Grade 4 students from Davidson School perform on their ukuleles during the grand finale of the Central Saskatchewan Music Festival on Wednesday.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — Friends, family and music lovers filled the Sacred Heart Parish Hall on Wednesday for the grand finale concert for this year’s Central Saskatchewan Music Festival (CSMF).
The program featured 31 music and speech arts performances, introduced one by one by emcee Sharon Riecken.
This was the 56th year for the annual festival, which ran from March 21 to 23 and saw an increase to 140 entries this year, compared to 101 the previous year.
“We were just ecstatic,” said festival president Nancy Wilkins in response to the growth in participation.
She also suggested that the festival take a cue from Lethbridge and change its name to reflect the growing contribution of the speech arts performers, which represented more than a third of the entries.
Riecken proved an affable host, offering a quip or a compliment for each performance.
In response to Reece Johnson and Finn Low’s “If I Were in Charge of the World,” she expressed approval, adding, “Just hope it’s not Trump.”
She also said the festival is “an awesome opportunity for our young people to show their unique talents year after year.”
Deputy mayor Tyler Alexander brought greetings on behalf of town council and paid tribute to the volunteers and teachers behind the festival, as well as the hard work of the students.
He recalled taking part in the festival years earlier and added, “I’m so happy to see it still going strong.”
While some of the Grade 2 and Grade 5 speech arts students were missing from Wednesday night’s concert, their comrades went on for a successful performance despite their diminished numbers.
For a complete list of performers and awards plus a selection of photos, please see the March 28 edition of The Davidson Leader.
Lyle Wightman was born January 25, 1935 and passed away suddenly March 22, 2016.
He was the only son and second child of Ken and Mary Wightman.
Lyle attended Campbell school until Grade 8 when he left to help on the family farm.
He married the love of his life Marjorie Dean on May 3, 1963 and together they worked side by side farming and raising livestock. From this union three sons were born: Perry, Rodney and Kendall.
Lyle retired from the farm in 2001 and moved to Davidson where he worked for local farmers, and his last three years at the Oil Shed.
Lyle was predeceased by his parents Ken and Mary, his in-laws Frank and Olive Dean and Art Willner.
He is survived by his loving wife of 52 years Marjorie, son Perry (Meri) and family Serena (Tristan), Ashton, Kim, Taylor, Emily, and Susanna; son Rodney (Stacey) and family, Dakota, Taylor (Dylan) and Hunter; son Kendall (Chantal) and family, Nevada, Addison, Winston, and Jaxzen.
He is also survived by sisters Verna Willner and Nola (John) Manz; brothers- and sisters-in-law Russel (Marlene) Dean, Terry Dean, Archie Dean, Faye (Keith) Leibert, Gloria (Lorne) Wagner and many nieces, nephews and extended family.
The graveside funeral service took place at Craik Community Cemetery, Craik, Sask., on Saturday, March 26, 2016 at 11:00 a.m.
For those so wishing, memorial donations in memory of Lyle may be directed to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Sask., Davidson United Church, or the Craik Cemetery Fund.
The Davidson Bantam Huskies pose following their win over Viscount-Colonsay on March 15.
DAVIDSON — The Bantam Huskies finished the season with a 7-3 win over Viscount-Colonsay, taking the B-side championship in East Central Minor Hockey League playoffs.
Davidson hosted the final game in the best-of-three series on March 15, following a 3-2 loss to Vi-Co on March 6 and a 3-2 win on March 8.
Travis Griffin opened the game with an unassisted goal for Davidson, while their opponents were held scoreless through the first period.
Vi-Co’s Hunter Breckner scored to start the second period, followed by a second goal by Griffin, assisted by Deacon Nolting and Riley Berry.
Davidson’s third goal was scored by Derek Schmiedge, assisted by Josh Warkentin and Phoenix Prpick, bringing the score to 3-1 at the end of the second period.
Back-to-back goals by Derek Schmiedge and Hunter Wall — scored within 32 seconds of each other near the start of the third period — bolstered Davidson’s lead.
Hunter Herback then scored for Davidson, assisted by Hunter Wall and Derek Schmiedge, followed by a second goal for Vi-Co’s Hunter Breckner.
Connor Tetzlaff scored for Vi-Co with seven minutes remaining, followed by a goal for Davidson by Riley Berry, assisted by Josh Warkentin and Derek Schmiedge, bringing the final tally to 7-3.
The bantam boys had finished the regular season with 12 wins and nine losses. Derek Schmiedge was the team’s high scorer for the season with 32 goals and 22 assists, followed by Maguire Scheidt and Riley Berry.
Mark Scheidt coached the Davidson team this season, assisted by Greg Lemcke and Rob Warkentin. Leah Herback served as team manager.
The house at 1311 Folk St. in Holdfast — the scene of a fatal confrontation between resident Gerald Lord and an officer from the Craik RCMP detachment — is pictured last week.
By Joel van der Veen
REGINA — More than two years later, memories of the night of Sept. 11, 2013 were enough to bring tears of the eyes of a former Craik RCMP officer.
It was the night he responded to a call to Holdfast, where he attempted to arrest 42-year-old Gerald Lord on a charge of criminal harassment.
A visit to Lord’s home quickly escalated into a violent confrontation, resulting in the officer drawing his service pistol, firing multiple shots and ending Lord’s life in the process.
“I feared for my life,” the constable testified, saying that using his firearm was his only resort. “I had to do something else just to stay alive.”
The officer was describing the incident on Monday at the Court of Queen’s Bench in Regina, during an inquest into Gerald Lord’s death.
Identified only as “Const. Eric” due to a publication ban relating to his current work, he provided detailed testimony on the first day of a four-day inquest ordered by the Ministry of Justice.
Coroner Alma Wiebe, who led the inquest, reminded the six-member jury on Monday that their purpose was not to determine guilt or innocence.
Rather, the inquest was intended to establish the facts of the incident. The jury would also have the opportunity to make recommendations in order to prevent similar deaths in the future.
Neil Robertson served as coroner’s counsel, while Bruce Gibson and Chris Bernier served as counsel on behalf of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The inquest heard that Const. Eric joined the RCMP in 2010 and was assigned to Craik in 2012. He was working alone on the evening of Sept. 11, 2013, when he received a call at the detachment from Holdfast resident Harry Fischer around 8:20 p.m.
Fischer reported that his former friend, Gerald Lord, had been repeatedly phoning and sending him text and voicemail messages. In the calls and messages, Lord accused him of stealing a hammer and threatened him with physical violence.
Fischer told the officer that he wanted to press charges, so the officer drove to Fischer’s home in Holdfast. En route, the officer said he did database searches for both Fischer and Lord, finding no warrants or other such flags on their records.
After visiting with Fischer, he said, he believed he had grounds for arrest, noting later that Lord phoned around 10 times during the visit.
The officer said he drove to Lord’s house — with Fischer leading the way in his own vehicle — arriving there around 9:30 p.m.
Parking in the driveway, Const. Eric said he advised the dispatch centre of his whereabouts and then went to the back door, having been told this was the primary entrance.
Hearing loud music blaring from inside, he opened the screen door and knocked on the inside door, to no response. The music stopped after a second knock, and Lord opened the door, standing inside on a dimly-lit landing.
“I asked him how he was, I got no answer,” said the constable. “He was just staring blankly.”
Const. Eric said he immediately noticed that Lord was taller and heavier than himself, estimating that he outweighed the officer by around 100 pounds. Lord also appeared to be intoxicated, he said.
According to his testimony, the officer asked Lord to step out of the house and received no response. He then told him he was under arrest.
Lord tried to close the door, but the officer blocked it with his foot. He began to handcuff Lord, placing one cuff on his right hand.
Suddenly, Lord grabbed the officer’s collar and vest strap, shoving him against the inside back wall. Soon he had both hands against the officer’s neck, applying pressure on his throat.
“I couldn’t move either way, he had control of me,” said the constable, testifying that Lord looked into his eyes and said, “Get out of my house or I’ll kill you.”
The officer said he asked Lord repeatedly to let him go and warned that he would use his Taser on him, but to no avail. Two attempts to use the Taser were unsuccessful.
Const. Eric then said he lost his balance and found himself lying prone against the stairs leading to the main floor. The scuffle quickly resumed with Lord’s hands back on the officer’s throat.
The officer said he grabbed his pistol and shot twice at Lord’s body, after which he felt some pressure released from his throat.
He testified that he tossed his Taser out of reach and then, taking the gun in both hands, he fired again, aiming at Lord’s head.
Lord fell to the staircase, and there was no further response from him, said the officer. The encounter lasted less than five minutes.
Const. Eric said he then contacted the dispatch centre using his radio and reported what had happened.
For the full story, please see the March 14 edition of The Davidson Leader.
Rural and remote health minister Greg Ottenbreit speaks during a public forum on rural health care in Craik on March 5.
By Joel van der Veen
CRAIK — Rural health care was the topic of discussion for a lively public forum that drew a crowd of 100 to the Craik Legion Hall.
Rural and remote health minister Greg Ottenbreit, representing the Saskatchewan Party, was joined by the leaders of the other four major political parties in the province on March 5.
For three hours, they answered a series of four prepared questions, along with approved questions from audience members, dealing with rural health concerns.
Town councillor David Ashdown, who serves as chair of the Craik and District Health Care Committee, moderated the discussion.
The event was scheduled exactly one year after local residents visited the legislature, protesting the erosion of health services and demanding action.
While the committee continues to push for improved services, Ashdown said the forum’s purpose was to discuss wider issues in rural health care.
The five participants were provided with the four main questions in advance. Responses were timed, with sharply-dressed Mayor Rick Rogers manning the bell.
Ottenbreit defended his party’s record on health care — pointing to achievements like reduced surgical wait times and the hiring of 650 doctors and 3,000 nurses — and said services have improved greatly since the NDP era.
“We inherited a system that had drifted away from a patient-first mentality,” he said.
While the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment (SIPPA) program has helped to fill vacancies, Ottenbreit said his government also wants to retain local graduates and attract them to rural postings.
NDP leader Cam Broten was direct, pledging that if his party forms the next government, they would restore emergency services to the Craik and District Health Centre.
“We have the right facility, this needs to be a priority,” he told the Leader later, adding that restoring Craik’s serivces would also reduce pressure on city facilities.
Broten drew applause as he claimed that the Saskatchewan Party was ignoring rural concerns, saying, “From my vantage point, they’re taking you for granted.”
The NDP leader singled out local MLAs Greg Brkich (in attendance) and Lyle Stewart (not) for failing to stand up for their constituents.
He also criticized what he called a lack of political leadership at the top, pledging to cut administrative waste and to boost the number of front-line workers.
For the full story, please see the March 14 edition of The Davidson Leader.
The Davidson Atom Huskies pose for a group photo following their win in the A-side final over Outlook on Thursday.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — A blowout win over the Outlook Ice Hawks gave the Davidson Atom Huskies the A-side championship in the Fertile Valley Hockey League, closing the season on a high note.
The Huskies travelled to Outlook on Thursday night, winning 14-5 over the host team.
Kaden Berry was Davidson’s top scorer with seven goals. Mason Palmer and Zack Prpick both scored twice, while Carson Palmer, Hayden O’Brien and Kale O’Brien scored one goal each.
Davidson had hosted Outlook in the first game of the series on March 6, winning 14-10.
In that game, Kaden Berry scored five goals, while Hayden O’Brien scored four times. Mason Palmer had three goals, while Noah Schneider and Kale O’Brien also scored.
The Huskies finished the regular season in second place out of nine teams with 12 wins and four losses, with only Outlook ahead of them.
In addition to those named, the Huskies roster includes Landen Brown, Quayden Dean, Aiden Pasher, Evhan Allan, Ryder Pitre, Davin Anderson, Cody Riecken, Dylan Hryniuk and Parker Ackland, along with goalies Hunter Wightman and Daxton Tichit.
For this week’s full minor hockey report, including results from novice, peewee and bantam playoffs, please see the March 14 edition of The Davidson Leader.
