By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — A growing town grew a little more on Jan. 8 as the Town of Davidson welcomed its first baby of 2017.

Jennifer Anne Gust was born on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 5:03 a.m., weighing 6 lbs. 13 oz.

She is the fourth child for Brian and Samantha Gust, who are also the parents of Joshua, 8; Jocelyn, 5; and Jamie, 3.

Samantha said the birth came a couple of days after her due date, adding that they went to the Davidson Health Centre at 10:30 p.m. the night before Jennifer was born.

“The doctor told me I’d better get going because she was coming fast,” she recalled.

They arrived at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon at midnight, and Samantha said it was a smooth delivery.

Samantha is employed in laundry services at the Davidson Health Centre, while Brian works as a janitor for the Case dealership and both grain terminals in town.

Brian is the son of Bob and Nina Gust of Davidson. Jennifer is the Gusts’ 27th grandchild.

Nina said they also have 28 great-grandchildren, adding, “And there’s three more on the way this summer.”

Samantha said the family moved here in May from Lloydminster, adding that the transition has worked out well: “I like it . . . I think the kids like it too.”

She also said her older kids are adjusting well to having a baby around the house again.

“They did really well, better than I thought they would,” said Samantha. “They just love her.”

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — When Father Madonna-Godwin Aghedo told his colleagues in Nigeria that he was moving to Canada, many had the same response: “Were you not told about the weather?”

Since his arrival in Saskatchewan, the Catholic priest has seen firsthand exactly what they were talking about.

As he said Sunday during his installation, winter is nothing to fear when God is present, and he explained why.

Father Godwin pointed to the list of parishes in the Davidson pastoral region, beginning with Sacred Heart in Davidson and ending with the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Outlook.

With the heart of Christ and the heart of the Holy Mother, he said, “Are you not cared for?”

Around 80 parishioners gathered at Sacred Heart on Jan. 15 for the installation, including visitors from the other parishes in the region.

Officiating at the mass was the Very Rev. Father Kevin McGee, who serves as administrator for the Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon.

For the full story, please see the Jan. 23 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — John Sperling left his truck parked at the back door of his butcher shop on Monday night, with the doors locked and a full tank of gas.

When he returned on Tuesday morning, it was gone.

“My first thought was, ‘I sure hope Jon borrowed it,” said Sperling, but a quick chat with his stepson confirmed his fears.

The truck — a white Ford F-350, dating from the mid-2000s — had vanished from the parking lot behind JMR Meats on Davidson’s Washington Avenue.

The vehicle was stolen sometime between 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 16 and 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 17.

Sperling said police arrived around 8 a.m. to investigate. He also reported the theft to city police in case the vehicle was spotted right away.

Const. Kevin Morrissette of the Craik RCMP confirmed that the truck was reported stolen and that the incident was under investigation.

Police had not identified any suspects as of last week, but Morrissette invited the public to contact the police with any information.

Sperling, who lives in Craik, said having his vehicle stolen gave him a better sense of the frustration felt by others in that situation.

“You feel violated,” he said Wednesday. “I had a knot in my stomach all yesterday morning … (and) I was pretty angry yesterday. It hurts.”

Making matters worse, Sperling said he would also have to replace the equipment that he kept inside the truck, including a power inverter, gun rack and other tools.

Losing a full tank of gas was no small potatoes either, he added: “She was topped right up.”

Anyone with details is asked to contact the Craik RCMP at 306-734-5200.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Don’t worry if you’re not exactly calendar material — the Davidson Volunteer Fire Department can use your help.

The department is looking for new recruits, putting out the invitation to all men and women aged 18 and older.

“We need members and I don’t care who it is,” chief Clayton Schilling said recently.

“We need to keep our department strong,” deputy chief Don Willner said, adding that local residents need to feel “confident that when they call 9-1-1, somebody’s coming.”

The department currently has 10 active members. That number includes EMS employees, who often have to leave a scene to transport patients to the hospital.

On average, around five members respond to a typical call.

The chiefs said they’re confident in the ability of their modest team to provide a fast and effective response.

But with fewer members, it’s harder to guard the scene of an accident or collision, or to provide relief when firefighters need a break.

“Everyone is so well trained, they have lots of experience,” said Willner, adding that without backup available, “you get physically worn out.”

The department responds to an average of 50 calls a year. About 80 per cent of those are located on or near Highway 11, and the chiefs have noticed a greater volume of traffic, as well as increasingly unsafe driving.

“People are going faster than they ever have, and they’re totally unprepared,” said Willner.

The remaining calls are mostly structure fires and field fires.

The Davidson department covers a large area for rescue service, stretching north to the townline road at Bladworth and south to Chamberlain, extending into the valley around Buffalo Pound Lake.

The main service area includes the Town of Davidson and the RMs of Arm River and Willner, as well as a small part of the RM of Wood Creek. Officials said they have also responded to structure fires in Bladworth, Craik, Elbow and Loreburn.

Davidson also provides mutual aid to other departments, including Craik and Kenaston.

For the full story, please see the Jan. 16 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

By Joel van der Veen

REGINA — Rural residents will still be heard when it comes to their health services, even as Saskatchewan begins its transition to a single provincial health authority.

That was the message from rural and remote health minister Greg Ottenbreit last week, as he spoke with the Leader about the impending changes to the structure of the province’s health care system.

Ottenbreit said Thursday that a gradual transition would be important to avoid the pitfalls that plagued other provinces like Alberta during similar transformations.

The upcoming change from 12 regional health authorities (RHAs) to a single provincial body has also prompted some concerns about a potential lack of local representation.

The minister said that community advisory committees will be able to report directly to the authority board, thus ensuring those local voices are still heard.

“There will be an avenue for communication that way,” he said. “We’ll welcome a strong voice from rural Saskatchewan.”

Part of that input will also come from rural MLAs, Ottenbreit added, saying that elected members will continue advocating for their constituents.

The Davidson-Craik corridor is served by a team of three doctors, and while the arrangement has met with success, it is complicated somewhat since the two towns are in separate health regions.

Davidson, Loreburn and Kenaston are part of Heartland Health Region, headquartered in Rosetown, while Craik is part of Five Hills Health Region, centred in Moose Jaw.

Ottenbreit said the two regions have collaborated well in this regard, but not all issues have been easily addressed.

“There’s still that border that does get in the way from time to time,” he said, adding that moving to one region would remove that boundary and the complications that come with it.

Health minister Jim Reiter announced Wednesday that the government would move forward with replacing the 12 RHAs with one single provincial health authority.

In doing so, the government is accepting the recommendations of a three-member advisory panel, established by former health minister Dustin Duncan in August 2016 to offer guidance on the future structure of the province’s health care system.

In a statement, Reiter said the change was about consolidating administration, not centralizing services, and expressed the government’s commitment to “providing high-quality health services in every part of the province.”

The report also recommended that the authority be governed by a single appointed board of directors, along with system-wide improvements such as the consolidation of administrative support and some clinical services.

The ministry of health has begun planning the implementation of the announced changes, with the goal of bringing the new health authority into being in the fall of 2017.

For the full story, please see the Jan. 9 edition of The Davidson Leader, or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.