Hanley’s Evan Ashdown lunges towards Davidson’s Andrew Read during a senior football game at Hanley Composite School on Sept. 19.
By Joel van der Veen
HANLEY — A hometown rivalry was renewed as the Hanley Sabers hosted the Davidson Raiders last weekend.
Spectators from across the district flocked to the Hanley field for the senior football game on Sept. 16.
Both teams played an aggressive game, with Hanley leading 26-22 at the midway point. The Sabers pulled away for good in the fourth quarter, winning 69-50, but the Raiders kept the fight up till the very end.
“It was a very tight game, as we had expected,” said Sabers coach Mark Anderson.
He said his team was able to take advantage of its larger roster, while fatigue was a factor for the Raiders with players going in both directions.
Still, Anderson said, he was impressed by the fight Davidson put up, pointing to quarterback Andrew Read in particular.
“He made a lot of plays on broken plays,” he said, adding that it was “hard to stop somebody who is that elusive.”
Raiders coach Jason Low said the game was a team effort from start to finish, and “probably our best performance to date.”
“We really feel competitive this year,” he said, noting the team is “in a good spot to win every game we play.”
He acknowledged that fatigue was a factor as the game went on, adding that allowing two kick-return touchdowns cost the Raiders.
For the full story, see the Sept. 26 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
On August 1, 1947, Gary Manz was born in Davidson, Sask., to Leonard and Joyce Manz. He was the oldest of 10 children.
Gary attended Campbell school, then to Davidson to complete his Grade 12 at the young age of 16. He then furthered his education in Saskatoon and Moose Jaw training as a chartered accountant.
The next years, he worked for three multi-national corporations where he excelled to executive levels. These promotions took him to various locations such as Montreal, Pittsburgh, Jamaica, etc., ending in Toronto.
Gary excelled in curling and one of his claims to fame is that he lost in the Ontario provincial finals to the famous Russ Howard team. He played, coached, and generously supported many sports teams. Gary mentored and sponsored many people with alcohol and drug dependencies.
In 2009 he was diagnosed with COPD. A year later, he moved to Davidson, which was a huge adjustment for him, but he made the best of it.
During the last six years, he helped others with his accounting expertise and was very involved in the Lutheran church.
Two of his favourite things to do were curling and playing cards. He curled for about three seasons, enjoyed it very much, and was president of the club. He regularly played bridge with the local bridge club and made many friends there.
His cheerful and always upbeat attitude gave us joy. He affected a lot of people here with his humour and friendliness. He never complained about his failing health and always cared more about others than himself.
Gary passed away Sept. 11, 2016 in the Pasqua hospital in Regina. A service was held Thursday, Sept. 15 at 2:00 p.m. at the Catholic church in Davidson. He was buried in the Davidson cemetery. Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Hanson’s Funeral Home, Davidson.
Gary will be sadly missed by his family: Maxine and Ted Skibinsky, Crystal and Neil White, Marvin and Donna Manz, Vernon and Sandy Manz, Darwyn and Bernie Manz, Dana Gayle and Les Dahl, Marcia Palmer, Marla and Marvin Dezotell, and Darryl and Noreen Manz, along with many nieces, nephews, and friends.
Gary’s family would like to thank all of you for your support in food, cards, flowers, visits, and those who attended his service. He will be sadly missed by all of us.
DAVIDSON — A recent hospital stay for John Sinclair included an unexpected field trip to Rosetown.
The 77-year-old man was in the midst of a two-week stay at Davidson Health Centre, suffering from viral pneumonia and recovering in the acute care ward.
As Sinclair told the Leader, he was told in early September that he would have to leave the health centre for a couple of days due to a service disruption, caused by a staffing shortage.
Sinclair, who is diabetic and uses a walker, said he was given the choice of going home or relocating to the Rosetown and District Primary Care Centre temporarily.
Not feeling well enough to return home, he went for the second option, leading to a two-hour ambulance ride and, ultimately, a three-night stay in Rosetown.
“I didn’t want to ride in an ambulance,” he said Thursday. “They did as good as they could, but an ambulance isn’t a smooth ride.”
Sinclair said he has no complaints about the quality of care he received in Davidson, but he is concerned about the working conditions, particularly for registered nurses (RNs).
“The whole staff up there is wonderful,” he said. “There’s no way they should have to work the hours they’re working.”
Sinclair has added his voice to a growing chorus of concerns about recent service disruptions at Davidson Health Centre.
Besides the inconvenience to patients, they say the disruptions are evidence that the centre is understaffed and nurses are being overworked.
Leading the charge are the nurses themselves, several of whom spoke to Davidson town council back in August.
They alleged that the centre’s current staffing levels are potentially unsafe, asking for the town’s support as they pushed for a more balanced workload.
In response, Heartland Health Region’s acting CEO, Gayle Riendeau, said staffing levels at Davidson are in line with provincial guidelines. She said the region would keep working to fill vacancies and to address the nurses’ concerns.
A Craik man, who asked that his name be withheld, recently wrote a report on his own experience, submitting it to three health regions, two cabinet ministers and local politicians.
He said he was admitted to Davidson’s emergency room in early August after experiencing a gallbladder attack, and spent the next two weeks travelling back and forth between various hospitals for observation, treatment and surgery.
The patient spent part of that time at Davidson Health Centre, but his stays were interrupted by three service disruptions over a 10-day span. In each case, no RN was available to work the day shift.
For the full story, please see the Sept. 16 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
Dancers Brydan Johnson, Sloan Willner, Elle Johnson and Jayne Shaw perform “Under the Sea” during the Davidson Optimist Dance Club spring recital in May.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — A shortage of dance teachers is having a ripple effect for the Davidson Dance Club this year.
With only one adult instructor on board, chairperson Kelly Allan said, the club has had to limit the number of classes it can offer. In turn, enrolment has dropped by almost 20 per cent this fall.
“That has impacted our numbers, for sure,” said Allan.
The club had five adult teachers last year, but only one, Irene Williams, is returning this year.
Student teachers are making up some of the difference, including Tia Shaw in Grade 12, and Sarah Allan and Emily Read, both in Grade 11.
Some younger students are also coming on board as teacher-helpers, including Avery Ebenal and Hannah Gust, both in Grade 9.
Classes began on Sept. 12 and Allan said adjustments may be made as the season continues.
For now they’re “working out the kinks” with Williams, she said, adding, “We let her feel out the classes and see where she could use some extra support.”
The lyrical class will be the only senior class offered in Davidson this year.
For the full story, please see the Sept. 16 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
Davidson’s Addison Ouellette protects the ball from an Assiniboia attack during a senior football game on Sept. 9.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — The Raiders were expecting a tough fight from Assiniboia last weekend, and they did not disappoint.
The visiting Assiniboia Rockets handed Davidson their first loss of the season, with a final score of 52-36, in the Sept. 9 senior football game.
Raiders coach Jason Low was upbeat despite the loss, saying the experience served to prepare the team for the challenges they’ll face in the rest of the season.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” he said Wednesday, noting that Assiniboia had a 5-1 record last season and reached the provincial quarter-finals.
Assiniboia’s Riley Moneo was first to score in Friday’s game, followed shortly by a touchdown by Davidson’s Addison Ouellette.
For the full story, please see the Sept. 16 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
Sheree Fertuck is seen here with her children Lanna, Lauren and Lucas in this undated family photo.
By Joel van der Veen
KENASTON — Nine months after Sheree Fertuck went missing, her family is still waiting to learn her fate.
The 51-year-old mother and grandmother disappeared in December of last year and has not been seen or heard from since then.
Police announced in April that they believed Fertuck was the victim of homicide, but they have yet to lay charges in the case.
Her mother, Juliann Sorotski, said the family is holding on “as best as we can … (We) just hope and pray the police will come up with something soon.”
“Maybe somebody will talk soon, or some kind of evidence will be found,” she said Wednesday.
Sorotski asked the public to keep their eyes and ears open for any clues, adding, “However small, it’s very important to the police.”
The RCMP Major Crimes South unit issued an update on Sept. 7, asking the public to keep an eye out for anything suspicious as harvest continues and hunting season begins.
Residents are asked to check rural properties, outbuildings and other areas, as they are out working in farm fields or hunting game.
Police said in the update that they have received multiple tips from the public, and they encourage anyone with information, “however big or small,” to contact them as they continue the search.
Fertuck was last seen leaving the family farmyard east of Kenaston on Dec. 7, around 1:30 p.m.
A semi truck used by Fertuck to haul gravel was found the next morning at a gravel pit further east off of Highway 15, with her cellphone, keys and coat inside.
In the weeks following her disappearance, local residents gathered to organize search parties.
Multiple RCMP units, including local detachments, Search and Rescue, Police Dog Service, Civil Air Search and Rescue, and the Underwater Recovery Team, have also contributed to the investigation.
Police said in April that they were conducting targeted searches in the Kenaston area, but have not announced any findings since then.
At the time she was last seen, Fertuck was wearing a grey sweater, grey sweatpants, white running shoes and eyeglasses.
She has not made contact with her family since her disappearance. Nor has there been any banking activity recorded or any use of her cellphone or passport.
Sorotski said she is in regular contact with police, though they have had little information to share lately.
“I talk to the head investigator probably once every two weeks,” she said.
Gene Whitehead, who led local search efforts last winter, said no community searches are planned at present.
He asked local residents to “keep an eye out for anything that’s out of the normal,” but added that previous searches had been thorough and exhaustive.
Organizers had hoped that the onset of summer would assist search efforts by causing sloughs to dry up, but continued high levels of rain have dashed those hopes.
“Just about every vacant building in the area here was checked in December,” said Whitehead.
Fertuck was living and working from the Sorotski family farm at the time of her disappearance.
She and her husband Greg had been separated for around five years. He has since been identified in court documents as a suspect in her disappearance and presumed death.
Anyone with information is asked to contact their local RCMP detachment or phone Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
