Carson Palmer’s ewes come running as the 12-year-old carries a pail of oats. Palmer owns and cares for a herd of 26 ewes and their offspring on the family farm east of Davidson.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — It’s a sunny spring day as Carson Palmer heads out to do his afternoon chores.
Tending a herd of 26 ewes and their lambs keeps the 12-year-old boy busy.
He’s often the first one up in the morning, and he’s back out there after he comes home from school.
Lambing is weeks away, and warm weather will be a welcome sight as the ewes in Carson’s herd begin delivering their offspring.
“It’s going to be a busy April and May around here,” says his father Dean.
Carson is the oldest child of Dean and Tracey Palmer, who live east of Davidson in the RM of Arm River.
Their family operation is largely built around livestock, including around 300 head of cattle, plus about 1,000 acres of cropland.
But the growing herd, made up of Dorper and Dorper-cross ewes, is Carson’s business.
“They’re entirely Carson’s enterprise,” says Dean, who clearly approves.
“It’s pretty unique . . . He can get out of the house and have some responsibility. He’s doing quite well.”
The Dorper breed was developed in South Africa in the late 1940s, according to the website of the Canadian Dorper Sheep Association.
Today, the Dorper breed is the second largest breed there with over 10 million head, representing more than 1/3 of the total sheep population in South Africa.
The breed has also seen increasing popularity around the world, including in Canada and the U.S.
Dorpers typically have white bodies and black heads, and their usual lifespan is about nine or 10 years.
They are recognized as a profitable breed given their early maturation and the strong demand for lambs.
As well, Dorpers shed their wool each summer, which reduces the work and expense required for their care.
For the full story, please see the April 10 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
Local resident Bernard Janzen, pictured at the Davidson library branch on Wednesday, signs a petition in support of maintaining provincial funding for Saskatchewan’s regional libraries.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — With close to 10,000 items in its collection, there’s plenty to keep a bookworm busy in the Davidson library.
But the local collection is no match for the combined holdings of all the province’s libraries — numbering more than four million books, DVDs, CDs and other materials.
Budget cuts to regional libraries will effectively cut off access to any material outside of a user’s local branch — a devastating loss, in the eyes of some.
“In a small-town branch here, what you have available is limited,” said Bernard Janzen, a patron of the Davidson library who lives on a farm west of town.
“No (rural) branch can really stock all of the books that the people there would be interested in reading,” he continued. “It’s a nice place to come and read (but) the purpose of it is gone.”
Library staff and users were reeling last week from the news of massive funding cuts in this year’s provincial budget.
Funding for Saskatchewan’s seven regional libraries will drop from $6 million to $2.5 million, a cut of 58 per cent.
Jan Smith, director of Palliser Regional Library, said the region’s staff were “gob-smacked” by the announcement of the funding cut, which took effect April 1.
Palliser’s 20 branches include the libraries in Davidson, Craik, Elbow, Loreburn, Holdfast, Imperial and Bethune. The region is headquartered in Moose Jaw and extends south to the U.S. border.
Six employees at the Moose Jaw office received layoff notices last week, representing 75 per cent of the staff in that office. The layoffs take effect at the end of May.
Smith said local branches will likely see some reduction in operating hours, with the municipalities being asked to cover a greater share of staff salaries.
In an update posted online, Palliser staff said the cuts would have a substantial impact on the services available at their branches.
There will be no more regional funding for new books, DVDs or magazines.
Most electronic resources — including Hoopla, a digital service that provides access to movies, TV shows and more via computers and mobile devices — will be eliminated for rural branches effective April 1.
Staff also said the cuts would affect the Single Integrated Library System (SILS), which allows users to borrow items from any library in the province.
Without funding for the couriers who transfer items from one library to another, the SILS program would have to wind down, Smith said.
As of April 1, patrons will only be able to request items held in Palliser’s libraries, and by the end of May they will be limited to the items held in their local branch.
Cutbacks at the main office would also affect the services provided to local branch staff, including everything from payroll to technical support.
In the Davidson branch, patrons were being encouraged to add their signature to a petition, calling for a province-wide vote on maintaining library funding “at least at 2016 levels, indexed for inflation.”
The petition was organized by Regina lawyer Merrilee Rasmussen, in accordance with provincial law that states a petition signed by 15 per cent of the Saskatchewan electorate will result in a plebiscite on the question at hand.
Organizers said about 125,000 individual signatures are needed. Only people eligible to vote in Saskatchewan can sign the petition, which is being circulated around the province.
For the full story, please see the April 3 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
Darrah Langager (left) and Rachel Stamnes paint a cow design as part of a totem pole in the art classroom, one of several stations open to visitors during Leadership Day at Loreburn Central School on Thursday.
By Joel van der Veen
LOREBURN — From household chores to hockey, Loreburn students are finding that the Seven Habits can work their way into just about everything they do.
Grade 7 student Derek Griffin, who just finished peewee hockey season a few weeks ago, said he could put Habit No. 6 — “Synergize” — to practical use on the ice.
“We want to score on the other team and win the game,” he explained, so synergy with his teammates is the best way forward.
Griffin said the habits don’t always come to him naturally like they do for some. In his case, they’re more of a reminder of the way he should be doing things.
“They’re there when you need them,” he said. “To some people it’s very effective.”
Griffin and his schoolmates played host to roughly 70 guests as Loreburn Central School held its fourth annual Leadership Day on Thursday.
The event is organized by students to practise their leadership skills and to show how they put the Seven Habits into action.
It’s been five years since Loreburn staff and students began integrating the “Leader in Me” program and the habits into their school curriculum and culture.
“It’s a process and we are learning more and more as we go,” said principal Jill Long. “We have come a long way together.”
The program is aimed at changing schools in three main areas: teaching leadership directly to students and integrating it into lessons; empowering staff and students to have a voice in their schools; and making students active agents in their learning.
The crowd on Thursday morning included parents, community members, Sun West School Division board members and visitors from other schools.
The event was designed with a “Decades” theme, featuring retro decorations.
“It’s so neat just seeing the kids getting up and doing their thing,” said Long, adding that having to play host was forcing some students out of their comfort zones, with positive results.
For the full story, please see the April 3 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
Geena Heinrich sings a solo during the Central Saskatchewan Music Festival grand finale concert.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — She’s starting to feel more at home on stage — and just in time, too.
Vocal student Geena Heinrich is set to perform at a provincial music competition in Saskatoon in June, following her successful performance at the local level last week.
As she said Wednesday, it’s taken a long time for her to feel comfortable singing before an audience.
“It’s my last year performing and I actually don’t hate performing now,” she said following the Central Saskatchewan Music Festival grand finale concert in Davidson.
“I was just really shy. I didn’t mind when literally no one was there.”
Heinrich, a Grade 12 student at Davidson School, will be performing the song “Memory” from the musical Cats.
She received a recommendation from adjudicator Alicia Woynarski.
Heinrich is the first performer from the district festival to move on to the provincial level since 2007 — ending a decade-long drought, in the words of festival president Nancy Wilkins.
A longtime piano student, she has studied voice under Cheryl Dolan for the last four or five years.
Dolan said this is her first time preparing a student for provincials.
“This is all going to be new for me,” she said Thursday, adding that she is making plans for Heinrich to rehearse the piece with Joy McFarlane, an instructor with particular expertise in musical theatre.
Dolan had high praise for her student, saying that with her high soprano vocal range, she would likely have success in any genre she tried.
“She’s a really neat young lady,” said Dolan. “She’s been just fun to teach, easy to teach, and has an incredible, beautiful tone.”
She also affirmed that Heinrich is feeling more relaxed on stage this year than she ever has before.
Heinrich said Wednesday she is feeling a little nervous, but also excited to broaden her horizons.
Her current plan after graduation is to attend film school for animation in Vancouver, but she also hopes to continue pursuing her other artistic interests.
Accompanying Heinrich during her festival performances was pianist Pearl Unger.
For more coverage of this year’s Central Saskatchewan Music Festival, see the April 3 edition of The Davidson Leader.
Emergency responders were called to Highway 11 south of Dundurn around 2:30 a.m. on March 25 after a report of a possible person in distress. They arrived on the scene and found an ice fishing tent and chairs.
By Joel van der Veen
DUNDURN — Early Saturday morning, eight members of the Dundurn Emergency Services Team (EST) responded to a call of a possible person in distress.
A driver had phoned 911 after seeing what they believed was a body laying on the side of Highway 11, south of Dundurn just before the hill at Blackstrap.
Members were dispatched to the scene on March 25 around 2:30 a.m. They didn’t find a body, but they did manage to rescue an ice fishing tent and a pair of chairs.
Speaking to the Leader last week, fire chief Laura Friesen said they don’t want to deter people from calling for help in the event of an emergency.
“We will respond to emergencies, no matter what they are,” she said.
However, she said, it’s also helpful when people check things out and get the basic information before they call 911.
This way, they can ensure there is an actual emergency, as well as providing the pertinent information to dispatchers.
The Dundurn EST issued a message on Facebook that same day with a similar message.
“When in doubt, always, ALWAYS call 911,” the message stated. “It is better to be present and not needed, than to be needed and not present.”
Friesen said the circumstances can go both ways, noting she is aware of other situations where emergency responders weren’t contacted.
“I understand why people don’t want to stop,” she said. “You don’t know what you’re dealing with.”
Dispatchers sometimes receive calls about cars or trucks parked on the side of the highway, only to find that the vehicles have left by the time responders arrive. Friesen estimated they receive roughly one of these calls per year.
The post also advised that the owner of the ice fishing tent and chairs can pick up their property at the Dundurn Fire Hall.
Friesen said they’re not sure how the equipment ended up on the roadside, noting that it may have fallen off of a passing vehicle. It’s also possible the owner was from out of town.
As of Wednesday the owner had yet to claim their tent and chairs, she said, adding with a laugh, “I think after (our) rant they may be too embarrassed.”
The Kenaston Kodiaks pose with the championship plaque after winning gold at 1A senior girls basketball provincials in Regina on March 25. Pictured are (from left) coach Jenna Zdunich Fisher, Jessica Zdunich, Calina Evans, Leah Libke, Alyssa Evashenko, Ann Ulmer, Eve Matovich, Rachael Matovich, Morgan Taylor, Kylee Evans, Anne-Marie Collins and coach Gene Zdunich.
By Joel van der Veen
KENASTON — It was a fight to the finish for the Kenaston Kodiaks, and this time they came out on top.
The senior girls basketball team won gold at Hoopla 1A provincials in Regina on March 25 with a 53-47 win over Middle Lake.
“It was hard-fought,” said Jenna Zdunich Fisher, who coached the Kenaston team with her father, Gene Zdunich.
“It was a battle, like it always is in that last game of the year,” she added. “They gave everything they got, and so did we.”
The Kodiaks were on their way to the provincial championship after hosting regional play the weekend of March 17, defeating both Cupar and Gladmar.
They played their provincial games at the University of Regina, opening the weekend against Lake Lenore on March 24.
“We had a slow start,” said Fisher. “It took us a while to get a basket.”
After faltering in the first quarter, the Kodiaks recovered and played three strong quarters.
Kenaston led 27-13 at half-time and ultimately won 62-42. Ann Ulmer was their leading scorer with 21 points.
For the final, they faced Middle Lake with the game scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday evening.
“It’s always nice to have that last game of the day,” Fisher remarked. “We don’t have to rush off the court at the end.”
The Kodiaks had to work hard before they could savour the taste of victory again.
While the team played well in both directions, Fisher said the score was close throughout.
Kenaston led 28-26 at half-time and eventually won the game 53-47, with a lead of just six points.
Ann Ulmer was again the Kodiaks’ top scorer with 17 points. Rachael Matovich and Morgan Taylor also cracked double digits, each scoring 10 points.
This was the final game for Ulmer and two of her classmates, Alyssa Evashenko and Kylee Evans.
Fisher said the three players would be missed next year as they each made a strong contribution to the team’s success.
The win meant the oldest players got to bookend their careers with provincial wins.
The team last won gold in 2013 — when the oldest players were in Grade 8 — followed by back-to-back silver medals in ’14 and ’15, and bronze last year.
“We really had to fight for this one,” said Fisher. “Their character showed . . . It was awesome to end (the season) with a gold this year.”
