DUNDURN—Saskatoon RCMP report icy road conditions a factor in a rollover on Highway 11 near Blackstrap Nov. 17.
At about 2 a.m., police responded to the scene of the rollover. A Brinks truck had lost control and rolled due to icy roads. The two male occupants of the truck were injured in the rollover. One man was transported by air ambulance to hospital and the other was sent to hospital by EMS ambulance, RCMP Cpl. Marc Durocher said.
The southbound lanes of Highway 11 near Dundurn were closed for a time causing traffic to be backed up for about 2.5 kilometres until the vehicle was removed.
Ehman, Evelyn Ida
Evelyn Ida Ehman of Craik, Saskatchewan passed away peacefully on November 13, 2014, at the age of 87. She will be greatly missed by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She is survived by her children: Dave (Irene) Ehman; Judy (Ron) Laturnas; Don (Sheryl) Ehman; Patti (Leo) LaBelle; Rob Ehman (friend Kathy) and Colin Lee (Judy) Spencer.
She was predeceased by her husband Fred, their daughter Kathy, her parents John and Susan (Thauberger) Fahlman, and ten siblings.
Evelyn was born on April 28, 1927 in the Holdfast/Dilke area. She married Fred Ehman in 1946 and they lived and raised a family on a farm at Craik. They raised six children and currently have 19 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Evelyn was active on the farm until the time of her passing. She had many friends and enjoyed gardening, playing cards, knitting and crocheting.
A Celebration of Evelyn’s Life was held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Craik on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. Interment followed at the Craik Cemetery.
For friends so wishing, memorial donations in memory of Evelyn may be directed to a charity of choice. Hanson’s Funeral Home of Davidson was in care of arrangements.
Maj. Sarich pays tribute to veterans
DAVIDSON — The community filled the Parish Hall this Remembrance Day to show their appreciation for the sacrifices made by Canada’s war veterans and service members.
Guest speaker, Major Ron Sarich began with a somber tribute to Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent. Speaking with his back to the crowd, he commented on the “cowardice” of the actions taken against the men before asking for a moment of silence.
Sarich shared his belief that when we remember those who served, we must also remember those who helped at home. He wanted to thank the women who worked in the factories, producing munitions and equipment for the war effort. He wanted to thank the service people who provided the troops with training before their deployments. And finally, he wanted to thank all of the farmers who had to stay back and provide food.
“All of these contributions, ” Sarich said, “were necessary. If they didn’t have equipment or food, our troops couldn’t have done anything. Everyone gave and sacrificed so much to support the men and women overseas. We can’t forget them either.”
Ron selected a couple stories that had been shared with him by veterans that had served in prior war efforts. While the first story was meant mainly to entertain, Ron had picked a much more serious tale for his second.
Sarich spoke of a group of men flying a mission over Germany. In this particular instance, the bomb payload became dislodged and fell from its support harness only to wedge itself in the floorboards of the aircraft.
A nervous crew was then forced to return to their base with a live, unsecured bomb firmly reminding them of the gravity of war. Ron never learned why the bomb didn’t go off. He said it could have been a ‘dud,’ or “perhaps the arming cycle didn’t complete.”
“I chose that story because if it could happen to [them], it could have happened to others who weren’t so lucky to have the arming cycle not complete.” The story, he said, “shows how risky those missions were, even before they got under enemy fire.”
After thanking the students for the “wonderful slideshow,” Sarich concluded by presenting Gord McRae, president of the Davidson branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, with a framed picture he had personally taken over 20 years ago.
The picture of a U.S. Navy Sturgeon class boat, taken in April of 1983, surprised Sarich. He took the photo from the belly camera of the CP-140 Aurora, and was shocked to see the shadow of his plane clearly visible in the boat’s wake from 125 feet above the water. “It wasn’t planned, ” Sarich says, “so it came as rather a pleasant surprise to get that picture back.”
McRae thanked the major for speaking and indicated he will have the photo displayed in the Davidson Museum for everyone to view.
McRae and Sarich both expressed their thanks to the Davidson Inter-Church Association, the Sherlock 553 Cadets, and to everyone that came for making the commemoration possible. McRae also thanked the Davidson Co-Op for providing doughnuts and refreshments before closing the day’s service.
Thieves steal trailer
DAVIDSON—People may want to find better ways to secure their trailers now that it appears thieves are hauling them out of town and out of province.
Craik RCMP report that sometime in the early morning hours of Nov. 3, an enclosed trailer was stolen from a residence on Government Road in Davidson.
The trailer was parked in the back alley next to a house. The trailer was fitted with a hitch lock. The suspect(s) cut the hitch lock and drove away with the trailer and its contents.
Police report that similar trailers have been stolen from surrounding areas recently and contents from these trailers have been discovered in central Alberta.
Craik RCMP ask that anyone with information about this crime or other crimes to contact them at 306-734-5200 or to call Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers.
“Looking for Aiktow”
DAVIDSON—“Who lived here before Grandma and Grandpa?”
This was a question Joan Soggie said she asked her parents as a child. She was curious to know the story of those who had lived on the land where her parents farmed near Beechy.
She grew up on the edge of the Matador Ranch so she was always aware of the native prairie.
She also knew of teepee rings and buffalo rub stones. She heard stories, so she had to ask about who had lived there before.
“It always bothered me we didn’t know the history of our own land,” she said.
The answers to her questions go back hundreds even thousands of years. Unsatisfied with the answers to the questions she’d received, which only seemed to cover the area’s recent history of European settlement, Soggie completed a life-long quest by writing a book to answer them.
In her book “Looking for Aiktow; Stories Behind the History of the Elbow of the South Saskatchewan River” Soggie takes the reader on a journey not only back in time but also down the South Saskatchewan, a river that was as vital to the land and its people hundreds of years ago as it is today.
“This is like a memoir to the land,” Soggie said. “It gives validation to this part of the world.”
The story is told chronologically. She uses first-hand, documented accounts wherever possible.
The focus of the book is the Elbow and the South Saskatchewan river and its valley.
Readers get to journey down the uncharted river with Peter Fidler in 1800 as the Hudson’s Bay Company’s man navigates through Cree, Blackfoot and Gros Ventre territory. Other adventurers, traders and explorers follow, as do their accounts and interactions with legendary chiefs such as the great Plains Cree Chief Mistickoos.
Soggie takes great care in documenting the first nations peoples who lived and hunted at the Elbow. She details bison hunts as witnessed by explorers of the day. She includes a story of the Elbow massacre as passed down through oral tradition by its lone survivor.
Soggie married and moved to Elbow in 1964 just as plans for the South Saskatchewan River Project were forging ahead.
To read more, please see the Nov. 17, 2014 edition of The Davidson Leader. To subscribe, phone 306-567-2047
Branson
Francis Albert Alexander “Happ” Branson was born on April 27, 1932 at Oxbow, Saskatchewan. He passed away on November 6, 2014 in Camrose, Alberta at the age of 82 years.
He is survived by his wife Florence; two daughters Patti-Jo (Allan) and Vicki Lynn (Eugene); numerous grandchildren, family and friends.
Happ was predeceased by his daughter Bonnie Lee and granddaughter Heather Jean.
A memorial service was held at 2 p.m., Saturday, November 15, 2014 at Weber`s Mount Pleasant Chapel in Camrose, Alberta. Cremation has taken place and inurnment will follow at a later date in Saskatchewan.
Memorial donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or to the Diabetes Association.
Weber Funeral Home, Camrose, Alberta, 780-672-3131.