By Tara de Ryk

DAVIDSON — A demonstration of sorts has been going on this harvest in a field southwest of Davidson.

An antique self-propelled Massey Harris Model 21 combine from the late 1940s has been working its way through a small patch of wheat.

At its wheel is Gary Allan who restored the machine and got it ready for harvest.

It works like a charm and has brought great pleasure to not only Gary, but to many retired farmers who used similar machines back in their day. They’ve been dropping by Allan’s farm to see the combine in action.

Willard McNabb stopped by one beautiful Friday afternoon to take a turn on the combine. McNabb had used a Model 21 on his farm. Also there were Lee Walker, Lyle Wightman and Bob Palmer. They appreciated seeing the machine in action and taking a ride on it.

It brought back fond memories for the men.

“I used a pull-type combine. I couldn’t afford these fancy self-propelled machines,” Lee Walker said.

It’s quite a stretch in 2015 to think of the Model 21 as a “fancy” machine.

Without a cab, let alone GPS, auto-steering, variable speed drive or power steering, the 21 is as basic as it gets.

As Gary explains, “There’s only one control: up or down. You put it in gear open the throttle and go.”

But back in the early 1940s when Massey Harris started making them, the Model 21, and its forerunner the Model 20, were the cutting edge of technology.

Before self-propelled combines, farmers either cut grain with a binder, stooked it and then had it threshed; or used a pull-type combine that was pulled behind a horse or a tractor.

Lyle Wightman, who took a turn on Gary’s 21, farmed with a Cockshutt self-propelled combine. He had it for about 15 years.

“I started farming pretty young. I was 13 when I went out of school and went pitching bundles in the fall. I’d do our own and then go with the outfit.”

It was his favourite way to harvest grain.

“I loved pitching bundles. I threshed lots with a team of horses and a rack. I loved it,” Wightman said.

Besides the nostalgia the Model 21 has for farmers who recall using them back in the day, the story behind the 21 is significant.

The Model 20, Massey Harris’s self-propelled prototype combine was built in the late 1930s and early 1940s, designed for large-scale farms in the U.S. and Argentina. In the early 1940s Massey Harris produced the smaller Model 21 so that instead of producing a few machines for big farms, it could sell a large number of machines to small farms.

The combine did all the jobs of the binder and threshing machine. It cut the grain and separated the wheat from the chaff. The self-propelled combine did all this plus it had an engine and drive shaft and had just enough power to get the job done, freeing up more powerful, and fuel-loving, tractors for other work.

The Model 21 caught on with farmers, however, during the Second World War, a shortage of steel due to military rationing, limited production. Massey Harris created the “Harvest Brigade” after convincing the U.S. government to allow the company to build a fleet of 500 MH-21s that would start harvesting in the southern states of the Great Plains and move north, following the ripening crop.

To read the full story, along with other articles and photos featuring local farmers and the agricultural industry, please pick up a copy of the Oct. 5 Davidson Leader, or watch your mailbox for the Leader’s “Salute to Agriculture,” being sent to almost 3,000 households across the region. 

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Almost eight years after their arrival here, Dr. Francisco Lang and his family are Canadian citizens at last.

The doctor, his wife Luisabel and their sons Frank and J.J. were officially granted their citizenship at a ceremony at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Regina on July 13.

Lang said last week he feels “immense joy and happiness” at the milestone, which only came following a long process with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).

“I have no words to describe how I feel,” he said, adding that the ceremony was a highlight of his time in Canada so far, and that he and his family feel great pride

to call themselves Canadian citizens.

The Lang family hails from the Cuban province of Pinar del Río. The doctor arrived in Davidson in November 2007 to begin his practice here after working in South Africa for more than 10 years.

Lang said that working in Canada appealed to him for multiple reasons, including the country’s reputation as a leader in medical research and innovation, but also because he desired “a safer environment for my children and my family and myself.”

The family applied for its citizenship in August 2010, nearly five years ago, and Lang said he’s still not sure why the process took so long.

“I don’t have an answer for that question,” he said. “I thought the process was not going to be so lengthy . . . We’ve been waiting for reasons that we still don’t know.”

Lang said he believes that current world affairs have led authorities to conduct more thorough research and investigation before approving applications for citizenship, which may have been a factor behind their long wait.

He, Luisabel and Frank took their citizenship exams in June 2013; J.J. was exempted due to his age. The three of them passed and also had interviews with immigration officers.

They were given extensive questionnaires to fill out, requiring detailed information on their backgrounds and careers.

For years, Lang said, they watched for the notice in the mail, but it was not until early July that the invitation to their citizenship ceremony finally arrived.

He and his family were part of a group of 67 people, representing a total of 30 countries, who took the oath of citizenship on July 13.

Citizenship judge Terrence O’Malley conducted the ceremony. Also present was Ralph Goodale, longtime Liberal MP for the riding of Wascana.

Lang said some of his staff from Davidson, including receptionists Corey Eddie and Joanne Elder, attended the ceremony.

He expressed his appreciation to the community for what he called its “enormous support,” including those who asked for updates on their progress.

This included the town council, which wrote letters to the federal government inquiring about the Langs’ citizenship.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — The next step towards the construction of Davidson’s new pool is on the horizon, town councillors heard at this week’s meeting.

Recreation director Trevor Ouellette, who visited the July 21 meeting as a delegation, received approval from council last week to make arrangements with Regina-based firm Walker Projects to start seeking proposals from contractors.

“They are ready to get started as soon as we sign,” he told council at the meeting, distributing documents outlining the company’s services and fees.

With a total of $1,065,000 raised for the pool in three years, Ouellette said that it’s likely the first phase of construction could begin by the spring of 2016, with the pool being ready for use the following year.

Estimates on the cost of the project have varied, but based on current information, he placed the total cost at somewhere between $1.25 million and $1.3 million.

Ouellette was joined later in the meeting by a delegation from the swimming pool fundraising committee, consisting of Crystal Johnson, Brenna Siroski and Erin Gust.

Like the town councillors, committee members welcomed the news, but they also took the opportunity to voice some concerns.

To read more, please see the July 27th print edition of The Davidson Leader. To subscribe email: davidsonleader@sasktel.net