Monthly Archives: March 2014

featured

Auditorium suffers damage from leaky roof

The new roofing work currently underway at Davidson Town Hall may have to be expanded after the roof on the auditorium section of the building sprung a leak the weekend of March 8 and 9.

Lorrie Webber, caretaker of Davidson Town Hall, said water started dripping into the auditorium through ceiling tiles during the night of March 8. He said it began dripping a “little bit more” the next morning and finally gave way the afternoon of March 9.

“There was quite a bit of water,” said Webber.

He said three quarters of the floor was covered in water from the leak that ran down all along the middle of the roof of the auditorium. Webber said they poked holes in the ceiling to get the water out and sucked it up with a floor scrubber until around 10:30 p.m. the night of March 9.

Webber added the floor in the auditorium then “started heaving” from being exposed to the water.

A few days after the flood a number of ceiling tiles in the auditorium were missing and more still in place were marked with water spots while some floor tiles had also been removed. A couple of garbage pales sat under the removed ceiling tiles on the north section of the room.

Gary Edom, administrator for the Town of Davidson, said the roofing work currently being done at Town Hall includes stripping the roof down to the boards and putting in four inches of Styrofoam insulation and re-roofing everything but the auditorium. He said the cost to do the Town Hall came in at about $170,000 and was paid through last year’s budget with the majority of the money coming out of reserves.

“We had the whole thing assessed, the auditorium and the rest of it, and we couldn’t afford to do everything or we didn’t think we could afford to do everything,” said Edom. “We opted to do this part for all this building plus the kitchen because that was originally leaking. We thought the auditorium could maybe wait if it had to, but then it started leaking. Something split open up there on the (March 8 and 9) weekend and now we have to look at what our options are.”

Edom said an insurance adjuster was scheduled to come in last week to take a look at the auditorium roof and a manager with Flynn Canada Limited, the roofing company that is doing the town hall work, is also going to take a look and report back on what is needed. He said the only event scheduled for the auditorium so far that has been affected is the March 15 Davidson Kinettes’ Ladies Night Out concert, which had been relocated to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church Parish Hall.

“Right now (there’s) nothing big I can think of (booked at the auditorium),” he said. “It depends how long this goes on. It could be weeks, who knows, but nothing big is coming up in the near future.”

To read more please see the March 17 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Sports

Dundurn triathlete trains for busy season

A young triathlete from Dundurn is prepping for a busy racing season this summer where she hopes to improve on her previous strong showings.

Kaycee Schroeder, 15, said her seventh year of competing in triathlons is going to be a fun one as she first tries for a top finish at the 2014 National Championships held July 19 to 20 at Magog, Que., before heading to Kelowna, B.C., this August for the 2014 Pushor Mitchell Apple Triathlon Western Championships. She said to help prepare for the season she is also going to be attending a 12-day training camp in Tucson, Ariz., next month.

“Last year I had a great season and have been building a lot,” said Kaycee, a Grade 9 student at Hanley School. “I wasn’t the strongest swimmer, so I finished all my swimming lessons and joined a swim group at the University (of Saskatchewan) and I joined STC which is the Saskatchewan Triathlon Centre in Saskatoon. My coach RossAnn (Edwards) approached me this year and said she’d like me to be coming to more races out of the province and coming to Arizona.”

To help Kaycee make it to the two out-of-province races and the training camp at Tucson the community of Dundurn stepped up by coming together for a steak supper and silent auction fund-raiser Feb. 22 at Big Mur’s Tavern. Kaycee said their generosity helped her family raise over $2,000, so she won’t be having any problems heading to these events and has kept busy this winter getting ready.

“I’m swimming three days a week right now,” she said about how she prepares for the average 500-metre swim, 10-kilometre bike and four-kilometre run youth races. “I bike twice and I run three to four days. I also do strength training at home too.”

Kaycee said she first got into triathlon after spotting a sign advertised the sport at swimming lessons and thought it could be fun. She said her mom and dad thought it would be a good idea too, so she started training.

“I did my first one and I really enjoyed it,” said Kaycee. “I was dead last out of the pool, but I still had an amazing race. Then I just kind of kept with it and started doing it for a fun summer activity and as I started to get older and more competitive with the sport I had more people approach me about it. I started running with Riversdale (Athletics Club in Saskatoon) and RossAnn is the coach of the Riversdale track and cross country club, so then I started swimming and biking with that group.”

Kaycee’s dedication and excellence to the sport since then has shown through as the triathlete has qualified for provincial funding this year to help her train after reaching high performance times in both swimming and running recently. She also approaches this year with a desire to improve on her bronze medal finish in the Under 16 Female event at the 2013 Western Championships held last August at Kelowna where she completed a 500-m swim, 10-km bike and four-km run with a time of 43:43.

“This year I’m one of the oldest in my age category, so I’m hoping to do very well,” she said. “My training has been great, (so) top three for every race I’m hoping.”

Sports

Cyclones down to last chance in provincial playoff against Pirates

The Davidson Cyclones senior hockey team may have met their match in the provincial ‘A’ semi-finals after falling 6-3 to the Lanigan Pirates last Monday at the Davidson Rink.

The loss was Davidson’s fourth straight to Lanigan including a three-game sweep by the Pirates over the Cyclones in Long Lake Hockey League playoff action earlier this month. Game 2 of the provincial ‘A’ semi-final goes March 15 at Lanigan, while a possible Game 3 in the best-of-three series would come back to Davidson on St. Patrick’s Day.

“It wasn’t the outcome we wanted,” said Cyclones coach Jason Shaw. “The first period we started slow. They got up 2-1 and then they scored in the second to make it 3-1. We had a couple power plays that would have been nice to score on to get back. When we battled back in the third to get it to 4-3 I thought we had a chance.”

That chance was snuffed out on a Pirates goal 17 seconds later when Lanigan’s Brandon Herrod seemed to surprise Cyclones goaltender Brady Willner and the two defencemen in front of him with a shot that found its way into the back of the net shortly after a Lanigan offensive zone face off.

“It was just one of those goals we’d like to have back,” said Shaw. “We had some chances where we hit some crossbars and stuff like that, but it seemed like we would score and they would score right away again. They played well and I don’t think we played our best game. When you get into the playoffs you got to have everything going to win and that night just wasn’t our night.”

Shaw said one of the problems the Cyclones faced in the game was getting off to the slow start which forced their offence to be more aggressive early on resulting in a weak back end. He said they were sending three guys to the net to try and create chances, so when their defence also joined the rush it gave the Pirates lots of chances for breakaway opportunities.

“It’s just a couple mistakes here and there,” he said. “Brady played well. He stopped most of those, so if we (don’t) keep a third guy high in their end that might take away a few of those chances, but we’re pushing to score goals when we get down (then) you create more chances for them.”

The Cyclones plan going into Game 2 is to get to the net more and try to get a few more rebound goals on Pirates starting goalie David Reekie who has played well in Lanigan’s run through this post season. Shaw said the team is just going to put a lot of pucks at the Lanigan net and then let come what may.

“We’re down to our last chance,” he said. We “go there, see if we can squeak one out, and come back here Monday and see how it goes.”

Davidson

Talking To Youth Live gives kids fun message about safe living

Grades 7 to 9 students from Davidson School, Kenaston School and Loreburn Central School enjoyed a fun day of educational activities last week while also learning a serious message about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse.

The kids participated in a Talking to Youth Live (TTYL) program put on by the Sun West School Division, Heartland Health Region and the Alcohol Awareness Wellness Network (DAWN). The TTYL program brought the students together last Wednesday at Kenaston Place for a full day of learning activities such as jeopardy, snakes and ladders, tug o’ war, the “What Am I” game and an obstacle course that helped create awareness about substance abuse while also teaching them about healthier alternatives.

“The purpose was to provide the students with the right information regarding drugs and alcohol (and) to give them a chance to be in a fun environment where they can learn about it,” said Sun West addictions educator Liza Dahl. They “talk to addiction professionals, people that work with people who struggle with addictions on a daily basis, and (it) allows them a chance to ask questions and be interested and find out some information.”

Nathan Ruten, a grades 8 and 9 math teacher at Kenaston School, said the activities at the event were geared towards educating the younger-aged kids, so they would know about the subject later on in life when it may become more of a pressing issue. He said having learning games also helps the kids become more engaged in the material rather than just telling them in the classroom to not abuse drugs and alcohol.

“We did snakes and ladders, but before you do it you had to answer a question related to drugs and alcohol and what they are,” said Ruten. “There was the obstacle course where they had to put on the drunk goggles and try to get through the whole thing to see what it would be like to do everyday activities while impaired. (Then) jeopardy, again it’s about educating, as the questions were related to drug and alcohol abuse.”

To read more please see the March 17 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Obituary

obitHenrykbw

Henryk

Sept. 25, 1921 – Mar. 8, 2014

Russell Henryk, aged 92 years, passed away peacefully at Long Lake Valley Integrated Facility in Imperial, Saskatchewan on Saturday, March 8, 2014.
Russell was born September 25, 1921 at Young, Sask., to Pearl and John Henryk. He will be greatly missed by his wife of 66 years Joyce; his children Jay (Kelly), Diane (Darryl), Valerie (Reed); grandchildren Jordan (Richard), Lindsay (Ryan), Meaghan (Derek); great-grandchildren Miller, Sydney, Colbie and Kaleb.
Russell farmed his entire life 17 miles east of Kenaston. Farming was not only his occupation, but his passion. Improving the land and growing a good crop were goals that Russell strived towards each year. There weren’t too many rocks that did not end up in a rock pile by Russell’s hand. In addition to farming, Russell loved the grand game of golf. He was as precise with his golf game as he was with farming. He was also an avid curler and bowler throughout his life, beginning in Kenaston and Davidson then continuing in Watrous after his retirement from farming. Russell and Joyce shared a lifetime together: but few days were they ever apart. Always best friends and supporters of each other, they built a life together based on hard work and co-operation in every facet of their lives.
A Celebration of Russell’s Life/Memorial Tea will be held in Watrous Civic Centre, 404 Main St., Watrous, Saskatchewan on Thursday, March 13 at 1:30 p.m. Interment in Watrous Cemetery at a later date. Friends so desiring may contribute in Russell’s memory to Watrous Community Health Foundation, Box 831, Watrous, Saskatchewan S0K 4T0. For online condolences, tributes or to make a donation please visit http://www.fotheringham-mcdougall.com.

Obituary

obitHolswick,-Marianne

Holswick
Marianne Holswick, née Trickett, was born on March 29, 1924 in McLean, Saskatchewan to Herbert and Louisa Trickett. Herbert and Louisa came to Canada from England on the land scheme in 1921. Louisa had been a teacher in the UK and engendered a love of learning and academic discipline in her children, all three of whom also became teachers. Marianne grew up in the Depression years with her older brother Douglas and her younger sister Gywneth on the family farm, where she learned life-long habits of thrift and perseverance and making do. It was a hard life on the farm, but Marianne had many memories of good times and of family loyalty. She went to a country school with her siblings and took her Grade 11 by correspondence. She attended Scott Collegiate in Regina for Grade 12 and then got her teaching certificate from the Teachers’ College. Her first teaching position was in a rural school near Indian Head, where she taught grades one to ten. She taught for a few years, but felt a need for a change and became a telephone operator. She then completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Saskatchewan and worked in the Regina Public Library. Marianne met John Holswick and married him in 1953. Johnnie had come to Canada initially in 1929 from the west coast of Norway, but after the Wall Street crash, there was no money to send him home. He fought with the Norwegian Air Force in WWII but then returned to Canada. After they were married, Johnnie and Marianne moved to Flin Flon, where Johnnie operated a garage. Their two children Judith and Ivar were born there. Because of her mother’s ill-health, Marianne and Johnnie moved back to Saskatchewan in 1961, when Johnnie took over a business in Davidson. In 1962 Marianne returned to teaching in the Davidson High School and taught there for 29 years. She began with English in grades 9 to 11, but soon became senior English teacher. She taught many generations of Davidsonians and was a beloved and popular teacher. Many testimonials throughout her teaching career provide evidence of the respect and affection with which she was regarded by her students. She was tough, but fair and was always prepared to give her students the benefit of the doubt. She was involved in Drama, Oratory, and Yearbook activities, as well as running the library. Outside of school, Marianne was involved in the many activities of her children, as well as being an active member of the Library Board, the Arts Council and the Women’s Institute of the Anglican Church. She enjoyed gardening, sewing, knitting, crocheting and reading in her spare time. She also loved to travel. In 1962, the four Holswicks made a trip to Norway to meet the members of Johnnie’s large family. It was a trip never to be forgotten. Summer holidays after that were always spent camping, in northern Saskatchewan, in Alberta and BC and the western States. In later years there were trips to the Far East, Cuba, Hawaii, Venezuela, England, Scotland, Germany, Norway as well as many places in North America. After her grandson Johannes was born in 1988, she spent every Christmas in Germany. When she retired from formal teaching in 1991, she continued to teach and supervise English courses for Carlton Community College. She was still teaching English as a second language at the age of 85. Her love of knowledge never deserted her and after she retired she took a course in accountancy for small businesses, just because she was interested. In later years she crocheted literally dozens of afghans, most of which she donated to charitable causes. She was very involved with the catering operation Women’s Institute of the Anglican Church – the “A-Team”. She found particular joy in her grandson Johannes, even more so after he came to live with her to do his Grade 12 in Canada. She was always very involved in the lives of her niece Margaret Gould (Mick) and nephew Keith Bligh (Carol) and their children and grandchildren. Aunty Marianne will be missed very much.

She will be remembered as a loving and supportive wife, mother, aunt and grandmother and as a committed and dedicated teacher and member of the community. Her contributions will be greatly missed.

Marianne was predeceased by her parents Herbert and Louisa Trickett, her brother Douglas in the last days of WWII, and her husband John in 1981, parents-in-law Ragnhild and Martinus, brothers-in-law Ragnvald, Ivar and Harald, and sister-in-law Clara. She is survived by her daughter Judith Lindenbaum (Ian Livermore), son Ivar Holswick, grandson Johannes Lindenbaum, sister Gwyneth Bligh (Warren Wilson), niece Margaret Gould (Mick), nephew Keith Bligh (Carol) and many great and great-great nieces and nephews, both in Canada and Norway.

Funeral services were held on Friday, March 14 at 2:00 p.m. in the Davidson United Church. Arrangements were in the hands of Hanson’s Funeral Home (306) 567-2020.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Regency Manor, Central Butte or the Davidson Health Foundation, Davidson.