LOCAL NEWS: ARTS COUNCIL SEEKS PERFORMERS ▼ A8
Times
Thursday, March 28, 2013 ▼ Volume 48 No. 13 ▼ www.clearwatertimes.com ▼ $1.40 Includes HST
THE
NORTH THOMPSON
UNDEFEATED:
Second Place General Excellence B.C. and Yukon <2,000 circulation 2012
Atom Hawks have smashing season. See page A12 inside.
Blue Ribbon Runner-up Best All Round Newspaper All of Canada <1,250 circulation 2012
Moilliets mark 100 years of sheep raising Keith McNeill The Moilliet's sheep ranch near Vavenby celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2006. However, it is also marking a major milestone this year, according to Ian Moilliet and his sister, Val Gerber. In the fall of 1913 the Aveley Ranch acquired its first sheep when a flock of 40 ewes plus at least one ram was driven up the rail-bed from Louis Creek. Up until that time the family had been mostly concerned with clearing the land. Their grandfather, Theodore Albert Moilliet (Tam for short) raised a little money by trapping during the winter. The railroad right-of-way had been cleared at the time, they said, but the rails were not yet in and the route made an ideal trail to drive sheep on. The family held its first lambing in the spring of 1914 and made its first shipment that fall after the railroad had come through. “Grandfather knew he couldn't get into sheep without
having a way to get them out,” said Val. “If you raised more than five, who would you sell them to?” The family would like to hold some kind of contest or event to commemorate the anniversary during the year, but the details haven't
been worked out yet. The Moilliets have always been good record keepers, with photo albums, diaries and journals going back to the earliest times. Much of this material is available online at www.aveleyranch. com.
Above: Axel the guard dog lays in the sunshine as Ian Moilliet and his son, Isaac, feed the sheep at the Moilliet’s Aveley Ranch near Vavenby on Saturday, March 23. The ranch will mark its 100th anniversary of raising sheep this year. Lambing at the ranch begins April 1. Photo by Keith McNeill
A young Jack Moilliet feeds a sheep on his family's Aveley Ranch near Vavenby. The Moilliets acquired their first sheep in 1913. Jack was born in 1919 and the photo likely was taken in the spring of 1920. Photo submitted
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