The north annex of the Richardson Pioneer grain elevator at Davidson came crashing down just after 12 p.m. on Tuesday.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — A piece of Davidson’s history fell to earth last week, bringing plenty of dust with it.
Demolition of the Richardson Pioneer grain elevator began in earnest on Tuesday, as the first of three sections was brought down by a wrecking crew.
The north annex fell just after 12 p.m., with a small crowd of Richardson-Pioneer employees and other spectators looking on.
The demolition was carried out using a single trackhoe, which chipped away at the building from the west side, then moved to the corner to lay the final blows that brought the structure down.
An enormous cloud of dust was released to the southwest as the elevator fell, enveloping several vehicles parked nearby.
“We literally couldn’t see,” said Richardson Pioneer employee Marla Dezotell, who was watching the demolition from her vehicle, shooting a video with her cellphone.
Dave Mihalicz Excavating, an Assiniboia-based company, was responsible for the demolition. Mihalicz said he has been in business since 1981 and has torn down more than 700 elevators.
The process is much the same in each case, he said, adding, “We’ve done so many of them.”
Mihalicz said his crew would clear away the debris left from the north annex and then proceed to demolish the other sections, with the schedule dependent on weather and other factors.
The centre of the building, the original elevator, was slated to fall next, followed by the south annex.
For the full story, see the June 6 edition of The Davidson Leader, or phone 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
September Brooke’s sons Sheldon and Rob Nadeau and her husband Josh accept a plaque from Palliser Regional Library director Jan Smith following the dedication ceremony for the September Brooke Memorial Hospitality Room at the Davidson branch on Friday.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — September Brooke spent 17 years welcoming users to Davidson’s library, guiding them through the services available and making them feel at home.
That legacy will live on in the form of a new hospitality room at the local library, named in memory of the longtime branch librarian.
The September Brooke Memorial Hospitality Room was dedicated Friday afternoon with a short ceremony.
A group of 50 people, including friends, family and former co-workers, filled the front rooms of the library. Several friends shared their memories of Brooke, including library board chairperson Audrey Hamm and Palliser Regional Library director Jan Smith, and refreshments were served.
The hospitality room was suggested by assistant librarian Debbie Shearwood as a way to honour Brooke, who died Jan. 10 at the age of 53 following a bout with cancer.
Shearwood, who worked alongside Brooke during her entire tenure, said she wanted a more permanent memorial than books, which would gradually become outdated and eventually be discarded.
She offered her proposal for the room at a board meeting earlier this year, where it met with an enthusiastic response.
“They thought it was a great idea,” she said. “They were behind it right from the get-go.”
For the full story, see the June 6 edition of The Davidson Leader, or phone 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
In the early morning of May 26, 2016 after 77 years of life, God called home our dad, grandfather, great-grandfather and brother. Les is now racing in the big race with his best friend Willie by his side.
Les was predeceased by his parents Peter and Martha Friesen.
He is survived by five children: Cindy (Doug) McLaren, Jackie Friesen (Terry), Dianne (Garth) Schollar, Carrie (Scott) Isbister, Brent Friesen (Ann); eight grandchildren: Dwane, Brad (Larissa), Kyle (Shelby), Kevin (Heather), Dean McLaren, Kayla and Shane Schollar, and Brina Pipko; great-grandchildren: Dylan Sweet, Lexi and Kaden McLaren, and Elizabeth McLaren; as well as his brother, sisters and extended family.
Les’s five children laid him to rest in the family plot at Girvin Cemetery, Girvin, Sask.
Memorial donations in Les’s name can be directed to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Hanson’s Funeral Home of Davidson in care of arrangements.
Stan passed away peacefully on May 29, 2016 at the age of 65 after a nine-month battle with pancreatic cancer. He will be forever loved and remembered by his partner of 17 years, Brenda Ochosky, his children Stephanie, Chad and Erin (Dan McCrank) and his two young grandchildren Sophie and Ava.
He is survived by his siblings Geraldine, Maureen (Scott Turnbull), Vickie, Eugene (Jennifer Gaye), Barb, Maria (Tim Bekolay) and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and great nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his father Robert (Barney), his mother Margaret and his brother Dale.
Stan was born in Davidson, Sask., and raised on the farm until he was nine years old and then his family moved to the Town of Davidson. After graduating from Davidson High School he attended the University of Saskatchewan College of Agriculture and worked on a potato farm in Outlook, Sask. He had always dreamed of being a farmer.
In 1972, he married Isla (nee Riecken), moved to Calgary, Alta., and worked for the Gulf Oil Refinery. He had season tickets to watch the Calgary Flames and attended many games with his long-time, best friend and neighbour, Howard Robson. Stan and Isla began raising three amazingly intelligent and exuberant children there. The prairies called to Stan and he moved the family to Saskatoon in the early 1980s. He began working as a welder with the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (PCS) at the mine in Allan, Sask. Stan and Isla parted in 1998. Brenda came along in 1999 and they developed a friendship over their mutual interest in horses which later blossomed into a relationship that took them on many adventures. They attended many Saskatchewan Amateur Field Trial Association (SAFTA) field trials, took annual summer wagon treks with horses and a wall tent in the Foam Lake/Wadena area and along the river near Kyle, Sask. They loved travelling together to the Edmonton Rodeo and Regina Agricultural Fair and also travelled to Mexico, Las Vegas, Lake Havasu and Phoenix. Going anywhere with Stan was always an exciting experience, even if it was only 50 miles away. Stan bought a cabin at Etters Beach on Last Mountain Lake in 2001 and Brenda and Stan then divided their time between the lake and their other adventures. He was an avid golfer and played many rounds at the Imperial, Sask., golf course. Stan was planning to spend winters in a warmer climate and work on improving his golf game. Stan retired from PCS Allan on Sept. 30, 2015.
Stan was an outdoorsman through and through, an adventurist, hunter, athlete and champion trap and skeet shooter. He raised and trained pointing dogs and was a horseman. He played hockey and ball in his early years in Davidson, played ball with the Saskatoon Yellow Jackets (Western Major Baseball League), curled for many years at the Sutherland Rink in Saskatoon, was a member and past president of the Saskatoon Gun Dog Club/North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association, and was also a member of the Saskatoon Gun Club, the Saskatchewan Amateur Field Trial Association, the Saskatoon Wildlife Federation and Ducks Unlimited.
Stan had a keen sense of humour, a warm charming smile, an infectious laugh and the wheels never stopped turning in his mind. He thoroughly enjoyed a good joke. He was a great storyteller and loved reading, but only historical books. “If it isn’t true to life, then I don’t want to read or watch it” were his exact words. He watched the History Channel avidly and piqued the interest of those around him in that direction. He had an interest in classic cars and restored his own 1972 Ford Mustang Mach 1. He loved watching the Barrett Jackson Auctions, Dream Car Mechanics and Monster Garage. He so enjoyed birds, flowers and growing some juicy tomatoes. His other interests included antiques, art, boating, sailing, fishing, trains, planes, and anything wildlife related. He was always looking for the next treasure whatever it may have been as he was a collector — of everything and anything that sparked his interest. In the past few years he also delved into his Métis ancestry and collected items related to his heritage with pride. He enjoyed a well-deserved Caesar (his were the best) when he permitted himself time to stand still for at least two minutes. He never sat around long. He was always working on something or lending a hand to friends and neighbours. He never went anywhere without meeting a new friend and he was always eager to chat.
A Celebration of Stan’s Life will be held on Friday, June 10, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. at the Town Hall in Davidson, Sask. In lieu of flowers donations in Stan’s memory may be made to the Saskatoon Wildlife Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Communities in Bloom Davidson or a charity of your choice. The family thanks the staff of St. Paul’s Hospital Palliative Care Unit and the wonderful doctors and nurses at Royal University Hospital (especially Jodi and Dr. John Shaw) for their excellent care. Arrangements are entrusted to Todd Lockwood of Hanson’s Funeral Home in Davidson, Sask.
Students Keeley Pedersen, Aimee Killoh and Afton Foster demonstrate their coding expertise during the showcase at Davidson School on Thursday.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — It was Pong all right, but not quite the way Virginia Mireau remembered it.
On Thursday afternoon she watched Grade 6 students Donta Desjarlais and Reggie Heinrich at a computer in their classroom at Davidson School, setting up a sophisticated game of table tennis.
The program — running on a KANO kit computer pieced together by the students — allowed them to customize a wide range of options, from the size and speed of the ball to the type of playfield.
It was a far cry from the black-and-white game she remembered playing on the TV set in her brother’s room decades ago.
But more impressive than the technology was the knowledge and mastery shown by students throughout the school.
“I’m surprised at the depth of understanding, right from Grade 1 on up,” said Mireau, an early learning coach based in Rosetown with Sun West School Division. “It’s apparent that there’s a lot of engagement with the students in the process.”
Mireau was one of roughly 80 guests visiting the school on Thursday afternoon for a school-wide demonstration, showcasing the results of a pilot project that began this fall in Davidson.
“Up to Code” is a program that aims to teach students the basics of computer literacy and introductory coding, by integrating these skills into their everyday curriculum.
It is based on an idea developed by staff members Sandra Baldwin and Arlene Low, who wanted to create a program to help students become fluent in what they called a new literacy and a 21st-century skill.
For the full story, see the May 30 edition of The Davidson Leader, or phone 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
Jeannie Allan, left, watches as Chiara Traversa waters some freshly-planted flowers in a planter along Washington Avenue in Davidson on May 20.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — Each spring, downtown Davidson comes to life as new flowers are planted along the main street.
For more than a decade, the town’s Communities in Bloom (CIB) committee has been responsible for maintaining these and other green spaces.
Those who walk or drive down Washington Avenue every day sometimes take that work for granted, but it leaves an impression with visitors who come into town off the highway.
“It shows a little bit of pride in your community,” said CIB chairperson Stuart Dougan, adding that the rest stop on Highway 11 — home of the Giant Coffee Pot — is especially popular.
The committee is also responsible for the Centennial Walking Trail that winds around town. More recent projects have included the Bob Crowley Memorial Garden, dedicated in June 2011, and the Memory Tree located next to Davidson’s town hall.
Dougan said the local CIB branch has eight members, including his wife Pat, who serves as secretary-treasurer. In addition, Kim Williams and Mandy Tichit serve as liaisons between the committee and town council.
An area of focus for the committee this year will be the “Community in Motion” signs at the north and south ends of Davidson along Highway 11.
For the full story, see the May 30 edition of The Davidson Leader, or phone 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
