Berne Farden (nee Gruenig) was born to a family of seven in Sundridge in northern Ontario on November 25, 1923. She met Ken during the war in Toronto, and they were married in Macrorie and farmed at Bratton, Broderick, and Davidson. They raised their family of five near Broderick moving to Davidson, where Berne has lived for 48 years.
Berne is predeceased by husband Ken and daughter Sharon.
She is survived by friend and caregiver, Sharon O’Brien; brother Art (Lois); children Peter (Sheila), Susan (Wayne) Stulberg, Keith, and Marianne; grandsons, Kory (Andrea), Kevin (Terra), Kelly (Melissa), and Joshua; and eight great-grandchildren.
A Celebration of Berne’s life was held in the Davidson United Church on June 13 at 2:00 pm. Donations in memory of Berne may be made to the Davidson Health Centre, Davidson United Church, or charity of your choice. Hanson’s Funeral Home of Davidson was in care of arrangements.
Glen Manz points to a bidder as a small wooden cabinet goes up for sale during the Burgess auction in Bladworth on June 6. Also pictured is Connie Glines.
By Joel van der Veen
BLADWORTH — As Bill Burgess watched the collection of a lifetime hit the auction block last weekend, he seemed resigned to its fate.
“It’s not easy, you know,” he said, “but I realized it had to happen, so I thought we’d better do it now.”
Burgess’s collection of farm equipment, vehicles, tools and other paraphernalia, as well as the buildings that housed them all, was divested in a sale conducted by Manz’s Auctioneering Service on Bladworth’s main street on June 6.
The sale of the vast collection drew an equally enormous crowd from across Saskatchewan and Alberta, including multiple antique dealers.
Upwards of 250 bidders registered over the course of the day, and Jan Manz estimated that more than 500 people had come through to bid, glance over the items for sale or simpy watch the proceedings.
Manz said the sale date was booked last fall, giving their staff plenty of time to promote it but also leaving them at the mercy of the weather. Employees spent a total of four days sorting the items for sale.
“It was just going to have to go ahead,” she said, noting that aside from a brief windstorm on Friday night, the weekend weather was ideal for the sale. “We were lucky.”
Bladworth Mayor Ron Bessey observed that, aside from the village’s annual Sports Days, it was rare to see so much activity in town.
“I’d be lucky if I recognized half of the people here,” he said, adding that it was good to see such a large crowd and fortunate that the weather co-operated.
Barkley Prpick, who owns and operates Barkley’s Bar with his wife Tannis, said his establishment was enjoying the extra business.
His children and their friends were also selling ice cream from the patio; they could later be seen walking through the crowd to sell their wares.
Prpick said he has known Burgess for many years — both as a frequent presence in the village, and for his maintenance work in area schools — but added, “I don’t know what possesses a person to collect all of these things.”
His comments were echoed by others, including Don Wilkins of Girvin, who said he was “overwhelmed” as he looked through the collection.
“The last words I heard leaving the house were, ‘You don’t need anything,’” he added.
Among the featured items in Saturday’s auction were four vintage John Deere tractors restored by Burgess and still in working condition.
Mary Walker, who attended the sale with her husband Lee and other family members, recalled that the tractors were a frequent presence in Bladworth’s Sports Day parades.
The sale also included other farm implements, vehicles in various states of repair, tools, musical instruments, and a host of smaller items, ranging from fire extinguishers to bank calendars.
Four buildings also went up on the auction block, including the former pool hall in which Burgess had displayed some of his collection, and the Silver Lake schoolhouse, which he had converted to use as a workshop.
The buyers of the buildings were told to make arrangements either to purchase the underlying lots through the village office, or to have the buildings moved elsewhere.
Watching the progress of the sale with Bill Burgess was Kay, his wife of almost 64 years. Together the Burgesses raised six children; they now also have nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Bill and Kay were married in October 1951 and lived on the family farm, located 22 miles east of Bladworth, until 1959. They have lived in Imperial ever since.
After leaving the farm, Burgess worked as a carpenter, attending STI (now Saskatchewan Polytechnic) in Moose Jaw to get his certificates. As his first project, he was part of the crew that built St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church in Imperial.
In 1973 he became maintenance supervisor with the Davidson School Unit, remaining in that position for 21 years.
Burgess recalled how he would continually add to the collection, restoring some items and putting others on display in the old pool hall, which he called his “museum.”
Asked how she coped with her husband’s growing collection, Kay Burgess said that for the most part she wasn’t aware of it.
“I never knew he bought it,” said Kay, who turns 91 this year. “He would see these things all over the country, and if he wanted it, he bought it.”
Bill, who turns 87 in September, said he plans to keep busy working in his shop at home.
Greg Burgess, their second son, said most of the family had returned home for the auction. He added he was surprised at the extent of the collection.
“I didn’t think he had that much stuff,” he said. “Every building had something in it.”
Greg added that there were no “first dibs” for himself or his siblings. They were told that if they wanted anything, they had to show up and bid like everyone else.
And there was plenty of bidding going on. The tractors and buildings sold for thousands of dollars each, but even some of the smaller items attracted their share of bids.
A keychain collection numbering in the hundreds sold for $270; a collection of pins and buttons went for $70; a lot consisting of four bank calendars and a tobacco sign sold for $190.
Yet there were deals to be had. Trevor Mooney, a 12-year-old lad from Imperial, paid $55 for a black Gibson electric-acoustic guitar. The instrument needed some work, but Mooney was pleased with this purchase.
Another satisfied customer was Greg Prpich, a retired farmer who now raises bison four-and-a-half miles northeast of Bladworth.
Prpich paid $80 for a cloth banner once carried by Bladworth students, bearing the slogan “For King and Country”; he guessed that it dated back to at least the 1940s.
He said he has known Burgess for decades and remembered seeing the banner in his collection. He wasn’t sure what he would do with it but said it would be a unique souvenir.
“It’s my hometown,” said Prpich, adding, “I just wanted a keepsake to remind me of Bill.”
Bill and Kay Burgess watch the auction in progress.
ROSETOWN — Keeping a balanced budget while maintaining a standard of primary health care will be a challenge going forward for Heartland Health Region, its CEO said last week.
Greg Cummings said regions across the province are aiming to “bend the cost curve,” explaining, “It’s not to reduce the cost of health care in the province, it’s to reduce the rate at which the cost of health care is increasing.”
The regional health authority approved its budget and operational plan for the 2015-16 fiscal year at a meeting in Rosetown on June 5. The operating budget itself totals $105 million; including a capital transfer of $648,000, the grand total comes to $105.7 million.
While the region ended the last fiscal year with a minor surplus, Cummings said that balancing the budget this year was a challenge.
The budget saw an overall increase of 1.6 per cent or $1,424,000, which represented collective bargaining increases, physician remuneration, and the purposeful rounding initiative for long-term care, which entails responding to residents’ needs within a set amount of time.
To balance the budget, the region must find around $1.5 million in savings and efficiencies, according to a news release issued by Heartland.
Cummings said the region’s goal for Davidson and area is to keep the hospital and emergency services operational as it continues to develop its primary care model.
“We will spend what we have to, to support that model,” he told the Leader on Wednesday. “We build our budget from the ground up.”
Davidson is currently served by two full-time doctors, Dr. Lang and Dr. Ola, both of whom are on the emergency room call rotation for Davidson Health Centre.
The Heartland and Five Hills health regions announced in an update on Wednesday that two additional doctors would join that rotation between now and early 2016.
Dr. Modupe Olufunmilayo Arowolo, a general practitioner currently living in Calgary, has accepted a posting to serve the Craik-Davidson corridor.
She will primarily serve Craik, providing the town with physician services four days a week as part of the primary health care team at Craik Health Centre, but will also join the ER call rotation in Davidson.
Dr. Arowolo entered the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment (SIPPA) program in May. The region said she is expected to be ready to practise by the end of September.
A fourth physician is expected to join the collaborative in early 2016. Dr. Kayode Emmanuel Bamigboje, or simply Dr. Kay — known to some Davidson residents as the husband of Dr. Ola — is scheduled to enter the SIPPA program in September, and will join the ER call rotation next year.
In the meantime, the regions have secured a locum physician from Regina, Dr. Anne Lillian Kavulu, who has been hired on a short-term contract to serve Craik and Davidson between July 27 and Oct. 30.
Dr. Kavulu is scheduled to tour the Craik and Davidson health centres soon. She will work primarily from Craik but will also be part of Davidson’s ER call rotation during her short-term stay, according to the regions.
Cummings said the doctors will determine amongst themselves how the schedule is divided up, explaining, “They make the decision about how they’re going to make the rotation work.”
Without multiple doctors available, he said, it has been impossible to provide round-the-clock service at the Davidson hospital.
This effected not only Davidson and district residents, but others travelling through the area who required emergency services but would arrive at the hospital to find none were available.
“We want to reassure the public that if they go there, that it’ll be open,” said Cummings, adding that the matter of health care will continue to be an “ongoing discussion.”
“Like all discussions on health care, there’s a high emotional component to it,” he said, noting that as the new doctors arrive, “I think it’ll be less emotional, and we’ll be able to talk more about better providing the services to meet the needs of the community, instead of being in crisis mode.”
For the complete story, please see the June 15 print edition of The Davidson Leader, or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe.
Maddy Vollmer of Loreburn is seen at left carrying the baton during the senior girls relay race at the provincial track meet in Yorkton.
By Joel van der Veen
YORKTON — Local high school athletes were among the hundreds who competed at the provincial track and field meet at Yorkton’s Century Field on June 5 and 6.
Jade Peters, a former Hanley student who now studies at Rosthern Junior College, took home several medals in the senior girls division, including a gold in high jump with a result of 1.64 metres, and a silver in triple jump with a result of 11.21 metres.
The West Central junior boys relay team — which included Shane Lafontaine of Loreburn Central School — captured the gold medal in the 4 x 100-metre relay race, with a total time of 45.68 seconds in the final.
Lafontaine also earned the bronze medal in the junior boys long jump, completing a jump of 6.03 metres. His teammates on the relay team included Jae Evans and Matthew Jones, both of Dinsmore, and Kevin Stockman of Beechy.
Meanwhile, the West Central senior girls relay team took the bronze medal in their 4 x 100-metre race, with a result of 51.21 seconds in the final.
That team included Cheyanne Sincennes of Kenaston, Maddy Vollmer of Loreburn, Nicole Anhorn of Elrose, and Justine Jorgenson from Outlook’s Lutheran Collegiate Bible Institute (LCBI).
Megan Fehr from Hanley Composite School received the bronze medal in the midget girls pole vault with a result of 2.10 metres.
Competing from Davidson were Jacob Schilling, Emily Read, Travis Nelson and Ben Nykiforuk. Craik School was represented by Carson Kearns and Hayley Folk.
Kenaston students competing in the events included Kaitlyn Yelich, Dawson George, Alyssa Evashenko, Jesse Boot and Cheyanne Sincennes.
Loreburn Central School was represented by Brianna Jess, Tori Rendall, Shane Lafontaine and Maddy Vollmer, while Leah Hundeby, a former Loreburn student now studying at Caronport High School, also competed in the events.
Hanley Composite School students competing in the events included Megan Fehr, Kianna Dietz and Carissa Williams.
The West Central district, which includes Davidson, Loreburn and Kenaston, earned the distinction of scoring the most points per thousand students with a total of 741.5 points.
The weekend also saw a record of nearly half a century broken, when Jae Evans of Dinsmore jumped 6.96 metres in the junior boys long jump, beating the record set in 1967 by 23 cm.
Evans was also the junior boys aggregate winner, taking five provincial gold medals in the 100-metre dash, long jump, high jump, triple jump and the 4 x 100-metre relay.
For complete results, please pick up a copy of the June 15 print edition of The Davidson Leader.
Patricia Helen (Sekulich) McFarlane of Saskatoon (formerly Davidson, Sask.) was born on March 22, 1942 in Long Lac, Ont., to Mark and Margaret Sekulich. They lived in Ontario and would eventually move back to the family farm in Kenaston and then to Davidson. Mom attended school in Briggs and graduated from Davidson High School. During high school her passion was playing the saxophone and being involved with the Davidson Jubilee Marching Band. Many weekends were spent travelling to various towns playing at the local dances with the Teen Airs. After high school she followed her dream and attended Regina General Nursing School obtaining her Registered Nurse designation. Her career as an RN saw her working in Hamilton, Ont., at the Psychiatric Hospital, Saskatoon City Hospital, Davidson Union Hospital, the operating room at Royal University Hospital as well as home care in the later years. She married William McFarlane in November 1967 and had two children. They lived in town and later moved to the farm. Life was busy with work, gardening and sewing (especially quilts) and attending many hockey games and figure skating events. In January 2015, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer but did not let this disease define who she was. She lived her life with a strong spirit, genuine heart, considerate soul and an incredible underlying strength accepting her final days with courage and grace. Mom passed away at St. Paul’s hospital on June 8, 2015 surrounded by her children and grandchildren. As she was with us when we took our first breath, we were able to be there to hold her hand while she took her last breath. We would like to thank the incredible staff of St. Paul’s Hospital palliative care for the wonderful care Mom received during her last days. Pat is survived by her children Lynda (Gary) and Doug; grandchildren Chelsea (Chad), Marcus (Isabelle), Kaylah (Alex) and Candace; and great-grandchildren Eli and Kennedy. She is also survived by her brothers-in-law Bob (Phyllis) and Larry (Darlene), along with nephews and nieces and the best cousins you could ask for (those crazy Croatians). Pat was pre-deceased by her husband William, her parents Mark and Margaret and infant sister Kathleen. A celebration of life will be held on June 20, 2015 at 3 p.m. at Park Funeral Chapel (311 Third Avenue North, Saskatoon). Interment of the ashes will be at a later date at the Davidson Cemetery. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Davidson Health Foundation in her memory. To view this obituary and share your memories, visit www.parkfuneral.ca “Obituaries & Tributes.” Arrangements entrusted to Kenneth J. Scheirich, Park Funeral Chapel, 306-244-2103.
Former cadet Jaclyn Edwards performs her duties as reviewing officer during the 553 Sherlock Squadron’s annual review on June 1 at Davidson Town Hall.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — Serving as the reviewing officer for the Sherlock Squadron’s annual review brought back a flood of memories for former cadet Jaclyn Edwards.
“This program changed my life,” she told the cadets gathered at Davidson Town Hall. “I kind of want to come back . . . I’m really proud of you guys.”
The local Royal Canadian Air Cadets squadron held its review on June 1, drawing a crowd of about 20 people to the auditorium to celebrate and recognize the cadets’ achievements over the past year.
This year will mark the squadron’s 30th anniversary in Davidson, but enrolment in the program has reached its lowest level yet with just four cadets finishing out the year.
Capt. Krystal Klenk said she’s hopeful that enrolment will increase next year, as the squadron welcomed several new cadets last fall.
“Our squadron may be small, but we have achieved and overcome to make this year a success,” she told the audience during her address.
Area director Gordon McRae also expressed his pride in the program and in the results he’s seen, exhibited in the many young people who have graduated from Air Cadets.
“I always feel proud of the program,” he said. “I would very much like to see it go on.”
Along with the ceremonial review, the program on Monday night included the presentation of awards and speeches by Klenk, McRae and Edwards. Ryan Potts served as master of ceremonies.
Jaclyn, 20, is the youngest child of Bill and Sandra Edwards. She followed in the footsteps of her older brother and sister by excelling in the program.
She recalled last week how she came along to meetings with her sister before she was old enough to join. As a cadet, she quickly caught up to her sister in rank, and as a senior cadet she was two years younger than her colleagues.
Edwards — now in her second year at the University of Saskatchewan, studying microbiology, immunology and biotechnology — said she took advantage of opportunities to improve her leadership skills.
“I’m more outgoing,” she said. “I’m not afraid to step up and take charge . . . It’s definitely helped that way.”
Edwards said the program gave her many other opportunities, from summer camps and flying experience to attending the world’s largest air show in Oshkosh, Wis.
She said serving as the reviewing officer was somewhat emotional for her because she once babysat the Townsend children, now enrolled in the program themselves.
Edwards also said she hopes to see enrolment increase, and that it would be a tremendous loss if Davidson lost the squadron. Added numbers would allow the cadets to explore more opportunities, she added.
L.A.C. Jessica Townsend received both the Star Cadet award and the Best Dressed award, while L.A.C. Breanna Townsend was honoured with the award for Most Proficient First-Year Cadet.
Corp. Weston Wilcox was presented with the Most Improved Cadet of the Year, traditionally presented to second-year cadets. Klenk noted that although he is technically in his first year, he has advanced enough to reach the ranking of a second-year cadet.
The squadron enjoyed another busy year of adventures, which included competing against other cadets in zone activities in Saskatoon, taking part in a survival weekend at Buffalo Pound and attending a Snowbirds air show at 15 Wing Moose Jaw.
In the winter, the cadets visited Mitchinson’s Flying Services in Saskatoon and had the opportunity to fly in a Cessna 152 two-passenger craft.
Over the year, cadets also toured the STARS Air Ambulance facility and helicopters in Saskatoon, viewed a Chinook duel propeller helicopter at 15 Wing, and flew in gliders at the Moose Jaw Gliding Centre.
Klenk, now in her sixth year as the squadron’s commanding officer, is herself a graduate of the squadron, having joined in 2004 at age 15.
She said she travels each week from her home near Watrous for the squadron meetings, noting that all of the leaders come from out of town.
Klenk said that the low enrolment numbers also mean there are fewer parent volunteers to help with the program, adding, “We also need people over here to help us grow.”
Local cadets will be busy with activities over the summer; the squadron will resume meeting in the fall with an open house on Sept. 14.
The program is open to recruits ages 12 and up. For more information, contact Klenk at 306-946-3773 or 306-946-9941, or email krykle@sasktel.net.
