Lenten Yummy ... It is the first of many Lenten Lunches, Friday at the Biggar New Horizons by the Biggar Ministerial and their respective congregations. The noon hour service and lunch, hosted on this day by PALs, is always a popular observance of what is one of the most important periods on the ecumenical calendar. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
Striving to cope with a mother’s depression and suicide, a young woman makes a list of “Brilliant Things” that makes life worth living. Biggar Arts Council’s seventh show of the season, Tuesday, was previewed by BCS students. Comic at times, engaging the audience, “Every Brilliant Thing” was a life lesson in trauma and rising above. It was, well, brilliant!
(Independent Photos by Kevin Brautigam)
Great Plains College celebrates Biggar Grads
March 11 was the scene of the 2025 graduation ceremonies for the Practical Nursing Program.
With the main campus in Biggar, the Practical Nursing Program, students receive complete training to become a Licensed Practical Nurse in Saskatchewan.
Licensed Practical Nurses are a vital part of the healthcare system. With the shortages that have been experienced in Saskatchewan this graduation puts more people into the vital healthcare system.
On this evening, 13 students from around the Biggar area graduated from this program with hopes that these students will find employment opportunities in the field of Practical Nursing in and around Biggar.
The graduating class of 2025 Practical Nursing Program are, Nada Adam, Berly Bebillo, Paul De Vera, Amy Fehr, Kara Kayseas, Charry Labadan, Henrick Labadan, Michelle Mari, Trisha McCulloch, Justine McNeil, Airah Miguel, Natalia Mitrofanov and Amy Osman.
The nights festivities started with Keleah Ostrander with opening remarks and welcomes.
A toast to the grads was done by Kylie Bradley, an instructor in the program, followed by a supper.
After supper Brad Mahon, who is the President and CEO of Great Plains College, gave an enlightening opening remark followed by greetings and congratulations from Kelly Block, MP for Carlton Trail-Eagle Creek, Kim Gartner, MLA for the
Province of Saskatchewan, Jim Rickwood, Mayor of the Town of Biggar.
The Nightingale Pledge for Nurses was given by Carla May, Instructor of the Program in Biggar.
Graduates received a gold-plated Practical Nursing pin designed to
mark the transition from student to Practical Nurse.
The certificate of recognition was done by Darlene Anton, Program Coordinator, and Lauren Miller, an instructor in the program. Congratulations to all the grads!
Saskatchewan’s building construction, housing starts lead the nation
The latest Statistics Canada numbers show an increase of 27.2 per cent in January 2025 compared to January 2024 for the building construction investment in the province. Housing starts for Saskatchewan increased by 115.7 per cent from February 2024 to February 2025.
“These two key indicators are reflective of the overall strength of our provincial economy and today’s numbers show continued positive growth,” Trade and Export Development Minister Warren Kaeding said. “These numbers translate into more jobs, investment and new projects throughout our communities, which
brings added opportunity to everyone who calls Saskatchewan home.”
In February 2025, housing starts on single family dwellings increased by 80.8 per cent and multiple units increased by 127.6 per cent, compared to February 2024. In the first two months of 2025, urban housing starts in Saskatchewan increased by 51.5 per cent, compared to the same period in 2024. Saskatchewan ranked second among the provinces in percentage change.
Investment in building construction is calculated based on the total spending value on building construction within the province.
Housing starts refers to the number of housing projects that started that month.
Statistics Canada’s latest GDP numbers indicate that Saskatchewan’s 2023 real GDP reached an alltime high of $77.9 billion, increasing by $1.77 billion, or 2.3 per cent from 2022. This places Saskatchewan second in the nation for real GDP growth and above the national average of 1.6 per cent.
Private capital investment in Saskatchewan increased last year by 17.3 per cent to $14.7 billion, ranking first among provinces. Private capital investment is projected to reach $16.2 billion
in 2025, an increase of 10.1 per cent over 2024. This is the second highest anticipated percentage increase among the provinces.
Last year, the Government of Saskatchewan unveiled its new Securing the Next Decade of Growth - Saskatchewan’s Investment Attraction Strategy. This strategy, combined with Saskatchewan’s trade and investment website, InvestSK.ca , contains helpful information for potential markets and solidifies the province as the best place to do business in Canada.
Investor Alert: Suspected Crypto Scam uses Premier Moe’s image and fake news article to target Saskatchewan people
The Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan (FCAA) is warning Saskatchewan people of an impersonation scam on social media using fake news articles claiming that Premier Scott Moe is endorsing the crypto-currency trading platforms CanCap and BitCan.
CanCap and BitCan are not registered with the FCAA to trade or sell securities or derivatives in Saskatchewan. The FCAA cautions investors and consumers not to send money to companies that are not registered in Saskatchewan, as they may not be legitimate businesses.
Note that this platform should not be confused with CanCap Group, a privately-owned Canadian financial services company.
If you have invested with CanCap or BitCan, or anyone claiming to be acting on their behalf,
contact the FCAA’s Securities Division at 306-787-5936.
In Saskatchewan, individuals or companies need to be registered with the FCAA to trade or sell securities or derivatives. The registration provisions of The Securities Act, 1988, and accompanying regulations are intended to ensure that only honest and knowledgeable people are registered to sell securities and derivatives and that their businesses are financially stable.
Tips to protect yourself:
• Always verify that the person or company is registered in Saskatchewan to sell or advise about securities or derivatives. To check registration, visit The Canadian Securities Administrators’ National Registration Search at aretheyregistered.ca
• Know exactly what you are investing in. Make sure you understand how the investment, product, or service works.
Biggar RCMP report
Biggar RCMP report by Sgt. Dereck Crozier, Biggar Detachment
This past week 59 occurrences were handled by the Biggar Detachment. There was a heavier presence of traffic safety enforcement, with 32 drivers receiving warnings for traffic related concerns and another 22 drivers given tickets for their traffic safety infractions.
Report of fraud revolving around a sale on Kijiji. The suspect tried the old overpayment scam by giving the seller a fake cheque and asking for the difference back.
Report of a Break and Enter to an older farm yard in the RM of Perdue
on a Blue Card
where the suspect did a little rural shopping and raided the freezer.
Causing a Disturbance complaint was reported on Third Avenue East, as the family “WWF” took to the street side ring. A 3:30 a.m. 911 call brought police out to Fifth Avenue East for a domestic assault. A 28-year-old male has been arrested and charged after the incident. Child and Family Services assisted with safety planning of the children in the house and the male has since been released on an Undertaking with a no contact condition and will make his appearance in Biggar Provincial Court on May 7. Take care out there!
Blazers off to Regional play ... Biggar Senior Basketball Blazer Chloe Bartusek runs the line of teammates, March 13, during a Pep Rally at the Biggar Central School for both senior teams. The girls headed off this past weekend to Lanigan and the boys to Oxbow. The Senior Green and Gold represented themselves well and while it didn’t turn out like they wanted, it capped off a great basketball season. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
Mortar Board’s go flying, March 11, as Great Plains College celebrates the graduation of some pretty happy Practical Nursing students at the Biggar Community Hall. (Independent Photo by Dale Buxton)
Carney fumbles through his first week in office
by Michael Taube, Troy Media
Mark
Carney
has been the 24th prime minister of Canada for less than a week. Although this is traditionally regarded as a honeymoon period, it has also been a rather inauspicious start that does not bode well for his political future.
Carney’s March 14 swearing-in ceremony was straightforward.
The Liberal leader, a former governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, unveiled a cabinet of 23 ministers plus himself. It is one of the smallest in years, although most of them served under his predecessor, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
While Canadians are largely unfamiliar with Carney, they have welcomed the change his leadership could bring in comparison to Trudeau’s near-decade of mediocrity and ineffectiveness. That has led to a significant shift in opinion polls.
The gap between the Conservatives and Liberals had narrowed over the past month, primarily due to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The new prime minister caused them to
by Perry Kinkaide, former founder, Alberta Council of Technologies Society
Cutting waste in business and government isn’t about austerity. It’s about survival
The global economy is flashing warning signs. Rising debt, inflation and rampant speculation have created an unstable financial environment.
While a full-scale depression like 1929 may not be imminent, the excesses of today are undeniable.
Households, businesses and governments alike are living beyond their means, banking on endless growth to cover unsustainable spending. The consequences could be severe.
For everyday Canadians, this isn’t just an abstract policy debate. Inflation has already eroded purchasing power, making groceries, rent and gas more
tighten even further. The Carney Liberals lead by two to five percentage points in four recent polls, whereas Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives are ahead by four to six percentage points in two others.
This initial euphoria could fizzle out early.
Carney’s relationship with the media has not started well. There were mildly tense moments during his first address outside Rideau Hall last Friday, which were largely disregarded by the media.
An intense back-andforth on Monday between Carney, the Globe and Mail’s Stephanie Levitz and CBC News Network’s Rosemary Barton was impossible to ignore. They had asked logical questions about the lack of public details related to Carney’s blind trust and possible conflicts of interest due to his years in the private sector. When Barton said she found it “very difficult to believe” there could not be any conflicts of interest, Carney told her to “look inside herself” and “you start from a prior of conflict and ... ill will.”
This awkward exchange showed that Carney is incredibly thin-skinned
expensive. Government debt, meanwhile, doesn’t just disappear. It leads to higher taxes, reduced public services or both. And the stock market?
Once a measure of real business value, it has increasingly become a casino where speculation, not productivity, drives fortunes. Those with pensions or investments could face real losses if a market correction hits.
Overconfidence in economic expansion led to the 1929 financial collapse, wiping out businesses and livelihoods. More recently, the 2008 financial crisis - fuelled by reckless lending and speculation - plunged economies into recession.
While today’s financial systems have safeguards that didn’t exist in 1929, they are not foolproof. The same forces of excess - cheap debt, inflated asset prices and government overspending - are once
and does not like to be challenged. He had better get used to this line of questioning, and fast. That could be a huge problem since he reportedly has a volatile personality.
Our British friends are familiar with this.
Larry Elliott, a former economics editor of The Guardian, a left-wing U.K. daily, recently wrote, “There was another side to Carney’s character. Journalists sometimes caught a glimpse of his volcanic temper and Bank staff were wary of getting on the wrong side of him. As a governor he was respected but not especially liked.”
Meanwhile, there seems to be a slippery slope when it comes to Carney’s presentation of his so-called political accomplishments.
For instance, Carney said during the Liberal leadership race that he was going to abolish Trudeau’s much-maligned federal carbon tax if he became prime minister. (In spite of defending carbon offsets for years and, like most Liberals, supporting this tax up until recently.) It would be done on his first day on the job - which led
again in play.
The housing market offers a prime example of this excess. Ultra-low interest rates in years past encouraged a buying frenzy, inflating real estate prices to record levels. Many first-time buyers, desperate to get into the market, took on excessive debt. But as interest rates rise, mortgage payments are becoming unmanageable, putting homeowners and banks at risk. If a wave of foreclosures hits, the housing market could experience a severe correction, dragging down the broader economy.
Governments, desperate to maintain economic momentum, have turned to protectionist measures like tariffs to shield domestic industries. But tariffs function much like crash diets - while they may offer short-term relief, they ultimately cause more harm than
to one of those mildly tense moments alluded to earlier - and was finalized that evening.
Or was it? Guy Giorno, a Conservative activist and former chief of staff to Mike Harris and Stephen Harper, identified an important discrepancy.
“Whatever this is, it is not an Order in Council,” he posted on X on March 15. “An OiC is made by the GG on advice of Cabinet, not an ‘I hereby instruct’ directive signed by the prime minister.”
He is right, and it puts this whole exercise into question, along with the fact that Carney plans to replace the carbon tax with an incentive system that rewards Canadians “for making greener choices.” Whatever that costs or means.
Carney also said during his uppity Monday press conference that “one of the requirements” for Canada to diversify trade with the European Union, United Kingdom and “emerging Asia” markets is to have a “form of price on carbon.” That is not accurate. There has never been a carbon tax requirement included in previous trade deals Canada has made with the EU, U.K.
good. They raise prices for consumers, disrupt supply chains and invite retaliatory measures that hurt businesses and workers alike. A smarter approach would focus on fiscal discipline: cutting government waste without gutting essential services, reducing corporate reliance on subsidies and encouraging productivity instead of financial engineering.
Corporate debt is another ticking time bomb. Many firms have borrowed heavily at low interest rates, using that money not to innovate or expand but to buy back their own stock, boosting short-term share prices. But now, with interest rates rising, these same companies are struggling to service their debts. If a significant number of businesses begin defaulting, the ripple effects could lead to widespread layoffs and a
INDEPENDENT
and Asia, and nothing has been mandated or is forthcoming. Was this thrown into the mix for Carney and the Liberals to ultimately backtrack on the decision to abolish the federal carbon tax? Let’s hope not.
Finally, there was Carney’s decision to visit France and the U.K. This short excursion seemed unnecessary and ill-advised. He has to immediately decide whether to reconvene Parliament on March 24, which could lead to an early election. Carney’s main priority should also be dealing with Trump’s tariffs rather than taking a European trip.
Right on cue, Carney got himself into hot water during his joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.
market downturn.
Businesses must change course. Many firms were kept afloat by artificially low interest rates and stock market tricks rather than real value creation. Instead of prioritizing stock buybacks and inflated valuations, companies should reinvest in innovation, worker training and real economic output.
On a personal level, Canadians also need to reassess their financial habits. Household debt is at record highs, with many relying on credit cards and loans just to make ends meet. But an economy built on borrowing is a house of cards. Financial literacy, prudent saving and sustainable spending habits must become the norm, not the exception.
The longer these economic imbalances persist, the harsher the eventual correction will be. Policymakers must
“I want to ensure that France and the whole of Europe works enthusiastically with Canada, the most European of nonEuropean countries,” he said.
That is not accurate, either. While our country has a historical lineage to both Britain and France, there is no European influence in modern Canada other than in Quebec. The country we most closely resemble is the U.S., and that has been the case for decades. Carney’s assessment was rather odd, to put it mildly.
Will Carney get more comfortable as prime minister? Many Liberals are banking on this. It could also get much worse, which is what the Poilievre Conservatives are counting on.
take decisive action now - before a crisis forces it upon them. Governments need to rein in spending, not through reckless austerity but by eliminating inefficient programs, reducing bloated bureaucracies and ensuring tax dollars are spent on core services that truly benefit citizens. If history has taught us anything, it’s that economic excess rarely corrects itself voluntarily. It often takes a crisis to force reform. But waiting for disaster is not a strategy. North America - and the world - still has time to course-correct. By making smarter choices now, we can avoid being forced into painful austerity measures later. The weight of economic bloat is only growing heavier. If left unchecked, the burden will become too much to bear.
It would be a mistake for me to claim that as soon as people see my ‘oh, so correct carriage and fine features’ they instantly peg me as a person of great integrity and have no trouble knowing who to choose whenever they need a night watchman!
Rather, I think that their thinking went something like this: “We need a guard in the worst way and as no one else will take the job, we’ll hire this old sucker. Any criminal type that approaches him will take one look at that face and beat it the other way!”
Whatever the reason, some years ago one of the local banks hired me as a night watchman while they made some repairs on their vault.
Of course I drove down.
The banker explained his plan, “I want you to park here in the alleyway so that you can see the whole set-up,” he said, “and that light above the rear doorway can’t be turned off because the switch is inside and the door is locked!”
One of the biggest failings of life has been my inability to keep my mouth shut.
“We’ve got an eight year old boy at home,” I said, “who could put that light
The Night Watchman!
out in a few seconds with his slingshot!”
This observation didn’t seem to impress the banker at all and he even suggested that I don’t refer to our son as a potential bank robber!
Later on I’m sitting alone in my old car watching the place when a set of headlights approach. I thought for a moment about jumping out, waving my arms and yelling something like, “Here I am over here!” but decided that maybe that wasn’t the night watchmanly thing to do. So I just sat there and watched. Finally, the headlights moved away.
The next morning a fairly uptight banker gave me a blast because one of the bank’s inspectors had called in the night and reported that I was asleep! I tried to explain but I don’t think he believed me. After all, whose word do you take?
The radio in my old car wasn’t working, so the next night I came prepared to fix it. About the time that I finally got the radio working, some headlights appeared again coming down the street.
In a hurry, I stuck a roll of tarpaper behind the steering wheel, draped my old parka over it and turned the radio up ... then hid behind a bush.
The headlights pulled up about 30-feet in front of my car and shone right on what seemed to be a sleeping night watchman. After a minute, the intruder blew his horn.
Yours Truly (Y.T.) rapped on his window.
“Can I help you?” I asked innocently.
Old Bob darn near got
fired for that one, but I guess they couldn’t find another guy!
Personally, I think that I’m not too bad a fellow at all, but a lot of people peg me as a smart-alec! Actually, that wasn’t the end of my night watchman-at-the-bank antics. But I’m afraid if I mention anymore someone will cut off my credit!
Just before I joined up in the army and while working at the U of S, the real night watchman had broken some ribs and they asked me to take his place.
I was possibly the best night watchman that the U of S ever had because on that first night ... I’ll bet I made 15 rounds!
The next day the security people explained - between laughs - that three times around would have been sufficient!
And then there was that fire-picket patrol ... the army!
Many nights we roved the confines of many camps and watched for any fires that might start (none ever did) but after the war was over, every Q.M. (Quartermaster) store in the country turned down when the I.G. (Inspector General) wanted to take stock of what was in them!
A fellow could keep on and on, I guess, telling of times when he was a night watchman or guard. But after a while, folks might get the impression that we never took all that stuff too seriously.
That humorous side of the thing kind of disappears though when one looks in the old journal and sees entries like: “Standing guard
Quinn Minute - School recess was the best
by Rix Quinn
Do you remember elementary school recess?
At our school, we ate lunch right before playtime. We’d line up single file to walk through the food line.
The plate lunch often included gravy-laden mystery meat - beef or possibly bird - plus mashed potatoes and something green or yellow. That lunchroom had only two major rules: throw away food trash, but don’t throw away silverware. Once finished, we raced outside for random acts of insanity.
In those precious playground minutes, we dreamed up outrageous stunts for the afternoon.
In third grade, a guy in our class created a bathroom trick that others quickly copied. He would go into a stall, and stand on the toilet.
He’d grab the stall wall, pull his head above it, and position his foot right just above the flusher. Then he’d yell, “Please, don’t throw me in!” He would then hit the flusher, and start screaming as his head sank slowly below the stall wall.
We laughed like crazy. Unfortunately, the principal didn’t A girl in our class could whistle bird calls. She’d start whistling, and some guy would shout, “Hey, do I hear a purple-tufted flutter foul?” Then we’d all
with Major McCordic” or “Quiet tank on the M.W.D. bridge” (the engineers erected a bridge over the Afterwarnings Canal called the Mad Dream Woman’s)!
Or when I stopped a staff car and made the General in the back seat identify himself. Boy, was he mad! But if I hadn’t made him prove who he was, he’d have broke me to Private, quick enough! Hey, wait a minute! I already was a Private! Well, maybe he’d have fired me instead!
Heck, I never thought of that!
Annual General Meeting
Monday, March 24, 2025
The Annual Meeting of the Biggar & District Community Foundation, 5:30 p.m. at the Biggar Town Office. The report of the auditor will be presented and remarks from the Board of Directors.
“All interested persons are invited to attend.”
NOTICE OF PREPARATION OF ASSESSMENT ROLL
Rural Municipality of Grandview No. 349
Notice is hereby given that the assessment roll for the Rural Municipality of Grandview No. 349 for the year of 2025 has been prepared and is open to inspection in the office of the Assessor from 8:30 a.m. to Noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the following days: Monday to Thursday March 20th to May 20th, 2025; excluding holidays A Bylaw pursuant to Section 214 of The Municipalities Act has been passed and the assessment notices have been sent as required.
Any person who wishes to appeal their assessment is required to file his or her notice of appeal by May 20th, 2025 with: Western Municipal Consulting Secretary to the Board of Revision Box 149 Meota, Sk S0M 1X0 secretary @ westernmunicipal.ca
The required appeal fee of $25.00 per property shall be submitted by cheque payable to R.M. of Grandview No. 349, Box 39, Kelfield, SK S0K 2C0 by May 20th, 2025.
Dated this 20th, day of March, 2025
Shonda Toner Assessor
run to the window.
The teacher wised up, checked a reference book, and declared the purpletufted flutter foul officially extinct.
Those days are long past. But sometimes, right after lunch at my favourite diner, I get the urge to go outside and make wild birdie noises.
The restaurant doesn’t like it ... but some of the diners ask me for an autograph.
Family Memory Book?Turn old thoughts into a new memory book ... for a very affordable price. For more details and a nice discount, contact Memorygram.com, and insert the discount code rix20
Bob Mason Notable Notes
Christine Ibbotson
Ask The Money Lady
Dear Money Lady
Readers:
I want to ask - for those of you in your 50’s or 60’s ... what’s your plan for retirement? I hope you have thought about it. Today let’s talk about how to not outlive your money.
We all know planning is important. They say: “the person who doesn’t plan for the future, can’t expect to have a future.” And we all know this to be true.
So why is it that today
we have over 40 per cent of retirees falling into the “retirement gap.” The new term, retirement gap, means that retirees are finding that the money they planned to live on, in reality, now falls short every month. Being in the retirement gap is not a good thing and if you know your in it than you also know you will need to either get a part-time job, adjust your spending, or downsize your home and your lifestyle.
First up, you want to make a list of all your monthly expenses, including mortgages (or rent), utilities, heat, hydro, condo fees, estimate for groceries, car payments and gas for your vehicle, memberships, subscriptions, and basically everything that you spend money on each month. Are these expenses going to continue in retirement, and if so, for how long?
Of course, if you plan
by Delta Fay Cruickshank
for the Biggar Museum and Gallery
There is a resort town in the county of Argyll in Northwest Scotland called Oban.
It is also the ferry terminal for the ferries to the Scottish islands of Mull, Barra, Islay and more. People have been settling in the horseshoe shaped bay since Mesolithic times. In 1794 a distillery was built there, and the town grew. Now as a ferry terminal and resort town, the population can swell in the summers to 24,000, from 8,500. It is only a two-hour, 16-minute drive from Glasgow on the west coast so you understand the swelling of the population in the warmer months.
Maybe someone came from this Scottish resort town and decided to call the area after their hometown. It wasn’t named because of the similarity of landscape for sure, as Oban Scotland is on a bay on the Forth of Lorn. Oban means “Little Bay”. Now, not too many bays or bodies of water where Oban, Saskatchewan is (or was).
There was a school in the Oban area in 1928. There were nine families in the area, and because the existing schools at Naseby and Castlewood where too far away to walk, Oban got its own school. There was a store in Oban as well. I
to travel in retirement, then I will want you to decide how much you plan to spend every year and have this divided by 12 months and added in to your monthly expense list. Now that you know how much you will need each month when you retire - do you have a plan to create a revenue stream to cover these expenses. This revenue will need to be funded by investment portfolios, RRSPs, TFSAs, pension income, rental income, CPP and OAS.
While you may think you have enough funds to retire, please remember that timing your withdrawal from any investment is truly the key to ensuring your money lasts.
If we take a typical retirement time horizon of let’s say, 25 years and you are withdrawing a monthly retirement income from an equity portfolio, you will need
to account for three to five downward swings in the market. Because you are essentially creating a revenue stream from your portfolio it is important to remember that the cyclical trends that help build your savings, now works in reverse. Over a 25 year time period, due to bear markets, a retiree will need to consider that they will lose anywhere from 20 to 46 per cent from their overall capital savings if held in an equity portfolio.
Remember this is like dollar cost averaging but in reverse - because you are now withdrawing funds on a monthly basis, not saving them.
Another thing to consider is the state of the economy at the time you wish to retire. If you retire during a bull market, you will be much better off than someone that retires in a bear market.
You see, positive returns
early in retirement outlast an identical portfolio that has to endure negative returns early in retirement. This is called the “sequence of returns risk” and please believe me, this is a true event. Economists have shown that when you compare portfolios with the same securities and values, and with the same average long-term rate of return, the timing of the withdrawals does make a difference.
The fact is, bear markets will happen throughout your retirement, and they will affect your savings plan. Since 1940, we have had 15 bear markets with the average length being 11.2 months in duration and an average loss of 31.8 per cent.
The best way to combat this phenomenon is to have your fixed monthly expenses covered by your guaranteed income (OAS, CPP, Pensions, LIRAs). If you can do that, then
Oban, not a resort town here
haven’t found too much information about the store or the town itself, but in the Harvest of Memories, North Biggar History books, there are pictures of the first students and a list of the teachers at the school. A chance phone call to Harvey Moncrief filled in so much more information about the Oban School. It is still standing! On the way to Landis, across the highway from P&H there is a building surrounded by caragana bushes and that is the Oban School! Still hanging in there!
Harvey was telling me that his grandfather used his team of horses in 1928 to help dig the basement for the school. The whole community chipped in and built the school. It was a very modern school building as the toilets were inside the building! No running out to the outhouse for the Oban students! The boys’ facilities were in the basement and the girls was upstairs.
Harvey’s mother went to that school, as did the Affleck children, the Fasts, Carruthers, Hildebrandts, Tebbs and Redlichs. The school was built on a quarter section donated by J.P. Pendlebury. I assume the school closed in 1960, as did so many of the small country schools. That was when the students began being bussed to bigger centres
like Biggar. There was a school in Landis at that time. Maybe the Oban students went to Landis School, but not sure that Landis had High School classes.
Oban was also the location for the last interlocking tower. It was built in 1910 and closed in 1990. It is now at the Saskatchewan Railway Museum. The museum is on Highway 60, southwest of Saskatoon on the Pike Lake Highway. What was an Interlocking tower? A building housing a series of levers attached pipes and clamps which controlled semaphore signals and train derails. It was high enough for engineers to see the signals to prevent trains from crashing into each other as they crossed the track at Oban. The Grand Truck Pacific Railway needed it to cross the Canadian Pacific tracks there. The GTP became the Canadian National in 1919.
The population of the rural areas around Biggar was large compared to now. At the beginning of the settlement of this area at the beginning of the 20th century folk started farming on quarter sections. One family on one quarter section compared to several sections owned now by one family. Times change, people come and go, seems only the land stays. Did it get this cold
you could potentially withdraw less during bear markets and more when we have a bull market. Bull markets typically last for about three to four years and have an average return of 148.7 per cent over their past bear market.
Don’t be put in a situation where you are forced to sell securities in a down trending market. Selling in a bear market creates capital loss because once the securities are cashed out, they can no longer participate in the eventual recovery.
Good luck and best wishes!
Written
by Christine Ibbotson, author, finance writer, syndicated national radio host, and now on BNN Bloomberg News, and CTV News. Send your money questions (answered free) through her website at info@ askthemoneylady.ca
in the early 1900’s? How did people cope at minus 30? I am so grateful for central heating and indoor plumbing during these polar vortexes.
The Oban grain elevator was so small compared to the P&H Grain Terminal near this location in the present location!
The whole community chipped in and built the school. It was a very modern school building as the toilets were inside the building! No running out to the outhouse for the Oban students! The boys’ facilities were in the basement and the girls, upstairs. (Photos for The Independent by the Biggar Museum and Gallery)
Trump a festering fly in the ointment
by Calvin Daniels
It is highly likely, that while wishing it was otherwise, ag writers will be focused on the yo-yo politics which is the norm from U.S. president Donald Trump.
The man is fickle at best, and perhaps totally clueless in terms of world trade realities, but either way he is disruptive to trade and dangerous to world stability.
At present he comes off as a blustering bully, who slaps tariffs on willy nilly assuming the U.S. is bullet-proof, or more likely not caring what damage he might cause.
When other countries don’t simply capitulate by bending to his will and respond with tariffs of their own, Trump reacts like a petulant child having temper tantrums with blistering verbal condemnations at the audacity of fighting back, and threatening more ridiculous tariffs.
Then, often within hours he seems to soften his stance leaving his threats hanging.
The question is really what Americans think.
Sure there are the diehard Trump supporters - to those he can do no wrong - but surely there are common sense
Americans who may have been on side in the election who now are questioning the turmoil he has created in mere weeks.
A recent producer. com article suggested American farmers are assuming Trump will pay them for any losses his trade wars cause.
That seems a dangerous position given Trump has thrown numerous government employees out, and threatened others.
And the Trump led crackdown on ‘illegal’ immigrant workersblaming the workers and not those hiring themhits many farm workers hard.
It’s difficult to see Trump suddenly care about anybody who isn’t an oligarch-buddy.
counter tariff measures hit.
But where does steel and aluminium, as an example, come from to allow for much American manufacturing and construction without having to deal with huge tariff costs?
Is big business in the U.S. to the point of counselling more reasonable members of Republican Party that a more reasonable, less unruly childlike, approach is needed to trade?
It will be difficult to make America great again if the presidential moves bankrupt multiple businesses and thrust many Americans onto unemployment lines as a result, although one has the impression much of what Trump does is designed to do just that, leaving the mega rich to buy up everything from farmland to ruined manufacturers for pennies on the dollar.
In the process of whatever Trump is doing, maybe no more than placating his own easily damaged ego, the rest of the world is awash with the ripples of his ever
Cabaret Cabaret
Calvin Daniels Agriculture
Kim Gartner
The Saskatchewan Traveller ... Nova Scotia Edition by Trudy and Dale Buxton
What a great visit into Wolfville. This community is definitely a university town, but the buildings and streets just plain look historic ... everywhere you look is a piece of history.
This leads us into our next community, Grand Pré, one of the most important historic sites for the Acadians in Nova Scotia.
First settled in the early 1600’s as families migrated from Port Royal, they found Grand Pré on the salt flats that overlooked the Minas Basin. By 1750 there was almost 2,500 Acadians living in this area and
another 2,500 hundred people living in nearby communities.
The Acadians lived in harmony with the Mi’kmaq people, learning how to farm and be selfsufficient. The Acadians diked up the Minas Basin, creating fertile farmland in which to grow bountiful harvests.
This was a very good area for shipping and residents now had the ability to send crops to New England and Louisburg, which at the time was the capital of Isle Royal, a long time before it known as Cape Breton.
Life was good until the year 1747 when Grand Pré become the battleground between the English and French. In 1755, the English came in and deported almost a third of the population. This was the beginning of the seven-year war between the English and French. The French didn’t take an oath of allegiance to the English, and were kicked out of their homes and territories. The land was given to the New England Planters.
There have been many conflicts in and around Grand Pré, which makes this historic battle ground a designated UNESCO Heritage site.
At the entrance of the church stands the statue of Evangeline, who was a young woman that was separated from her lover by the deportation, and who vowed that one day she would be reunited with her love. Evangeline became the symbol of the deportation and the perseverance of the Acadian people.
Grand Pré itself does not have a designation as a village or town as it is mostly run as National Park. However, there is a population of around
5,600 people that live in the near vicinity of Grand Pré.
Grand Pré is noted today for a couple of industries that flourish, one is a Coffee Roasters House which packages and sends products across Canada, and the other is a very large wine business, the soils and temperatures are excellent in the growing of grapes.
One of the most notable people to come from this area is that Grand Pré is the birthplace of Sir Robert Borden, who was Canada’s eighth Prime Minister during the years 1911-1920.
Back on the road on highway number one headed toward Windsor.
One interesting fact about this part of the highway
is that it was named the Glooscap Trail.
According to the Mi’kmaq peoples the legend of Glooscap was created by a lightning bolt striking sand. This figure was named Gisoolg, the Great Spirit Creator that overlooked the Mi’kmaq peoples from the cliffs of Cape Blomindon along the Minas Basin. It has been said that Glooscap was mad at the beavers for building a dam and flooding his garden, thus slinging mud and creating the five islands of the Minas Basin, as well as smashed beaver dams which created the great tides of the Bay of Fundy. Very interesting how stories are told. Stay tuned next week as we continue our trip in Nova Scotia.
Grand Pre, Nova Scotia
Minas Basin, Nova Scotia
Gartner
U15 Round 2 action ... Biggar/Wilkie National Outlaws hosted the Outlook Icehawks at the Jubilee Stadium, March 13 in their Round 2 Hi-Way 14 League playoff. Game One did not go as planned as the Nat Outlaws fell 13-2 while Game Two, March 16 in Outlook, wasn’t any better as they bowed out to a strong Icehawk squad, 15-4. (Independent
Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
Biggar Museum’s Annual General Meeting
by Delta Fay Cruickshank for the Biggar Museum and Gallery
On Thursday, March 13 the Biggar Museum the staff and board members met for their Annual General Meeting. We are sharing the reports from our Chairperson, Dr. Keith Meszaros, and the Executive Director, Christy McCafferty.
The Chairperson’s Report:
Museums, particularly smaller community museums, preserve more than just the items inside. They are essential in cultivating pride for those communities, passing on local culture and sharing heritage. These museums need to be moved into the future and not left behind.
From a devoted historian and an abiding interest in museums, I, in collaboration with the Museum Board and Staff, make provisions to facilitate the ongoing future that not only endures, but realizes our museum’s highest aspirations.
For these reasons, we, the board and staff have the responsibility and privilege of supporting and enriching our local community and beyond, exposing and discovering (or rediscovering) past, present and future audiences to the dynamics of a richly curated museum and enabling a deeper understanding of our historical culture and ourselves.
I am immensely indebted, past and present, to fellow board members, staff, private and public contributors, volunteers, the ancestral lands and their people, who have given generous support to the museum, ensuring continual growth of the museum, ultimately understanding the past in wholesome consideration of the present while embracing and guiding along paths yet to be taken.
We are the lives of thousands of ancestors that came before us that remind us how precious and unique our existence is, a gift shaped by those generations of ancestors. We honour their legacy by living with purpose and gratitude.
Respectfully,
Dr. Keith Meszaros Executive Director’s Report
This last year found us continuing to evolve and change along with our community as we find new and improved ways of doing things. We also find ourselves returning to our previous mode of business as students and tourist numbers continue to slowly rise each year. As our Public Relations Coordinator, Delta Fay Cruickshank, always says, “There is always something happening at the Museum”
Thanks to the hard work of two of our board members, Jan Phillips and Lorna Goring, in conjunction with the amazing organization, ArtsVest, we have been able to find additional funding. They were able to canvass the larger corporations that are employers in our community for sponsorship or donations that were then matched by ArtsVest. We are also extremely thankful for our Town and Rural Municipality offices for increasing their monetary support for us. With costs increasing in ways, we cannot control; it gives us a sense of security to know that our community supports us. Our usual fundraisers continue to be as profitable and popular as they were in the past. We have a fundraiser or other event nearly every month. The hard work our board members and volunteers put into each event is greatly appreciated. Our bakers especially are proving to be priceless assets. We couldn’t do any of this without them.
Recognition goes to SaskLotteries and SaskCulture for their funding through MAS, CMA, and the SCAA. With this funding we were able to keep operations afloat, hire our summer student employee and begin the Archival Digitization project.
One of our biggest successes this year was hosting a twoday exhibits design course presented by the Museums Association of Saskatchewan. There were over 12 attendees from all over the West Central district. We were also able to invite Henrietta Parenteau and Lauri-Ann Larochelle as representatives of the Metis community to participate at no cost to
them. All of this was made possible with a grant from MAS. We have been able to start a wonderful relationship with the Metis community this year and will be starting the construction of a new Metis exhibit this coming year.
Progress has also been made with entering all the data from the collections inventory into the SaskCollections database through the Museum Association of Saskatchewan. We are one of the few museums leading the way in this process with more than half of our total inventory’s complete information online. We hope to teach all new volunteers involved with accessioning to use SaskCollections as it streamlines the accessioning process a lot.
Here’s to great lessons learned in the past year of 2024 and progress and growth going forward into 2025.
In Gratitude, Christy McCafferty If anyone from the public would like to read our Annual Report, they are available in the Museum, come in when we are open to pick up your copy.
Area Bowlers at Master Tourney ... What a spectacular Master Bowling Tournament weekend! Representing team Saskatchewan is a awesome group of individuals with Perdue’s Marilyn Miller on the seniors team, Dianne Misener and Kiersten Raschke from Biggar on the ladies team (both first year Masters) and Jason Raschke (Biggar and first year left-hand bowler), Eric Kozakevich (also first year) and Dale Der (both Rosetown) on the men’s team. These guys are headed to Nationals in British Columbia in June and will have an awesome time representing our province.
Andrew Wilkinson and Chad Pawluk have created a Lounge and Grill in Perdue from an old service station that was originally built in 1956.
The opportunity was available in the fall of 2020 when they asked Scott Weir to purchase the property. As the years passed, the duo worked weekends, a few long days to make the dream a reality.
Andrew and Chad still had their regular job careers until the start of 2023 when they had another opportunity to lease the Perdue Oasis Golf Course, at the same time, opening the GARAGE in 2024.
Once the 2023 golf season was around the corner the pair decided to be full entrepreneurs.
The GARAGE had its final touches done in December
Michael Hébert and Jeannie Stewart received Provincial silver medals at Hi-Lo Doubles this weekend in Perdue. Foam Lake took gold and Pontiex, bronze. Great bowling everyone! (Submitted Photos)
before Christmas, and customers have been stopping in after seeing the progress done over the past four years, finally getting to see all the work completed.
People, friends and highway travellers have been truly amazed by the transformation. So, Andrew and Chad would like to have a soft grand opening and customer appreciation event on
March 22.
President’s Trophy not worth the risk for Jets
Penton on Sports
Canadian hockey fans, particularly those on the Prairies, can only hope the Winnipeg Jets fade slightly down the stretch of the long, 82-game grind that is the National Hockey League’s regular season.
Why? Because the President’s Trophy Curse awaits.
Not since 2012-13 - a dozen years ago - has the team finishing first overall in the NHL regular-season standings gone on to win the Stanley Cup, the shiny bauble that Jets’ fans are hoping captain Adam Lowry carries around the ice in celebration on some warm night in June.
by Phil Heilman
So, say Jets’ fans, take it away, Washington. It’s all yours. Please.
The Jets and Capitals have been the 1-2 teams for most of the NHL season and while most of the attention with Washington has centred around Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record, the fact that coach Spencer Carbery’s overachieving Capitals have dominated the Eastern Conference has been somewhat overlooked.
Winnipeg hasn’t been so lucky in flying under the radar. The Scott Arnielcoached Jets got off to an historically quick start (14-1 in November) and have slowed only slightly. In mid-March, the Jets were the best team in the Western Conference in almost every statistical category: Wins (46 in 67 games), points (96, 10 better than runner-up Dallas), goal differential in the entire NHL (plus 80, 11 better than runnerup Washington). As well, goalie Connor Hellebuyck was the league’s dominant
netminder, posting a 39-9 record in the Jets’ first 67 games, leading the league with a 1.97 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage. His name has circulated prominently in Most Valuable Player conversations, but unfortunately, goaltenders rarely win.
But back to the President’s Trophy: In 2022-23, Boston Bruins set a record for most points in a season (135), but were beaten in the first round of the playoffs. Last year, the New York Rangers were No. 1 during the regular season, but lost in the conference final to Florida. Seven President’s Trophy winners since 2000 have been sidelined in Round 1. If the season ended after 67 games, the Jets would find themselves playing Vancouver Canucks in the first round and then likely either Dallas or Colorado in the second round. Both the Stars and Avalanche loaded up at the trade deadline, are definite Stanley Cup contenders, and would be tough to beat.
In 37 years, the President’s Trophy winner has gone on to win the Stanley Cup only eight times. Does the chase down the stretch for the President’s Trophy lead to exhaustion for the winner, rendering weaker their playoff hopes? Or is it just dumb (bad) luck? Is home-ice advantage through every round worth the extra effort to finish first overall?
Hockey analyst Pierre McGuire says teams like Cup contenders Florida and Colorado are “pacing themselves,” realizing it’s more important to be playing their best at the right time rather than win a “fabricated trophy.”
Ask any Jet which piece of silverware they’d prefer to win and it’s no contest. Let the Caps have the President’s Trophy. The curse is real.
• Matt Miller on Bluesky. app: “If you’re a former first-round pick that has failed to live up to expectations, the Cowboys want you.”
• Vancouver comedy guy Torben Rolfsen, on the long-time Bruin being
Sask West This Week
We are getting into the nitty gritty of hockey in the area, with many finals being set or have just started.
League
Game 1 of the SWHL finals kicked off Saturday night in Wilkie as the two seed Outlaws hosted the four seed Edam 3 Stars, with the home team romping to a 7-1 win.
Ryan Keller fired up the crowd early with his
eighth of the playoffs, followed quickly Mike Sittler’s fifth of the playoffs for a solid 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. In the Second period, Mitch Suchan would extend that lead to 3-0, but Josh LaClare would claw it back down to a two-goal deficit. That would be as close as they would get as Brock Harrison and Keller would extend the lead up to 5-1 after two frames. Harrison and
Rick Cey would tack up insurance markers for the final result.
Taryn Kotchorek stopped 26 of 33 shots in the loss, while Jared Herle stopped 39 of 40 shots in the win.
Game 2 is set for Tuesday night in Edam.
Provincials
In Senior ‘C’, the Wilkie Outlaws hopped on a bus on Sunday and headed to Foam Lake for game 1 of the provincial final
against the Flyers from the Long Lake Hockey League. That resulted in a 7-6 Flyer victory.
In Senior ‘D’, the Edam 3 Stars are North Champs after a 4-3 2OT win in Game 2 against the Delisle Bruins. They will now face the Redvers Rockets in the finals, with Edam holding the hammer in the series.
traded to Florida: “Brad Marchand gonna put the rat back into Boca RATon.”
• Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com, on the NCAA basketball tournament: “Maybe they should consider a name change. At this point they could get sued by Trump’s DOJ for using the term ‘March Madness’.”
• Greg Cote of the Miami Herald, on Aaron Rodgers’ future: “Some are still intoxicated by whatever perfume is left of Rodgers’ Hall of Fame career. They would note he was pretty good in the second half of last season for the Jets.”
• A note from fark.com, after a 14-foot alligator took over a green on a golf course: “Golf does not allow taking naps on the green even if you are 14 feet long.”
• Columnist Norman Chad, with another thing overheard from the fourlegged competitors at the Westminster Dog Show in New York: “Little-known dog fact: The Australian terrier chases its tail counter-clockwise.”
• Ontario columnist Keith Schell, reminiscing about a CFL transaction in the early 2000s when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers released Tom Europe and signed Tom Canada: “Don Cherry would be proud.”
• Jessica Hadwin, wife of PGA Tour player Adam Hadwin, as the two were driving away from Sawgrass Saturday morning after Adam missed the cut at the Players on Friday: “Look at these losers, having to work on the weekend.”
• Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, on why Mitch Marner may ultimately choose to leave the Leafs, according to a hockey insider: “He’s tired of being the public piñata of the team.”
• Another one from Simmons, after a recent Toronto Raptors’ winning streak: “The poor Raps, trying so hard to tank and wind up in lottery pick position, can’t stop winning.”
• Care to comment? E-mail brucepenton2003@ yahoo.ca
Advertising doesn’t cost, it pays!
Biggar Bowling Weekly Scores
Monday Adult Mixed
Tuesday Night Mixed
Thursday Afternoon Seniors
YBC
Ladies High Single - Marilyn Miller 209. Ladies High Triple - Marilyn Miller 576. Mens High Single - Jonathan Redlick 213. Mens High TripleJonathan Redlick 525.
Ladies High Single - Melissa Raschke 177. Ladies High Triple - Melissa Raschke 458. Mens High Single - Michael Hebert 268. Mens High TripleMichael Hebert 579.
Ladies High Single - Winnie Roloston 193. Ladies High Triple - Winnie Roloston 471. Mens High Single - Gerry Besse 182. Mens High TripleGerry Besse 480.
Pee Wee - Single - Ashton Kramer 91; Double - Ashton Kamer 166. Bantam - Single - Nash Wheaton 145; Triple - Nash Wheaton 374. Junior - Single - Dominic Raschke 224; Triple - Dominic Raschke 510. Senior - High Single - Tegan McLeod 209; High Triple - Tegan McLeod 521.
Landis Funspiel Fun ... Landis held their annual Funspiel on March 14&15. 11 teams participated in the last tournament before the rink closes for the season. Fun was had by all. (Photo for Independent by Dale Buxton)
Bruce Penton
Business & Professional …
MECHANIC SHOP
GAMES PAGE …
ARIES
–
Mar 21/Apr 20
Aries, forcing an agenda right now might backfire. It is best to be patient and let things unfold organically. A few new people may come to your aid this week and support you.
TAURUS –
Apr 21/May 21
You might need to reconsider what you have been fighting for, Taurus. A current battle could be particularly hard to win, so you will have to rethink your strategy.
GEMINI –
May 22/Jun 21
Someone in a position of power might try to convince you that their way is the best approach this week, Gemini. You are determined to stick with what you think is right, but keep an open mind as well.
CANCER –
Jun 22/Jul 22
Cancer, avoid impulsive decisions right now, particularly those that are financial gambles. Poor or selfish actions can deliver consequences that are hard to reverse.
LEO –
Jul 23/Aug 23
Leo, what you desire could be in direct conflict with what a loved one in your home wants. Instead of trying to force your ideas on them, figure out a way to compromise.
VIRGO –
Aug 24/Sept 22
Virgo, the universe is calling the shots right now and time is moving at whatever speed is right. It might seem like very slow progress, so you’ll need to remain patient.
–
Sept 23/Oct 23
Libra, this week you might be tempted to put wants before needs. Self-control is needed or you could start spending more than is financially wise right now.
SCORPIO –
Oct 24/Nov 22
Scorpio, frustrating exchanges between you and loved ones might leave you retreating to quieter spaces. Any communication is better than no communication, so keep that in mind.
SAGITTARIUS –
Nov 23/Dec 21
Sagittarius, you can resist a certain situation, but you might need to remain flexible as you do so. Don’t fight battles unnecessarily right now. Look for the silver lining if need be.
CAPRICORN –
Dec 22/Jan 20
Capricorn, shortcuts can compromise your personal growth. The pathway to greater success is to work hard and put in the hours necessary to reap the most lasting rewards.
AQUARIUS –
Jan 21/Feb 18
Aquarius, you have more power than ever before, but remember it comes with extra responsibility. Always use your authority wisely and think through decisions thoroughly.
PISCES –
Feb 19/Mar 20
Pisces, if you hope to make progress, you may have to change tactics. What you have been doing simply isn’t working. Start looking at other strategies.
CLUES ACROSS
1. Take heed 5. One’s superior 9. Prepped meat 11. Tighten anew 13. Type of textile fiber 15. Animalistic
16. When you hope to get somewhere
17. Offender
19. Former NYC mayor Ed 21. Type of cryptocurrency
22. Mauna __, Hawaiian volcano
23. Herring-like fish
25. Popular PBS program
26. Congressman (abbr.)
27. Flightless Australian birds
29. Defrosted
31. Prior Yankee sensation
Kevin
33. Nasal mucus
34. Some are southern
36. A place to construct
38. Popular beer brand
39. Shouts of farewell
41. Network of nerves
43. Make a mistake
44. Showed old movie
46. Body parts
48. A divisor
52. Congressional investigatory body
53. Papers
54. Most unnatural
56. Judge the worth of something
57. Makes sounds while sleeping
58. Which
59. Hungarian Violinist
CLUES DOWN
1. Pages
2. Head pain
3. A loud utterance
4. Large brown seaweed
5. Hulu’s chef Carmine
6. Greek mountain
7. Made final
8. Bar
9. Tai subgroup
10. What you eat
11. Teaches again
12. Small constellation
14. Type of berry
15. Cows fattened for meat
18. A way to hoof it
20. Exaggerated a role
24. About two
26. Long upholstered seat
Satisfy 42. Tool used to remove
Icelandic poems 45. Swiss village
47. Drunks
49. Evergreen plant genus
50. Light precipitation
51. Ribosomal ribonucleic acid
55. An informal debt instrument
Advertising is an investment in your business.
LIBRA
28. What employees earn
Fiber from a coconut husk
Digits
Polish by rubbing
Liquid body substances
Furniture with open shelves 38. Edible part of a chicken
by Marjorie Fortney, Seventh-day Adventist Church
Give me the Bible, holy message shining; thy word shall guide me in the narrow way.
This old hymn brings much comfort to my heart. Something absolute. A compass par excellence to guide us through the forest of uncertainty, world views, and opinions. It is God’s GPS that is still relevant for today’s modern world.
Consider this message found in 1 John 4:7: Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God: and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God.
Love is the basis of godliness. Whatever the profession, no man has pure love to God unless we have unselfish love for others. If everyone walked
down this road, imagine what life could be like on planet earth. No more war. Just this one thing would make a big difference in the lives of people around the world. Unfortunately, even many Christians are not at all well versed in the Bible. We can not share what we don’t know. Many believe that the Bible is just another religious book. Someone once said, “What is a home without a Bible? ‘Tis a home where daily bread for the body is provided, but the soul is never fed. Proverbs 4:20-22 states: My son, attend to my words; incline thine ears unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
One woman while packing her suitcase named all the following articles that she was going to pack into it: a guidebook, a lamp, a mirror, love letters, a microscope, a volume of fine poetry, a song book, biographies, a sword, and a set of books she had been studying. When asked how she thought she was going to get all these things in one suitcase, she took her Bible off her night table and placed it into her suitcase.
Google “37 archeological finds that prove the truth of the Bible.”
Enjoy!
Hawthorns - Home for Fairies
Last week we focused on the shamrock plant and how important the clover leaf is to the Irish, especially around St. Patrick’s Day.
It was said that St. Patrick supposedly used the three leaflets of the clover to illustrate the Holy Trinity and has undoubtedly become a symbol of all things Irish. This week we are going to further the lore surrounding leprechauns, fairies and believe it or not - the Hawthorn tree.
Hawthorns are members of the rose family (Rosaceae) which contains trees, shrubs and herbs. Most of the woody members of the rose family are armed with prickles or spines. The flowers are frequently brightly colours and showy and the fruit varies from cherries, to apples, strawberries and raspberry types. Many of the members of this family are also used for medicine, essential oils and ornamentals.
In the Emerald Isle (Ireland) the hawthorns have a more mystical
dimension. To those living years ago and those that still subscribe to Irish lore they are considered sacred trees and in Gaelic are called Sceach Gheal. The Celtic people also have a tree alphabet or horoscope and the hawthorn or Huath is the sixth symbol. They consider them the homes of fairies or Sidhe because they bloom at the time of the festival of Bealtaine. This Celtic festival marks the beginning of summer and on the ancient Celtic calendar is a Cross Quarter Day, half way between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. Today it is associated with May 1 despite the actual astronomical date several days later. In Irish mythology this was marked by the Fire Festival of Bealtaine where great bonfires would mark a period of transition and purification complete with rituals to protect people from harm by otherworldly spirits.
According to folklore, the hawthorn tree should never be injured or killed lest they risk the wrath of the fairies. In fact, in Ireland there have been bitter disputes over rerouting roads to avoid removal of hawthorn trees. Even today those that believe will hang cards, ornaments and even pieces of clothing in hawthorn trees in order to gain the favour of the fairies so wishes may be granted.
Here on the Prairies, hawthorns (Crataegus spp.) are a shrubby tree with long thorns. They provide flowers for pollinators and the crabapplelike fruit for birds and other animals. Despite being quite rare they are native to our area. There have also been some lovely hawthorns bred over the years. The Morden hawthorn is a very strong, almost maintenance free small tree with less thorns, fragrant flowers and very little fruit mak-
St. Gabriel roman CatholiC ChurCh 109 - 7th Ave.W, Biggar Father Edward Gibney Parish Phone: 306-948-3330 Saturday Mass.......7:00p.m. Sunday Mass....... 11:00a.m. our lady of fatima CatholiC ChurCh, Landis Sunday Mass.......9:00a.m.
Presbyterians, Anglicans and Lutherans St.Pauls Anglican Redeemer Lutheran 205 4th Ave. E 319 7th Ave. E APRIL 13 10:30am Regular Worship (ST.PAULS) PALM SUNDAY Rev. Daphne Bender Pastor’s cellular Phone: 1-306-621-9559 Office Phone: 306-948-3731 (Messages are forwarded to Pastor’s phone immediately)
ing it a very clean tree for around decks and patios. So, for those of us that are Irish and of course those that would like to be. Perhaps you should plant a hawthorn tree or two and if you are lucky enough to have a hawthorn tree perhaps it might be a good idea to hang some offerings on your hawthorn to gain the favour of the fairies. Patricia Hanbidge is the Lead Horticulturist with Orchid Horticulture. Find us at orchidhort.com; by e-mail at info@orchidhort.com; on facebook @ orchidhort and on instagram at #orchidhort Tune into GROW Live on our Facebook page facebook.com/orchidhort or check out the Youtube channel GROW youtube. com/channel/UCzkiUpkvyv2e2HCQlFl0JyQ?
Biggar associated gospel church 312 - 8th Ave.W. and corner of Quebec St., Biggar Sunday Service 10:30 a.m. All are welcome to come and join us Biggar United ChUrCh REGULAR SERVICES SUNDAY 11:00 am Minister Dale Worrall Inquires Call Church Office 306-948-2280 Leave Message
SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH SATURDAY SERVICES BIBLE STUDY 10:00a.m. CHURCH SERVICE 11:00a.m. 320 - 6th ave.east contact: 306-951-8445 3 abn www.amazingfacts.org
NEW BEGINNINGS CHURCH
...In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope...1Pe 1:3 You are Invited Sunday Tea and Coffee -10:15am Worship - 10:30am NEW HORIZONS 117 3rd Ave. W, Biggar For more info - Philip Watson - 250-487-8476
LENTEN LUNCHES
Starting March 1 , 202 and the next Fridays in Lent, interdenominational Lent services, 12:05 p.m. followed by lunch at: Biggar New Horizons. Sponsored by: Biggar and District Ministerial Assoc. Everyone welcome. Silver Collection Appreciated.
Patricia Hanbidge
Orchid Horiculture
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Masonic Lodge gives donation ... Masonic Lodge #1oo met Tuesday March 14. In attendance was Laura Kowalchuk and Cheryl Desrosier, who accepted a donation of $1000 for Farm in the Dell. (Submitted Photo)
Adieu, Mr. Ives! ... Biggar Central School students and staff bid a fond farewell (not goodbye!) to custodian, Brian Ives. Starting in 2009, Brian has been a positive member of the Green and Gold for 16 years. A great individual and team player, Ives was joined by his grandkids, Eva, Parker and Cooper, who presented him with a gym bag full of his fave treats and notes thanking him for his time at BCS. In retirement, Brian plans on travelling and, of course, keeping up with Eva, Parker and Cooper as they move through life. Congratulations, Brian! And thank you for your tireless service to our kids, their future - and ours - and, of course, a very grateful staff! (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
