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By Joel van der Veen
BLADWORTH — Being a Roughrider fan in the 1960s was, in the words of Ron Bessey, “basically the way it is now — wild and woolly.”
Five decades into its existence, the team had yet to bring home the Grey Cup, even after reaching the championship eight times.
They’d ended the 1959 season with a 1-15 record, still the worst in the team’s history. After that, there was nowhere to go but up.
The Riders steadily improved through the decade, and the 1966 season was their best in many years — a 9-6-1 record, and a win over Winnipeg in western conference finals.
As they made their way to Vancouver for the Grey Cup final in November, the team knew they were still fighting an uphill battle.
“We were the underdogs,” said outside linebacker Wayne Shaw.
Indeed, the Ottawa Rough Riders were so heavily favoured to win that the TV networks had set up cameras in Ottawa’s dressing room on Saturday afternoon.
But the banner headline on Monday’s Leader-Post told the story: WEST RIDERS BEST.
Saskatchewan had its first Grey Cup with a 29-14 win over Ottawa.
Roughrider history was made on Nov. 26, 1966, and two boys from Bladworth — Wayne and his brother Cliff — were part of it.
For the full story, please see the Nov. 28 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — Local shoppers will be looking for liquor in a new place come next year.
The province announced Wednesday that Riverbend Co-op was awarded the permit to operate a new private liquor retail outlet in Davidson.
Riverbend plans to integrate the liquor retail into the Home and Agro centre on Railway Street in Davidson, in what they dubbed a “store within a store.”
The existing public store, located on Washington Avenue and in operation since 1960, will close once Riverbend’s outlet is up and running — expected by the summer of 2017.
The Co-op building has recently been updated on the outside with fresh siding and signage. Interior renovations are planned over the next few months.
Space on the store’s retail floor will be designated for liquor. The company plans to build a 500 square-foot walk-in cooler, allowing customers to purchase chilled products.
Riverbend general manager Greg Sarvis said the company was thrilled to receive the opportunity in Davidson, noting Co-op’s long history in the community.
He said Friday the company is finalizing its plan for the space, so a formal timeframe isn’t ready yet.
“We’ve got the end vision in mind of where we want to go,” he said. “Our hope is that this summer, we’re ready to go.”
For the full story, please see the Nov. 28 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — For a few hours on Wednesday, the elementary wing of Davidson School looked more like Santa’s workshop.
Workers were running to and fro, filling brightly coloured shoeboxes with toys, clothes and other items, collected in their classrooms over the past week.
A total of 107 boxes, packed and ready to go, were brought to the mini gym following the packing party on Wednesday afternoon.
In weeks to come, they will be transported to a regional dropoff point, then delivered to Ukraine and presented to dozens of underprivileged children through the Operation Christmas Child (OCC) program, operated by Samaritan’s Purse.
Dave and Colleen Spelliscy, who serve as local contacts for the program, were thrilled with the response from Davidson students.
The Spelliscys, longtime supporters of OCC, travelled to Costa Rica in May with a group that distributed 400 shoeboxes there.
This fall, they visited several classes in Davidson, showing pictures from their trip and talking about the shoebox program.
Further meetings with teachers paved the way for the school to participate in the program. Students were invited to bring in their donations in the days leading up to the packing party.
While the reaction to the idea was varied at first, teachers and students alike grew more excited over time, Dave said.
“It’s just phenomenal,” he said Wednesday, as he filled paper bags with popcorn for the students as a show of appreciation for their efforts.
“They’ve overwhelmed us with their generosity and their love for these kids all over the world,” said Colleen. “I don’t know if there’s a thank you big enough.”
For the full story and more photos, see the Nov. 21 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
By Joel van der Veen
HANLEY — Heading into the provincial football final last weekend, the Hanley Sabers had certainly done their homework.
They were up against an unfamiliar team — the Wynyard Bears — but video footage brought back from an earlier game in Watrous gave them some knowledge of what to expect.
“We studied film for two weeks before,” said senior player Marshall Prosofsky. “It was what was needed to win.”
That research paid off handsomely as Hanley claimed the six-man 2A provincial title in Wynyard on Nov. 12, winning with a score of 69-61.
It was the Sabers’ first time claiming the title since 2009, and their first trip to finals since 2012.
Sabers coach Mark Anderson said he was proud of his players, noting, “They just showed such resilience, and a determination to make it happen this year.”
For the full story, see the Nov. 21 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
By Joel van der Veen
LOREBURN — When lightning struck the Loreburn United Church in May 1948, igniting a fire that destroyed the building, its members faced some difficult questions.
“I can only imagine the horror that went through everyone’s mind the night that happened,” said Keith Forrest, speaking to the congregation on Sunday.
“In the Christian faith the question always is ‘why.’ Why this church? Why now? Why would God let that happen?”
Before long, the church’s members — including Forrest’s father John — turned to the idea of rebuilding. In 1949 they built a new sanctuary on the same site, with people of all denominations throwing their support behind the project.
“The question ‘why’ turned out to be a positive,” said Forrest, “so this community could rally, rebuild and start all over again.”
Forrest himself noted the irony as he spoke to the crowd gathered for the church’s final service on Sunday.
While his father had played a large part in the church’s construction almost 70 years ago, he said, “I’m one of the people that has the honour of selling it.”
A service of closure was held at Loreburn United Church on Nov. 6, marking the end of a 98-year history.
Roughly 50 people were in attendance, virtually all of them middle-aged or older.
The crowd easily dwarfed the church’s usual attendance — between 10 and 15 people on a typical Sunday morning, and sometimes dipping into single digits, especially during the winter months.
Leaders said it is increasingly difficult to find volunteers to run programs or even maintain the building, with more work falling on fewer shoulders.
The church board made the decision several months ago to put the Loreburn building up for sale and amalgamate with Elbow United Church. (A call for tenders was issued in August but has so far been unsuccessful.)
The two churches already share a minister, Rev. Ursula Wiig, and recently they have held services on an alternating basis — one week in Elbow, the next week in Loreburn.
For the full story and more photos, please see the Nov. 14 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.