Two cyclists who pitched their tents at the Davidson Campgrounds last Wednesday may have experienced some nasty weather, but the welcome they received from the town’s residents was really nice.

Juergen Fegpeitel and Bill Inden, who are travelling separately across the country, braved last week’s ferocious hail and rain downpour while camped a few feet away from each other behind the Davidson Swimming Pool with only a canvas shelter to keep them safe from the storm. Both men said with a laugh that prayer is how they survived.

“It never hurts especially when you think Hell is coming down,” said Fegpeitel, who is biking from his home in Edmonton to the East Coast for the enjoyment of the ride. “The sound alone was deafening. The impacts on the tent were really scary. It didn’t seem to want to stop.”

Fegpeitel said once the hail ended everything turned calm before the rain began its assault. He said the whole event was lit up for them “like a strobe light” by the constant lightning being thrown down from the heavens.

“I’ve seen some pretty good storms in Edmonton, but I’ve never experienced one like this especially trying to sleep in a tent,” he said. “That was quite the experience.”

Inden made his way into Davidson after almost a month on the road biking from his home in Vanderhoof, British Columbia, to Eastern Canada. He is making the long trek to try and raise awareness for a project called Children of Yekooche, which aims to provide help for educational programs for kids of a First Nations community located on the northwest side of Stuart Lake.

The amazing part of the night for both Inden and his fellow camper was not the storm the two men had to endure outdoors in a tent, but the generosity displayed by a number of Davidson residents who made sure they were doing alright after the onslaught. He said first a man came by their tents while the weather was still bad to check on them and then the morning after the storm a lady approached the campsite to make sure they made it safely through the night.

“That to me is community,” said Inden. “Why do I want to see Canada? I want to see Canada because I came here in 1975 from Amsterdam and you want to see what Canada is all about and Canada is about the people in this country. It’s not about the mountains or the highways, (but) the people who live in this country and last night truly and this morning with the lady shows that.”

Despite the appreciated concern, Inden admitted he’ll probably “go into a motel” the next time he’s warned violent weather is brewing. Even though both men took different paths to get to the Davidson Campgrounds last Wednesday night, both were cautioned on their way in to beware of the oncoming prairie storm.

“I was warned about two towns back by this lady at a bar, I had a hamburger there, and she said you better find a place for tonight because it’s supposed to be nasty out,” said Fegpeitel, noting he soon found out nasty in Saskatchewan is a bit different from what he’s used to. “I have no internet or phone with me, so I have to go according to what I can see or hear from people. Most people are really helpful. Out in the country people don’t mind helping others. I really love that.”

Town of Davidson officials have found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place concerning what they should do about an old gas station on King Edward Street.

The owners of the former S. M. Gas and Convenience station near the north entrance to town are behind on their taxes, so Davidson council faced a decision at their monthly meeting May 20 about whether or not to advance with tax enforcement to take the title of the property. This may cost Davidson taxpayers thousands of dollars due to the need of having the ground tested for any contamination from a possibly leaking underground storage tank and then the eventual cost of the cleanup of the site if the concerns of town officials prove true.

“They owe us taxes and we have to get them back,” said Davidson councillor Tyler Alexander about council’s decision to go with tax enforcement. “We can’t let that person get away with not paying their taxes when we’re enforcing it on other people and that (is) the bottom line.”

As discussed at the May council meeting, town officials recently sought advice from the Law Office of Dellene Church on what they should do next as far as putting some pressure on the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment to help them get the owners to get the ground tested and clean the site. The law office advised council the Ministry of Environment would not proceed with any extra pressure on the gas station owners due to results of precision leak tests of the storage tank previously undertaken by the owners determining it was not leaking.

This outcome leaves council with the problem of proceeding to take the title without having proper ground testing of the site first, which comes at a cost of around $10,000.

“It’s kind of a catch-22 situation,” said Davidson administrator Gary Edom. “We take the damn thing and you know you’re going to get caught and sure as heck it’s going to be polluted. There’s going to be something in the ground somewhere and it’s going to cost you thousands of dollars. And to sell it, (well) nobody will buy it. The bank won’t enable anybody to buy a service station property unless it’s been tested and everything is absolutely clear. They just don’t want anybody to take the responsibility.”

To read more please see the June 2 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

A retired veteran is trying to make a difference in children’s lives and needs the support of everyday Canadians across this country to do it.

Art Brochu, 70, made his way through Davidson last Wednesday afternoon while on his “Art Cycles Canada for Wishes” bike tour from Port Hardy, British Columbia, to St. John’s, Newfoundland. Brochu is cycling across the country in an attempt to try and raise $100,000 for The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada.

“All those years in the military and all those years out of country watching kids suffer and be abused…breaks my heart,” said Brochu, who spent his career with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. “I always wanted to do something to pay back for what we couldn’t do back then. This is my opportunity to raise money for The Children’s Wish and hopefully if we can get a wish in every province that would be fantastic.”

Brochu first got the idea to try and raise funds for Children’s Wish while competing at a golf tournament where he met a young adult named Alex who was diagnosed with Osteochondroma, which is a benign tumor of the bones. Alex, who is an avid bag pipe player, had a wish granted to visit Vimy Ridge in France to play the bag pipes in tribute to his great-grandfather and the other countless men and women who lost their lives in the First World War battle.

“Alex still has a lot of operations to go through, but he’s tough and cheerful and he’s so thankful he got to do what he did,” said Brochu. “I’ve always been a strong believer that if you can think positive or take your mind off the illness and the treatment and the medications they have an opportunity to work better and that’s what the wish does.”

To prepare for the scheduled 9,106 kilometre trek over the course of 75 days this summer, Brochu began training two years ago with 2004 Canadian Olympic gold medalist Lori-Ann Muenzer. He has also been trying to put into practise the many tips received from fellow cyclists on what to do when participating in a long-distance bike tour.

Brochu said the trip would bring him through 10 Canadian provinces with a goal of raising $10,000 in each to be put towards a wish for a child in each province he visits. He said some money was raised before he left B.C. and he is now counting on the people he meets on his journey and the corporations that hear about his quest to help him reach the target.

To read more please see the June 2 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

The #553 Sherlock Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron welcomed a small group of supporters to Davidson Town Hall last Monday for their annual review.

The family and friends were greeted to a display of finely pressed uniforms and newly shined shoes worn with pride by cadets F/Sgt. Andrew Sperling, F/Sgt. Balin Mazur, F/Sgt. Austin Van Damme, F/Cpl. Danielle Elliott and Sgt. Jake Korchinski as they were inspected by reviewing officer Captain Wayne Morrison.

Morrison, a former commanding officer with the Sherlock Squadron who now occupies that position with #797 Lanigan Squadron, said it is sad to see the small number of young people taking advantage of the cadet program in Davidson and area. He said watching the numbers improve with the Lanigan Squadron since he became their commanding officer in 2012 gives him hope the same would occur in Davidson.

“As a bus driver sitting in front of Davidson School, I’ve noticed a lot of kids coming up,” said Morrison, noting attracting these younger people to join as first year cadets is needed to help Sherlock Squadron remain in the area. “This means the future is bright for a lot of clubs in Davidson.”

Gord McRae, president of the Davidson branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, said the amount of kids in the program may be low, but believes the lessons learned through participating in cadets is beneficial to its members and hopes more young people join Sherlock Squadron this September.

“I want to congratulate these cadets on completing another great year,” said McRae to the five young people standing in attention before him. “In the fall we’ll give it one hell of a good go (to raise numbers).”

Captain Krystal Klenk, current commanding officer of #553 Sherlock Squadron, said the five cadets who participated in the program this year and their families all devoted their time and ability to make the squadron a positive and enjoyable experience. She said the cadets took part in many memorable activities this year including power familiarization flying in Saskatoon, zone shooting in Moose Jaw, going on a trip to Jasper, learning about the Second World War-era Mustang P-51 D fighter aircraft and how they are currently being restored at Terry Dieno’s airplane hanger in Davidson, gliding in Moose Jaw and participating in survival weekends at Thompson Lake and Nokomis.

“We may be small, but we are filled with the most dedicated cadets,” said Klenk. “Remember the lessons you have learned and the experiences you’ve had. Let these experiences guide you in the future.”

To read more please see the June 2 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

A celebration two years in the making brought hundreds of revellers to the Elbow Community Park May 17 for a Peace Tower dedication that puts the final touches on the village’s playground and garden.

Grace McTavish, a member of the Elbow Community Park committee, said the Peace Tower and now completed Elbow Community Park is incredibly important to the village because it brings “spirit” to its local residents and the many visitors who holiday at the resort community. She said the dedication ceremony that helped to open the two-day “Peace Party in the Park” celebration is the culmination of all the hard work that went into creating the gathering place as well as an opportunity for the community to come together on a beautiful spring day to enjoy it.

“We are a tourist community and we like to think this is one more reason that people would like to come and spend time in this peaceful place,” said McTavish. “When people come here it is peaceful and they’re happy. It’s their quiet time and we think that this park just adds to that and gives them a place to come and sit and be a part of nature.”

The hundreds of attendees who made their way to the park May 17 for the dedication ceremony enjoyed the chance to witness and revel in the unveiling of the massive blue tower that features white birds of peace breaking free from the structure and flying into the community. Four walking paths lined with plaques memorializing the history of the community’s pioneers to picture plaques illustrating the beginning of the village all the way up to the thoughts of Elbow’s present day children lead people up to the base of the tower.

The Peace Tower occupies one corner of the four-acre park that also features walking trails, a large kids play structure, a memorial garden and life-size teepees on the grounds. The other elements of the park were installed in May 2012 with the help of over 300 volunteers.