DAVIDSON—After working to raise more than $1.3 million to build a new $1.5 million swimming pool for the community, the volunteers behind the Davidson Pool Facility Committee are hanging up their blue pool committee T-shirts.

The Fire and Water Community Auction on April 8 marked the final official public appearance of those royal-blue T-shirts.

“These blue shirts,” committee member Crystal Johnson explained, “Represent passion for improving our community.”

Since 2012 the committee of community-minded individuals have worked diligently to raise money for the new swimming pool.

Johnson said the task came with a lot of risk and responsibility as they had to make difficult decisions regarding the design and scope of the project.

She added that the t-shirts represent “commitment to seeing this project to the very end.”

This year’s auction, she said, would be the committee’s last fund raiser. The pool committee partnered with Davidson Volunteer Fire Department to put on the event this year. The fire department will conduct the auction by itself when the time rolls around again, in two years’ time.

The 2018 auction, conducted by Manz Auctioneering Service, raised about $85,000 to $90,000 as people purchased a wide-array of items from eggs to farm inputs that were generously donated by Davidson and area businesses and individuals as wells as from companies in neighbouring communities.

Proceeds from the auction will be split 50/50 between the pool committee and the volunteer fire department.

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DAVIDSON—At the Fire and Water community auction Saturday, April 8 a crew of recent recruits received pins recognizing their one-year of service with Davidson Volunteer Fire Department.

But they’ll have to stick with it for 39 more years if they hope to match the ranks of fire department Captain Jim Schmit. He received a 40-year service pin acknowledging his longevity with the department. He also received an engraved watch for this distinguished service.

Schmit said the gesture was quite unexpected. He was happy to receive the watch.

“For 50 years, maybe I’ll get a walker with a red light and siren” he later joked.

He hasn’t any plans to give up firefighting. He enjoys the department and being part of the service it provides to the community.

“I’ll keep going until they tell me not to come,” he said.

He joined back in 1978, answering a call for volunteers because the department was short on personnel.

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DAVIDSON—A person can be forgiven for casting a wary look to the sky after seeing Greg Johnson’s black and orange tornado hunting pickup truck cruise down main street and park in front of Davidson’s town hall.

Fortunately, the third day of April is still too early in this part of the world for the tornado season.

Instead of chasing storms, Johnson was in Davidson to address a crowd of Riverbend Co-op employees who were at the Davidson Community Centre for the Co-op’s Branding Day event. Johnson, who makes a living as a professional storm chaser and photographer, also pays the bills as a motivational speaker. He was the keynote speaker, an end-of-day treat for those in attendance, who got to go home with not only a better awareness of Co-op brands, but an inspirational message relayed in a humourous and entertaining way.

“I believe all the best stuff in life involves risk,” he said. “These are the good things in life…falling in love, starting a business….”

He said even buying a boat, putting it on the water and taking your kids fishing is a risky thing.

He took a big risk when he left a career in the communications and marketing industry to become a professional storm chaser.

When he started, Johnson said his business model was to go out, take pictures of storms and market them.

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DAVIDSON—When the snow is gone, town council intends to take a tour of Davidson’s Community Cemetery.

Coun. Todd Lockwood, who is also the community’s funeral director, suggested council go through the cemetery and look at it with a critical eye.

“The whole council should go out there and see what I see, because I’m the one who takes the heat,” he said, adding that the condition is not too bad, the biggest problem is maintenance, or lack there of.

One of the first tasks to address the maintenance issue is the removal of grave covers.

“A lot of communities have been heavy-handed and just removed them, but I think we could be more sensitive about it,” he said, suggesting that damaged and sunken grave covers be the first ones to be removed.

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