By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Outside the Davidson town hall, the town cenotaph lists 35 names of World War One casualties — all men who lost their lives fighting on Canada’s behalf.

“That’s 35 too many,” said Allan Snowie, one of three pilots visiting Davidson last week. “We don’t want that to ever happen again.”

Snowie said his generation represents the last living link with the men and women who fought in that war. As such, they have an important task — to keep the memories of their sacrifice alive.

“What we’re striving to do is to pass their stories on to our grandchildren,” he said.

Davidson was one of the official stops for “Birth of a Nation,” a cross-country tour featuring replicas of the planes used in the historic Battle of Vimy Ridge.

Three biplanes — replicas of the Nieuport II model flown by Canadians at Vimy — landed at the Davidson airport on Wednesday.

Those planes, along with two specially-built Sopwith Pup replicas, were also part of the 100th anniversary ceremony held in France on April 9 of this year.

The five aircraft performed a commemorative flight over the Canadian National Vimy Memorial during the ceremony, before a crowd of 25,000 people.

After landing in Davidson, the planes were on display at Terry Dieno’s hangar, with upwards of 300 people attending a meet and greet and enjoying coffee and doughnuts.

Later, the pilots and the rest of the crew were the guests of honour for a dinner at the town hall, served by the ladies of Davidson United Church and attended by roughly 100 people.

Mary Jane Morrison served as emcee for the event, representing Branch 51 of the Royal Canadian Legion.

Legion branch president Gordon McRae had been working since last fall to arrange a stop for the tour in Davidson, but the visit was only confirmed a few weeks in advance.

“Terry (Dieno) and I worried about that,” he recalled. “For a while there we thought we weren’t going to get them.”

Presentations were made by both McRae and Larry Sinnett, the latter representing the Saskatchewan committee of the Air Cadet League.

Both presented donations to Snowie, on behalf of the Legion and the Air Cadet League, in support of the flight tour.

McRae also presented a Saskatchewan flag, signed by Premier Brad Wall and the other provincial MLAs, as well as members of the Royal Canadian Legion Saskatchewan Command, the branches in Davidson, Loreburn-Elbow and Moose Jaw, and the directors of the Air Cadets League provincial committee.

For the full story, please see the Aug. 21 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Got some thoughts to share on the future of Davidson’s giant coffee pot?

Then town council wants to hear from you.

For 21 years, the 24-foot steel sculpture has greeted visitors at the north end of town and drivers along Highway 11.

The coffee pot has been featured in books, a stamp issued by Canada Post in 2010, and more recently, in an adult colouring book, Colour Saskatchewan by Jason Sylvestre.

But weather and age have taken their toll on the venerated vessel.

The once-vibrant murals have faded, and rust is now visible in multiple places, particularly on the handle.

Davidson’s town council has discussed the coffee pot’s future multiple times in recent years, and the topic returned to the table at their regular meeting on Tuesday.

Coun. Jessica Foster reported from a Communities in Bloom (CIB) meeting the previous day, where members had discussed a new proposal.

As Foster explained, the idea is to have a local artist or artists guide a team of volunteers to repaint the mural.

“It’s almost gone the way it is,” she told her colleagues, expressing her support for the proposal. “I think we have enough local talent.”

Council gave its approval to begin soliciting volunteers for a committee to lead the project, with two additional councillors, Arlene Low and Jared Shaw, agreeing to take part.

Foster told the Leader that she’s interested in public input, with plans to issue an official call for committee members.

“It really depends on what the community wants,” she said. “At this point I’m just looking for a committee to guide the process.”

The town would cover the cost for materials for a restoration project. There is roughly $8,800 sitting in a fund established for that purpose several years ago.

Foster said they have sought professional advice on how to treat the rust, as well as what paint to use.

“If we don’t do anything it’s just going to rust,” she said.

Lorraine Gust, who also serves on the Davidson CIB committee, said they have discussed a couple of options for resurfacing the coffee pot.

Some are strongly in favour of recreating the mural, but if it is to last, it will need to be continually and carefully maintained.

“It is going to be an ongoing issue to get it repainted,” said Gust. “People have been mulling over this forever.”

Another popular suggestion was to repair and then repaint the structure using a speckled paint finish, giving it the look of an antique enamelware coffee pot.

The murals would disappear, though the original paintings, from which the artwork was created, are still held.

Gust said a public meeting might be ideal, adding, “It would be nice to hear different opinions from lots of people.”

For the full story, please see the Aug. 21 edition of The Davidson Leader, or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Premier Brad Wall’s retirement likely won’t mean a major change in vision or direction for Saskatchewan’s government, according to MLA Greg Brkich.

Brkich, the MLA for Arm River, shared his reaction to the premier’s announcement in an interview with the Leader on Thursday.

He said he was disappointed by the news, as he has had a good relationship with the premier and appreciated Wall’s leadership and advice.

“You always hope he’s gonna stay on forever, because he’s a great leader,” said Brkich, expressing his appreciation for Wall’s work ethic. “It’s a lot harder being the premier than it is just as a standard MLA.”

“I believe our vision isn’t going to change much,” he continued. “Saskatchewan First, keep growing the province and keep making it a better place to live and raise a family . . . Them goals aren’t going to change much with him leaving.”

Last week, Wall, who is partway into his third term as Premier of Saskatchewan, announced his plan to retire from politics.

In a video released on Facebook on Thursday morning, Wall said he has asked the Saskatchewan Party to begin the process of selecting a new leader, adding that he plans to remain in office until the leader is chosen.

Noting that he’d long considered the 10-year mark a good time for re-evaluation, Wall said he and his wife had reached a consensus.

“Together with Tami, I have decided that now is the time for renewal — for my party, for the government, for the province,” he said.

Brkich said the caucus had been informed of Wall’s plans roughly a day in advance of the announcement.

The MLA said he was in Saskatoon early on Thursday and had stopped in a few towns on his way down to Davidson.

During his travels, he said he was approached by multiple people, some of whom said Wall was the best premier the province has had.

Some expressed sadness, and most asked him to convey their warm wishes and thanks to the premier for his service.

For the full story, please see the Aug. 14 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.