Nickel Belt News
Volume 58 Number 11
Friday, March 16, 2018
Thompson, Manitoba
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Delivering News to the Nickel Belt since 1960
Thompson junior golfer brings home first tournament win
Volume 63 • Issue 26
RCMP team takes tug-of-war top prize in Canada Day festivities
Book a way to preserve and pass on memories of growing up in Churchill
Canada Day was full of sung by Natashia Moody. and lordly rivers flow. How excitement at the Thomp- This year marks the 156th dear to us thy broad domain, son Recreational Commun- year since the Constitution From East to Western Sea, ity Centre. Lots of people act was signed. With that, the Thou land of hope for all came out to enjoy the Pan- Canadian national anthem who toil! Thou True North, cake Breakfast and all the is a beautiful poem written strong and free! God keep fun events planned for the by Adolphe-Basile Routhier our land glorious and free! O day. There was Laser tag and actually has four verses Canada, we stand on guard and the Children’s play in total. Although arguably for thee. O Canada, we stand place that were filled with the most popular version was on guard for thee. O Cannon stop fun. Unfortunately, written in 1908 by Robert ada! Beneath thy shining to everyones dismay, the bed Stanley Weir. skies May stalwart sons and races were canceled due to Weir’s lyrics, having gentle maidens rise, To keep unforeseen circumstances. undergone very minor thee steadfast through the But will possible be back for changes from the original years From East to Western a future event. So make sure poem and became the offi- Sea, Our own beloved native to keep your beds made and cial English version of Can- land! Our True North, strong ready to race. ada’s national anthem 1980. and free! God keep our land Other activities were The official French version glorious and free! O Canjunk in your trunk sale, the of the anthem featured the ada, we stand on guard for bring your bloomers plant original French lyrics, which thee. O Canada, we stand and flower competition and have remained unchanged on guard for thee. Ruler suThompson Citizen photo submitted by Glenn Laycock a tug of war competition. since 1880. We are all fam- preme, who hearest humble Thompson Junior golfer Ethan Portey won his first tournament on Maple leaf Junior Tour Three teams were entered iliar with the first verse of prayer, Hold our dominion at Steinbach fly-in Golf Club shooting a 74, 72 for a two-stroke win. The local product won into the tug of war competi- our national anthem, but do within thy loving care; Help the tournament on June 10th and 11th. tion. Team Awesome, team you know the others? The us to find, O God, in thee Media and team RCMP and poem reads “ O Canada! A lasting, rich reward, As the crown office. The com- Our home and native land! waiting for the Better Day, petition was fierce. But in the True patriot love in all thy We ever stand on guard. God end, there can be only one. sons command. With glow- keep our land glorious and Team RCMP and the ing hearts we see thee rise, Nickel Belt News photo bywe Ianstand Graham free! O Canada, on crownher office took home the The True North strong and guard for thee. O Canada, Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles has written a book about experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. trophy. Their team consisted free! From far and wide, O we stand on guard for thee.” BY IAN GRAHAM Fortop all the to write things that you have ‘Oh, I’m just as bad, right?’ was not a Godin, very safe thing swallow when people say of Olivier Mathieu Canada, We stand on guard To off harsh all theweather exciteEDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET to figure out. It’s pretty clear I have all these stories and to do but I jumped it. I that Churchill Lavoie, Travis Hobbs,atSamfor thee.God keepresidents our land and mentthe anddangers to finishofofpolar the Though she’s now written when I get through.” I need to capture them for thought that was exciting find somewhere deMeulles if it uel Laganière, Crown Dave should gloriousjust and free! O Can- bears, festivities, we had said to end it a book about her experienDeMeulles said she wrote my grandchildren really until theCrown plane Cole landed and easier live. on guard for had beenaviable would Mudge, Gagne. ada, wetostand off with bang.she Quite litces growing up in Churchill, her book, titled Whispers in because they will be lost if they started throwing the thee. “ToO say, ‘Those people to ChurchAs part of the Canada Day Canada, we stand on have erally!moved As theback fireworks were Addictions Foundation of the Wind: Stories from the I don’t.” fuel off and Iyou realized, to thee. live there. They ill in a heartbeat. Celebration can’t‘Holy miss choose guard for O Canada! outstanding. What a way to Manitoba northern director North - Life in Churchill for She also has a reputation cats, I was probably quite close “I miss the shoreline, the national anthem.sitting This should Where just pinesleave,’ and is maples out another CanadaI Gisele deMeulles said writ- a couple of reasons. as a storyteller herself. on bomb.’” quite spread disre- miss yeara the national anthem was simplistic. grow. GreatIt’s prairies Day. the rock, I miss the
Norman Northstars players drafted into the MJHL
ing wasn’t something she “I just sort of thought, “I had such a varied hisalways thought she would you know what, this his- tory and I would tell people do. tory, this stuff that’s in my stories and they would go, “In my youth I never head, it’s going to be gone ‘That’s not true, is it?’ I’d go, felt good at writing,” she if I don’t write it down,” she ‘Yeah it’s true.’ They’d go, said. “But when I moved said. “My kids are not go- ‘You didn’t do all that, did to Thompson to get into ing to get it if I don’t do it you? You’ve got to be really the school of social work, and it’s something I’ve al- old.’ I was like, ‘No, actually at that point I had to write ways wanted my mom to I did all that before I was for university and realized, do. My mom’s an elder and 27,’ and they went ‘What?’” ‘Holy, I’m not bad at this, she’s an artist, she’s got so Looking back, some of right?’ I certainly developed many wonderful stories be- those experiences are things a lot of skill in university cause she always tells her she might not do again. Citizen photos submitted by Glenn and came out of there with stories Thompson at Parks Canada in “I did some prettyLaycock bizarre a very strongNorthstars skill in my I’ve always stuff like fuelJunior hauls into the Two Norman from Churchill Thompsonand were drafted in the Manitoba Hockey writing and confi dence in hounded her, ‘Please, just high Arctic at -35,” said league draft on June 4th. Isaac Mcleod Catcheway (left) went in the 3rd round 30th overall my writing. write and veryReedput it on tape, I will write it deMeulles. didn’t dawn to the WinklerI Flyers Scadden (right) was selected 6th round,“It 84th overall to clear and that’s it. It’s there. for you because your story on me until after. That was a the OCN Blizzared. Some people say it’s kind of is going to be lost,’ and she’s very dangerous thing to do. blunt or direct. I don’t tend never done it and I thought, Being on a plane full of fuel
Another thing that spurred her on was the hard times facing Churchill since the Hudson Bay Railway suspended operations north of Gillam last spring. “It used to be a really thriving large community and it’s just dwindled down to such a small population now,” deMeulles says. Though she’s not there any longer, her parents and her sister and other family members still are. “My cousin owns the hardware store there,” she says. Because of that, deMeulles finds it hard to
spectful. If we were in the same boat in another area I think we would scream about that so why don’t they have the option to do that? I think right now they’re feeling like they’re pawns in a political game and that’s really sad for them because I think the people of Churchill really want to thrive. They’ve built their worlds there. How would we feel if someone came to you and said, ‘I’m sorry, you have to leave your home community and we’re going to displace you somewhere else and all your loved ones and your history is gone?’”
polar bears even though they’re very dangerous and I really miss the Hudson Bay,” she says. “When I go back home, standing on the Hudson Bay looking out on the bay, it just gives you an incredible sense. You feel so small and you feel great.” Now that she’s got one book under her belt, deMeulles says she may try to produce another. “I have another book in me,” she says. “It’s a darker story, more about personal growth and struggles. Maybe in the next five years it’s something I’ll focus on doing.”