning more can call fire chief Clayton Schilling at 561-7597 or Willner at 567-7390.