By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — She’s starting to feel more at home on stage — and just in time, too.

Vocal student Geena Heinrich is set to perform at a provincial music competition in Saskatoon in June, following her successful performance at the local level last week.

As she said Wednesday, it’s taken a long time for her to feel comfortable singing before an audience.

“It’s my last year performing and I actually don’t hate performing now,” she said following the Central Saskatchewan Music Festival grand finale concert in Davidson.

“I was just really shy. I didn’t mind when literally no one was there.”

Heinrich, a Grade 12 student at Davidson School, will be performing the song “Memory” from the musical Cats.

She received a recommendation from adjudicator Alicia Woynarski.

Heinrich is the first performer from the district festival to move on to the provincial level since 2007 —  ending a decade-long drought, in the words of festival president Nancy Wilkins.

A longtime piano student, she has studied voice under Cheryl Dolan for the last four or five years.

Dolan said this is her first time preparing a student for provincials.

“This is all going to be new for me,” she said Thursday, adding that she is making plans for Heinrich to rehearse the piece with Joy McFarlane, an instructor with particular expertise in musical theatre.

Dolan had high praise for her student, saying that with her high soprano vocal range, she would likely have success in any genre she tried.

“She’s a really neat young lady,” said Dolan. “She’s been just fun to teach, easy to teach, and has an incredible, beautiful tone.”

She also affirmed that Heinrich is feeling more relaxed on stage this year than she ever has before.

Heinrich said Wednesday she is feeling a little nervous, but also excited to broaden her horizons.

Her current plan after graduation is to attend film school for animation in Vancouver, but she also hopes to continue pursuing her other artistic interests.

Accompanying Heinrich during her festival performances was pianist Pearl Unger.

For more coverage of this year’s Central Saskatchewan Music Festival, see the April 3 edition of The Davidson Leader.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Family, friends and guests filled the gym at Davidson School for last Sunday’s spring dance recital.

The students of the Davidson Dance Club presented a 90-minute show on the afternoon of March 19.

The program featured a total of 30 performances in a variety of styles, including jazz, ballet, tap, creative movement, hip hop, lyrical and musical theatre.

In past years, the spring recital was held at the end of the season, typically in May.

This year, organizers decided to bump it up by a couple of months, giving students the chance to practise their routines before going on to competitions.

“You are their very first audience,” said Kelly Allan to the capacity crowd.

Allan served as master of ceremonies along with Richelle Palmer, introducing each performance.

The club had 74 dancers registered this year. Most of the students live in Davidson, with a small number travelling from Kenaston, Elbow and Craik.

Irene Williams of Regina was the sole adult instructor this year, spending two nights in Davidson each week during dance season.

Tiara Shaw, Emily Read and Sarah Allan also served as instructors, while Hannah Gust, Avery Ebenal and Chase Lyn Dean were teacher-helpers.

For the full story and a full page of photos, please see the March 27 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — For Gloria Williams and others like her, the STC is more than just the bus. It’s a means of independence.

Williams, a Davidson resident, said she regularly uses the bus to travel to Saskatoon or Moose Jaw for medical appointments, or to buy material for her quilting.

Since the local bus stop was moved to the east side of Highway 11 five years ago, she’s had to ask people for rides there and back, something she hates doing.

“There’s nothing worse than pestering people,” said Williams. “I want to go and do it on my own.”

For Williams and those like her, the province’s announcement Wednesday that the STC would be shut down by the end of May was a significant blow.

Crown investments minister Joe Hargrave said Wednesday that the government would end operating and capital subsidies to the Saskatchewan Transportation Company (STC) for the coming fiscal year.

The company will close as a result, with freight being accepted for delivery until May 19 and passenger services ending May 31.

In a news release, Hargrave said the subsidies from the government had reached “unsustainable levels.”

Ten years ago, the government paid $25 in subsidies per passenger, but the cost has since increased to $94 per passenger.

The STC would require $85 million in subsidies to continue operating over the next five years, Hargrave said, adding that the government believes that money would be better spent elsewhere.

Arm River MLA Greg Brkich echoed those sentiments in an interview with the Leader on Wednesday afternoon, saying the government could not keep subsidizing STC at that level.

“How long are we going to keep doing it every year?” he said. “You have to make some tough decisions.”

Brkich said he recognized it would affect residents in his riding — maybe one or two in each town, he guessed.

Williams said she was angered by the announcement. She knows other people in town, both seniors and younger residents, who rely on the bus.

For the full story, plus additional coverage of the 2017 Saskatchewan provincial budget, please see the March 27 edition of The Davidson Leader, or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

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.