By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — An average farm labourer in rural Nicaragua can expect to earn $5 US for a day’s work.

At that salary, even inexpensive dental care — $50 for a tooth extraction, $80 for a filling — is beyond the reach of most people.

“You can understand why a lot of them aren’t getting to the dentist,” said Mary Jane Morrison. “That’s got to be pretty tough.”

Morrison was part of a team of 24 Canadians who visited Nicaragua last month on a medical mission trip, providing free dental and optical care to rural residents in the developing country in Central America.

The trip lasted from Feb. 11 to 20 and was organized by Change for Children, an Edmonton-based organization that celebrated its 40th anniversary last year.

The group was evenly split between medical professionals and volunteers, with four senior dentists, three student dentists, two hygienists and three optometrists on board.

Three of the participants had local connections, including Morrison, who lives in Davidson and works as secretary for the Sacred Heart Parish.

Another was Jeannie Lockwood, a longtime resident of the Davidson area who now lives in Saskatoon, where she works as a licensed practical nurse at City Hospital.

Also taking part was dentist Erik Johnson, the son of Everett and Vonné Johnson of Davidson.

Johnson, who practises dentistry in a clinic in Lloydminster, has made two prior trips to treat patients in developing countries.

For the full story, please see the March 13 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Armed with blue paint, an unknown vandal apparently decided to go public with their opposition to a pair of pro-life signs east of town.

Graffiti was recently discovered on a pair of roadside signs that were installed by Mid-Lakes Pro-Life along Highway 747 in the RM of Arm River.

One side depicts an infant with a bow wrapped around its middle, surrounded by the slogan, “Life: The Greatest Gift of All!”

The other side features an older gentleman crading a newborn baby, accompanied by the words, “Respecting All Life as a Gift from God.”

The words “Pro Choice” were added in blue paint on both sides sometime in late February.

Deborah Doell, the chairperson of Mid-Lakes Pro-Life, said she was out of town when the vandalism was discovered, returning on Wednesday of last week.

She said the organization doesn’t have a meeting scheduled until mid-March so they haven’t had a chance to discuss their response yet.

Doell said the incident has not yet been reported to police, but that will likely be part of their course of action.

She said she’d like to find out who was responsible for the graffiti, adding, “I believe they’re hurting.”

The affected sign was installed by Mid-Lakes on private land with the permission of the landowner. The organization has installed roughly half a dozen similar signs around the district.

Another such sign was placed at an intersection further east on the same road.

In December, Mid-Lakes was ordered by the RM to remove the sign, on the grounds that it did not conform to the zoning bylaw and would obstruct the view of motorists.

Doell said they have complied with the order but have plans to re-install the sign further back so that it meets the RM’s requirements.

She said they’re disappointed by the vandalism, but not deterred, and they intend to keep installing signs.

Other attempts by Mid-Lakes to spread its message have met with challenges of various kinds.

Four years ago, the group sought permission to install a sign at the Davidson rink. The request was denied, on the grounds that council was opposed to religious or political messages appearing on town property.

Doell also said Mid-Lakes had inquired in the past about sponsoring a scholarship for graduates of Davidson School and was told they could do so, but would not be allowed to present the award at the graduation ceremony.

She said the group seems to be up against limits that other organizations don’t face: “Why is our freedom of speech squashed and theirs isn’t?”

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — After 65 years, the bylaw regulating Davidson’s cemetery is looking a little long in the teeth.

Town councillors agreed at Tuesday’s meeting to the formation of a new committee to oversee the cemetery.

Their first order of business will be to develop and draft a bylaw to replace the current one, which has been on the books longer than any of the current council members have been alive.

Bylaw No. 155, “A Bylaw to Provide for the Maintenance and Improvement of Davidson Cemetery,” had its three readings and approval on June 5, 1951.

The typewritten, one-page document bears the signature of Mayor J. A. Vopni and town clerk K. H. Ketcheson — both of them since buried in that same cemetery.

The bylaw was amended in September 1979, adding restrictions on the placement of plants and limiting the sale of burial plots to two at the time of need. Otherwise, it is unchanged.

“It sounds like we need to redo this,” said Mayor Tyler Alexander, one of four members appointed to the new committee. “It’s definitely a work in progress out there. . . This is a good first step.”

Public works foreman Doug Torrie and assistant administrator Donna Bessey were also appointed, along with Coun. Todd Lockwood, who is also the town’s only funeral director.

“I’m happy to do it,” said Lockwood. “I’m out there, I hear the questions and I feel the heat when something’s not right.”

The cemetery’s condition and maintenance have been perennial sources of concern in recent years.

In the past, visitors and residents have complained about damage to headstones, the state of the grass and roads, and even the type and volume of soil used to top up gravesites after burials.

For the full story, please see the March 6 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — To most of us, they’re just pebbles in the park or on the road.

But for Michele Morrison, they might be the inspiration for her next piece of artwork.

Morrison, a wife and mother of two who works as an educational assistant at Davidson School, has been getting lots of attention in the last couple of months for her series of rock art pieces.

She has created roughly 20 pieces, incorporating rocks, bark and other remnants of nature into colourful, painted scenes.

“They’re all unique, one-of-a-kind,” said Morrison, who lives on a farm east of Davidson. “None of them will look the same.”

Morrison had dabbled in art in the past, including bark art and folk art pieces painted on old cream cans and school desks.

Her latest phase began with a small collection of interesting rocks and shells she brought home from Cuba. She was one of the chaperones on a cultural exchange trip with her son James and the rest of the senior basketball team in February 2016.

When she unpacked her collection, she said, “I had no idea what to do with them all.”

A star-shaped rock looked like a sunbather, and so she worked that and other objects into a beach scene, complete with birds and a fisherman sitting on the shore.

“I kind of thought it was fun,” said Morrison. “Then I kind of went out of control.”

She said she began looking for more rocks to work with, keeping an eye out around the yard or on the road for interesting specimens.

“Sometimes it takes me quite a while to find what I’m looking for,” said Morrison.

Later, she began buying aquarium rocks online and having them shipped to her.

This gives her a better selection to work with, although she added, “They’re not liking me at the post office lately.”

Each new piece begins with a theme. Morrison uses canvases or frames for most of her work, but has also created some pieces using old barn wood.

Sometimes, her inspiration comes from pictures she sees online, to which she adds her own twist.

Other pieces are inspired by suggestions from family or friends. She has also done commissioned pieces, like a recent one she did for a family that is big fans of the Saskatoon Rush.

For the first piece, she used hot glue to attach the rocks, but since then she has switched to Weldbond adhesive, finding it more effective.

Morrison has promoted her work online and also had a booth at a recent trade show in her hometown of Dundurn. As of last week, she said she has already sold three pieces.

She is making arrangements to have her work displayed at the Restless Gypsy shop on 33rd Street in Saskatoon.

“I’m running out of room in my kitchen,” she said, adding that her family has gradually warmed up to her new hobby. “They kind of thought I’d lost my marbles to begin with.”

To learn more, check out “Rock Art by Michele” on Facebook at facebook.com/morrmic7.