Sports

Volleyball players raise funds for Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

The Davidson Raiders senior girls volleyball team played with heart this past week both on the court and off. Despite a losing record during week play the players still managed to bring hope to those who have more to worry about than a game of volleyball.

The Raiders ended the week with a loss to the Loreburn Aztecs at the Davidson gym last Wednesday after coming out on the short end in tournament play Oct.12 and 13, but the club and other schools at the tourney raised funds for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation in the third annual tournament for the cause held at Craik and Davidson schools.

Tony Baldwin, head coach of the Raiders, said the team raised funds for the Foundation through canteen sales. Donations were also made by the competing teams at the Friday night and all-day Saturday tourney, which also saw the other schools bunk at Davidson School on the first night.

“We had a lot of teams stay over which was lots of fun for the kids,” said Baldwin. “They stay in the school and play volleyball half the night. Those are good tournaments as far as fans because they generally bring a pretty good entourage with them from the towns they’re from.”

He said all four teams that were in their pool including Asquith, Colonsay, Elrose and St. Walburg stayed overnight at Davidson School, which is “better than driving home.”

The Davidson team was split in two for the tournament, a blue and a white club, but both came out with equal results.

“We played our hardest,” said blue team member Elise Packet who played at Davidson. “We didn’t do very well, but it was nice to see some good volleyball and lots of girls supporting the breast cancer society.”

To read more please see the Oct. 22 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Davidson

Hodgins host Quebec exchange student

Vive le Québec!  Long live Saskatchewan!

The act of being immersed in another’s culture, language and day-to-day life is being embraced by a Davidson School student and her “twin” from Québec as they travel and live in each other’s homes, communities and provinces for a span of three months this school year.

Davidson School Grade 11 student Paige Hodgins, 16, is welcoming École secondaire De Rochebelle Grade 10 pupil Andrea Rocha, 15, to her home in town this fall as part of a Saskatchewan-Québec student exchange program, which will see Paige travel to Québec City at the end of January.

While in their different communities, the girls are and will be immersed in the other’s language and culture in order to gain a better understanding of their twin’s unique part of Canada.

“Davidson is really different from Québec,” said Andrea adding residents of Québec City refer to it as just Québec. “The first things that I saw when I came here is it is really more familiar, maybe because it’s smaller. There is more religion, like more churches here too.”

Andrea said the school in town is a bit smaller than De Rochebelle, which translates to beautiful stone and has over 2,000 students, but that is fine with her. She said the residents of Davidson are “really nice” and Paige’s friends have taken her in as one of their own, so she is doing OK as she discovers the Land of the Living Skies.

“It’s a new experience for me,” she said. “In Saskatchewan it’s rural, but that’s really important. There is more English for sure. It’s in the same country, but I think something that I could say is the society is a little bit different. I hope to learn in the same country how we can live differently and how the people can be different.”

Paige said she is “really excited” to move into Andrea’s home in Québec City at the end of January, which will have her plunge into the French language and culture of the historic city on the banks of the Saint Lawrence River.

“I can’t wait,” said Paige. “We don’t have French offered here anymore because Ms. Low (former Davidson School French teacher Arlene Low) left the school, but I did take French over the summer and a little bit now until we finish. I have taken it all through school, but the best way to learn is immersion and that is why I wanted to do this.”

Paige said she applied to enter the exchange program in the last school year on the advice of Low and will join several other students from across Saskatchewan who are travelling to la belle province for French language studies.

To read more please see the Oct. 22 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Obituary

Rosalee M. Johnson (Trask) (Gregg)

1916 – 2012

On Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012 Rosalee passed away at the Sarcee Hospice in Calgary. Rosalee was raised in Hanley and married hometown sweetheart Jack Gregg on Dec. 6, 1941. After spending the war years in eastern Canada they returned to Hanley where John and Gena were born. In 1951 they moved to Armstrong, Ontario and in the fall of that year Jack drowned and Rosalee moved back to Hanley.  Rosalee worked at a variety of jobs and in 1955 she became a teacher. While at Summer School she met and married Bruce Johnson and moved to Kenaston, unfortunately Bruce passed on three years later and Rosalee moved back to Hanley. She taught in McCraney Country School, Kenaston, Hanley and finally moved to Saskatoon in 1967, where she retired in 1981. She remained there until 2009 and then moved to Calgary to reside with Gena till July 2012.

Rosalee was predeceased by husbands Jack and Bruce, sister Gladys, brothers Coral, Woodrow (Woody), Marion (Shorty) and Warren (Corky).

She is survived by children John (Deb) and Gena, grandchildren Rob, Kelly, Caralee, Carey, Christa and John, nine great-grandchildren, sister Neeta Haraldson, sisters-in-law Vernice Trask (Corky), Pat Jansen and numerous cousins, nephews, nieces and friends.

In lieu of flowers please make donations to Hanley United Church (treasurer), Box 210, Hanley, Sask. S0G 2E0

Obituary

In Celebration of her Life….

 

It is with sadness that we announce the death of Nettie Dahl of Davidson on October 4, 2012 at the age of 91.

Nettie was born in Russia on May 23, 1921, to John and Anna Dahl. The family came to Canada in 1925 to Main Centre area and later started farming west of Davidson.

Nettie received her education in the Rosemae country school east of Elbow. In July, 1939, Nettie accepted Christ as her personal Savior while she was at a Bible camp and following that decision, she attended Bethany Bible Institute for one year. After a short time of employment in Saskatoon, she returned to the family farm. For most of her years, she lived on the farm and helped her parents and then her brother John with farming duties. She loved flowers and took pride in growing a vegetable garden, mostly known for her tomatoes and strawberries. With her brother John, they later moved into Davidson.

Nettie was known for her love for the Lord and was a living example to all she met. Her heart was dedicated to His word. Acts 20: 35 “It is more blessed to give than to receive”.

Come and journey through some memories

In the garden of Nettie’s years,

Where many seeds were planted

Bearing fruit that is so dear.

 

The precious seeds of Godliness

Were planted in her heart.

They multiplied to bear much fruit

Of which we are a part.

 

 

She planted seeds of generosity

And shared right from her heart,

Giving to the camps and Bible schools

And to the church she was a part.

 

She planted seeds of love and care

I still see in my mind’s eye,

Her special touch with little ones

To make them smile, and not cry.

 

She even care for babies

Who lived far across the sea

By sewing hundreds of layettes

That were sent out by MCC.

 

She planted seeds of family

As a sister and an aunt,

We loved to come to the home farm

Great memories we did plant.

 

Nettie peeled all of the garlic

The pickle jars she did stuff,

She joined the canning and the butchering

Until she’d had enough.

 

Her cabbage rolls, our favourite

With mashed potatoes and gravy too

But nothing like dessert to come

Angel food, ice cream and strawberries too.

 

Her garden is surrounded

By her diligence in prayer,

Her desire to obey the Lord

And His love to share.

 

The garden of Nettie’s life

Has come to finally close,

And yet the seeds have bore the fruit

So, on and on it grows.

 

This legacy that we’ve been left

Was lived out in God’s name

A faithful servant she truly was

Lord help us all to do the same.

 

Nettie was predeceased by her parents, John and Anna Dahl, her brother John and sister Susan (George) Bahnman, sister-in-law Helen Dahl and brother-in-law Wilfred Doell.  She is survived by brothers Jacob, Peter (Annie) and Daniel (Katherine) Dahl, sisters Lena Doell and Anne Dahl and many nieces and nephews.

A service, in celebration of Nettie Dahl’s life, was held Thursday, October 11, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. at the Catholic Church in Davidson, Sask. The service was led by Ken Muirhead and Dennis Brucks. Interment in the family plot was at Elbow Community Cemetery.

Donations in memory of Nettie Dahl were donated to Dallas Valley Ranch Camp, Box 779, Lumsden, Sask.  S0G 3C0.

We will surely miss her deeply…..

her families and many friends.

Davidson, featured

Lairds leave legacy to library

The Davidson branch of the Palliser Regional Library received a substantial donation this past week after being informed the late Elmer Laird had bequeathed $50,000 to the library for capital expenditures.

September Brooke, Davidson librarian, said the library is very appreciative of the thought given by Laird and his wife Gladys “for all they have contributed to the library in the past and continue to contribute” and in acknowledgment will create a new reading room in their memory.

“We’re actually going to name that room the Elmer and Gladys Reading Room in honour and recognition of their contribution to the library,” said Brooke in reference to the current large-print room. “We recently purchased some furniture and created a little reading corner, so we wanted to name that room specifically after them.”

Elmer and Gladys have long been contributors to the library’s success and survival with Gladys serving as a volunteer with the library for over 30 years starting back in 1964.

The couple were also instrumental in helping the library survive after a fire burned down the Town Hall in 1971, where the library was headquartered at the time, by arranging to borrow 1,500 books from the Saskatchewan Provincial Library and then travelling to Alberta and buying enough used books themselves to keep the Davidson library in existence.

“The only request in his will was that the money be used for capital improvements and also that we develop a special section in memory of his wife on the rights of working women,” said Brooke. “That was something that was very dear to her.”

To read more please see the Oct. 15 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Davidson, Sports

Raiders second football season comes to a close against Panthers at The Ranch

Raiders quarterback Mike Kowalski and running back Jon Taylor ended their high school football season on a high note last Thursday, despite the 68-12 loss to the Hague Pathers at the Ranch.

The two players teamed up for a beautiful reverse fake on the Panthers 15-yard line leading to a open run down the left side of the field that ended with Taylor celebrating in the end zone and bringing the Raiders back into the game with the score at a respectable 22-12 for the away team halfway through the second quarter.

The Raiders (0-5) went on a run in the second, dominating the Panters (2-3) and bringing the big crowd that lined the field on a cold but sunny day to their feet. Unfortunately, the home team couldn’t hold that momentum and watched the Panthers score three quick touchdowns after the reverse to bring the game out of reach for the Raiders at 46-12 at the half.

“The game was pretty good,” said Jason Low, head coach of the Raiders. “Our offence showed some spark and we had a couple of exciting plays. We moved the ball quite a bit and it was nice to get a few touchdowns and give the fans something to cheer about.

“We experimented (on defence) and got everybody into the game, so that led to a few breakdowns and a few big plays (for the Panthers), but overall I was pretty happy with the game.”

It was the last game of high school football for graduating players Kass Ebenal (quarterback) and Kurri Reich (tight end). They both came out strong and made a couple of good plays.

To read more please see the Oct. 15 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

The Davidson Leader, Davidson, Saskatchewan