A new voice for the west central region
With newspapers struggling to stay afloat, not only because of the Coronavirus pandemic, and with Facebook and Google becoming the advertising medium of choice, you wouldn’t think that would be the first choice for a business start-up. However, a former resident of west-central Saskatchewan is moving back to her roots to fill a void left by the closure of several papers in the region.
Kate Winquist hasn’t lived in the area for 33 years. Still, when she heard about the Leader-News closure in October 2019 and The Kindersley Clarion, Eston/ Elrose Press Review and the West Central Crossroads ceasing to print earlier this year, it brought back memories of having to shut her paper down in 2017. Winquist ran The Gull Lake Advance / Advance Southwest from 2009 until 2017. She shut the publication down after 400 editions.
“I was a small independent in amongst a larger group of papers in the same area run by a corporation (Alberta Newspaper Group), stated Winquist. It was a catch-22 situation where I increased my circulation to attract advertisers, but eventually, I couldn’t keep up the pace either mentally or financially. I burned out. I
needed to take a break from it all and figure out what my next career choice was.”
Winquist spent the next ten months as a self-employed marketing consultant and photographer, before ironically accepting a management position at Maple Creek. The Alberta Newspaper Group owns this twice-a-week publication.
“I was quite happy in Maple Creek. It gave me a sense of purpose again. It cemented that love that I have for print. To have a chance to start a newspaper again in the area where I grew up is like a dream come true,” said Winquist.
Your West Central Voice will publish in Kindersley, but it will serve a broader area, including the communities of Eston, Eatonia, Leader and Kerrobert. Unlike the West Central Crossroads, it will be subscription-based.
“I am impressed with the number of people who committed to a subscription before they saw the prod-
uct. I had said that I needed 500 subscriptions to make it go. So far, I have about 200,” said Winquist.
“Kindersley and area deserve a newspaper. There is no reason that this part of the province can’t support it. I’m hoping that readers and businesses will see the value of it. A newspaper is the original social media. We need newspapers to help keep our history alive.”
Winquist has always believed in her abilities and says she’s ready to take on this challenge in these uncertain times.
Winquist laughed, “My husband told me that I was the only one crazy enough to start a newspaper during a pandemic.”
Winquist encourages people to send their interesting, thought-provoking or unique story or feature article ideas to kate@yoursouthwest.com or stop by the office at #1 - 603 Main Street (HD Professional Building) in Kindersley. To subscribe or advertise call Kate at 306-671-0242.
PHOTO BY MARCUS DAY
Your West Central Voice publisher, Kate Winquist stands outside her childhood home near Glidden.
Another journey into the unknown!
After we had crossed the Trans-Canada Highway at the tricky intersection and begun driving north I was in uncharted territory.
Beyond an instinct to explore, there had never been cause to head this way. I had turned left to Medicine Hat before, right to Tompkins, but not straight ahead.
Now I was over the great highway divide, I felt a surge of exhilaration. It was good to be on the road again, goin’ places that I’ve never been, seein’ things that I may never see again.
Ahead lay places that hitherto were just evocative names: Golden Prairie, Fox Valley, Leader, Eatonia … and the final destination, Kindersley, more than two hours away.
How strange that I should be expanding my geographical horizons in an age of limited travel. Perhaps it was a consequence of months of “stay at home” messages – a craving to bust through restrictions and inhale the wide, magical expanses of Saskatchewan – that I jumped at this chance to be a front-seat passenger on a road trip.
My driver was Kate Winquist, managing editor of the Maple Creek NewsTimes at the time of writing, sole proprietor of Kindersley-based Your West Central Voice at the time of publication.
For Kate, this was a working trip as she prepared for her big move. It also turned into a pilgrimage into her past: she spent her formative years in and around Kindersley, enjoying the freedom of farming life, riding go-karts, wandering among honeysuckle bushes,
hitting a tennis ball against the wall of a giant barn, and learning to skate in nearby Glidden.
Our agreed departure time was 9am, a civilized hour for normal folk. Not for me.
“Just go without me, if I don’t show,” I repeatedly said. “I don’t want you waiting around and getting annoyed.”
The next morning I pulled up outside the news office, bleary-eyed and light-headed through lack of sleep. I was shocked by my punctuality, yet unsure whether I fully approved of be-
ing in sync with the rest of the world. Wouldn’t I be better off dreaming of a road trip?
An hour later I sat semi-comatose in my office, waiting for Kate to finish the morning newspaper labelling chore.
“What time do you call this?” I blurted out, wondering whether “9am” had been a ruse to get me out of bed.
“Be ready in ten minutes.”
And so she was. Hallelujah.
Soon we were on our way, zipping along Highway 21 after filling up with gas at the Co-Op, my grouchiness forgotten, all sense of being in a hurry gone. Yes, being on the road again is a glorious feeling.
North has always been my least favourite compass point, yet today I didn’t mind. With the sun blazing down from a blue sky that seemed freshly laundered, it was hard not to feel hope about everything, even in an era of doom and gloom.
I felt in harmony with the rhythm of life. Surely on days like these the most ardent atheist will begin to ask whether something bigger, beyond human comprehension, is at work.
The road was straight, pitted enough in parts to make me wonder what it would be like in winter. We passed well-tended cemeteries, farms, a Hutterite colony, flour mills, grain elevators, barns, ramshackle huts, cattle grazing morosely in fields, and the odd deer – sights that are embedded in the
Saskatchewan landscape. The vast skyscape encircled us like an intimation of infinity.
Golden Prairie lay hidden from view, but I glimpsed Fox Valley on my left, a collection of rural buildings. I immediately wondered how plans for a new community hall in the village were progressing. Who was the Mayor? Sean Checkley, wasn’t it? He would know.
Kate interrupted my thoughts by pointing into the distance where the Great Sand Hills slept, some 25 kilometres northwest of Fox Valley. Another tourist attraction I would have to add to my growing “must-see” list this summer. Were they literally hills made of sand? An image of the Sahara flashed before me with the intensity of a magazine illustration, before quickly fading.
More signs came and went: Liebenthal, Burstall, Mendham, Prelate, Schuler, and Sceptre. At Leader we stopped, agonizing briefly over where to have lunch: Subway or the Big 10-4 Drive Inn. Subway got my vote because Veggie Delights have become part of my coronavirus diet, designed to boost the immune system.
Leader instantly appealed to me, both its feel, atmosphere and size (about 1,000 people). I could picture myself living there, maybe in a little, easy-tomaintain bungalow fronted by a garden full of vibrant flowers that are the envy of the neighbourhood. I scoured the streets in vain for a promising “for sale” sign until my attention was diverted by the wacky wildlife monuments that Kate had mentioned in our approach to Leader: mule deer, kangaroo rat, prairie rattlesnake, Burrowing Owls, redheaded woodpecker, Ferruginous Hawk, sturgeon etcetera.
I exited the car to grab a few photographs of these creations by Saskatchewan artists. Unfortunately, a nearby tourist information centre in an old cherry red CNR Caboose was closed, presumably because of COVID-19.
Shortly after leaving Leader, the road dipped and rose as we neared the mighty South Saskatchewan River. An electronic sign flashed a warning that the Chesterfield Bridge would be undergoing construction work in July.
“Over there are the river hills,” said Kate, nodding to a distant skyline shaped by pale-green, slow undulations.
How I love the verdant hues of the prairies, the interwoven shades and textures, and the long sloping shadows, particularly pronounced towards the end of a day.
CONTINUED PAGE 3
PHOTO BY KATE WINQUIST
Holding court: Sculptures of burrowing owls. These wise-looking beings keep an eye on Leader.
Suspicious package
On Monday, June 29, Kindersley RCMP were called to an apartment on West Road in Kindersley to assist the Sherriff’s Department with an eviction. The 67 year old male tenant from Kindersley was escorted to the hospital by crisis workers for treatment of a pre-existing condition. RCMP members located firearms and ammunition and observed a suspicious object. This led to the Explosive Disposal Unit being called to attend and immediate evacuation of the building. Once the Explosives Disposal Unit has completed a thorough search of the premises, the tenants will be allowed to return.
The RCMP thanks the community for respecting the request to avoid the area for public safety reasons. At this time the investigation is on going and no charges have been laid.
GUEST COLUMNIST CONTINUED
“Saskatchewan isn’t as flat as everyone makes out,” I said, thinking of my recent visit to Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park.
“Wait a bit. It will get pretty flat once we approach Kindersley.”
Before reaching our destination, we stopped at Kate’s childhood home now owned by the Kopecks. The most dominant feature is a barn, built in 1943. Kate had told me how her Dad’s smoking habit had burned down a barn – a huge story in the vicinity, I imagine – so I was pleasantly surprised to see this giant edifice with its green roof. It stood before us like an act of defiance.
“We used to play badminton in the upper floor,” said Kate. (It was one of several references to her youthful sporting prowess; baseball, I discovered, was the sport she excelled at the most. She also earned a crest for track and field.)
The family house is still there, easily recognizable and seemingly in good condition, although unoccupied at present. The Kopecks have their own living quarters a stone’s throw away.
And so on to Kindersley … a town twice the size of Maple Creek. I immediately sensed Kindersley’s comparative stature, even though the population is only 5,000. Big brands advertised themselves everywhere: Walmart, McDonald’s, Tim Hortons, Pharmasave. Industrial units abounded and Main Street had traffic lights, something that slightly unnerved me.
I was glad Kate was at the wheel. After 18 months of driving around Maple Creek, I’ve got used to uncluttered streets where the biggest challenge is who gives way to whom at a four-way stop sign.
Kate’s new workplace is a neat downstairs office in the HD Professional Building off Main Street. It looks out on to the street, which will give her a sense of space. Across the road is the Red Lion Inn, well-known for its Chinese food. Just to write about it makes me hungry.
Several times during a tour of the town, Kate was approached by friendly, familiar faces; a reminder that this is her home turf and the Drummond family name still counts for something. There seems to be a wellspring of goodwill for her newspaper enterprise.
Shortly before 5pm, with the sun waning slightly and the first shadows lengthening, we began the return journey. It was marked by two landmark occurrences. Firstly we took a 12-kilometre detour to see a former News-Times colleague at Golden Prairie – yes, I finally got to see this village with its alluring name – and secondly, soon afterwards, wait for it … I saw a moose. Actually, two moose.
“Look, look over there, on the right,” said Kate. I looked – and saw two animals scampering in a field, probably spooked by our slowly crawling car. They could have been supernatural creatures from a fairytale; much smaller than I would have imagined. Were they really moose?
“They must be baby moose,” said Kate, as if reading my mind.
The sighting completed my day.
As Maple Creek appeared beneath the evening sun, its elevator the most prominent landmark for miles around, my insides began to glow.
Yes, I love to be on the road again … but it’s also heartwarming to come home, even to an adopted one.
Maple Creek News.
SNAP CRACKLE & POP
Emergency services resume in Leader
Emergency services were reinstated at the Leader and District Integrated Health Facility on July 1 at 8:00 am.
The temporary disruption of services had been extended effective June 16 for an undetermined period while recruitment continued for the Combined Lab X-ray
Technicians required to support emergency and acute services.
An earlier media release issued on June 15, stated that recruitment
for diagnostic staff needed to support the emergency and acute services was ongoing, but at present, the positions remained unfilled.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority is appreciative of the community’s cooperation and support during this temporary disruption of emergency services.
This column was originally published July 2, 2020 in the
PHOTO BY KATE WINQUIST Kindersley celebrated Canada Day with a spectacular fireworks display at dusk by West Road and Ditson Drive. Spectators were treated to over 16 minutes of banging, buzzing, hissing, crackling and whistling!
Marcus Day
JOAN JANZEN joanjanzen@yahoo.com
Did you hear about the guy who was trying to steal all the head statues at the museum? Apparently he got busted.
Well, there’s no need to steal statues, because statues are continually being dismantled throughout the world. As part of the anti-racism healing process, Charlottetown’s city councillors voted to keep the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister. Charlottetown is home of Canadian Confederation, where John A. Macdonald worked out details of the Confederation of Canada. Charlottetown’s mayor,
OPINION
CHECK IT OUT
Truth brings reconciliation
Philip Brown, said “It’s good to re-examine our history.”
An Indigenous activist suggested it wasn’t necessary to tear down the statue. Jenene Woldridge said “Why don’t we have signage that tells his true story? Without truth we don’t get to reconciliation.” As a result, the city council decided that the full story needs to be told, not just parts of it, and will keep the statue.
Her comments carried much more weight than the vandalism of the statue which took place during the previous week, resulting in $1,200 of work in order to remove the red paint.
The statue of Theodore
Roosevelt at the Natural History Museum at New York is coming down, even though Roosevelt himself is not objectionable, but the two figures arranged beside his stat-
Silly session ends in silliest of debates
MURRAY MANDRYK Political Columnist
As the short 14-day spring sitting was drawing to a close NDP Opposition leader Ryan Meili penned a letter to Premier Scott Moe with an usual demand.
Meili asked Moe to resume the legislature in September to present:
“The standard budget projections for years two, three and four, including this government’s plan for spending and revenue in that period,” and; “An allocation of the $200 million contingency fund.”
The request quickly drew derision from the Saskatchewan Party benches, with Moe decrying that Meili was asking for a “do-over” or a “mulligan” for what has largely been perceived as a poor performance by Meili and his small NDP caucus.
Meili didn’t have a great sitting but his call wasn’t completely with-
Brotherly love
I would like to congratulate Kate Winquist on her exciting new venture as she brings to Kindersley, the many surrounding communities and farms a printed newspaper once again. Kate brings not only many years experience in the newspaper business, but also a creative artistic flair, a keen photographer’s eye and a general down to earth personality that have served her well as an award winning newspaper publisher.
I may have a slight bias as Kate is my youngest sister. However, I believe that she will quickly earn the support for “Your West Central Voice” that will ensure it’s success for many years to come.
My grandfather Neil Drummond homesteaded in the Kindersley area near Glidden in 1908. There had been family members in this area up until 2002 when my parents George and Bev left the farm to retire in Medicine Hat. After an eighteen year absence, I hope you will give Kate a welcome home and her Winquist family a warm welcome to the best rural community in Saskatchewan.
Warmest regards, Garth Drummond Vancouver, BC
out merit.
The Opposition leader was right that the $20-million contingency fund _ the answer to most any spending shortfall question since MLAs returned to the Legislature on June 15th _ would be easily and quickly exhausted.
Meili is also right that a 14-day sitting is not nearly enough time to properly scrutinize the $16 billion in provincial spending that exceeds revenue $2.4 billion.
If the Sask. Party is arguing that Meili and the NDP are asking for a doover, it certainly can argued that biggest annual deficit in Saskatchewan history is one we should do over.
It’s also true that Meili and the NDP _ and arguably more important, we taxpayers _ didn’t get a lot of information in the 2020-21 that we got in the 2019-20 budget.
That would include revenue, expense, and surplus/deficit projections for the next three years that the Saskatchewan government has _ at least in recent decades _ included in the annual budget presentation.
Not only were these critical numbers missing, but estimates GDP growth, future commodity prices for things like oil, job growth, retail sales and even debt were limited to just one more year.
ue suggest inferiority to some observers, while other groups suggested keeping it and explaining the statues. In this instance, further explanation was not an acceptable option, even though Theodore Roosevelt had said, “I acknowledge no man as my superior, except for his own worth, or as my inferior, except for his own demerit.”
Perhaps only evidence of the statue remaining will be in the movie “A Night at the Museum”, unless the movie will be edited or removed all together.
A former resident of Venezuela commented on the removal of statues in North America. She said, “I have already lived through this thing when I was
living in Venezuela (as a teenager). The statues came down .. Chavez didn’t want all that history displayed and then he changed the street names, then came the school curriculum. Some movies couldn’t be shown on TV channels and so on and so forth. I mean anything can be attacked if you just let it happen. If you just let the first ones come down, then there are no limits to what’s next.”
Her observations definitely give us something to think about. Perhaps Woldridge’s suggestion to tell the truth in an effort to bring reconciliation would be a more beneficial alternative.
But while it’s pretty easy for any opposition as some nerfarious attempt by government to deceive the voting public prior to the election, here’s a couple other things to keep in mind.
In the last NDP government budget in 2007, the government somehow forgot to include most these very same three- and four-year projections for their last preelection year budgets. It’s also worth noting the then Sask. Party opposition screamed bloody murder about this at the time, as well.
One big difference, however, is the thenNDP government in 2007 didn’t have to rewrite a budget in three months.
This is precisely what happened when Finance Minister Donna Harpauer scheduled a full
budget presentation for March 18, but discovered she couldn’t credibly do so with COVID-19 hammering the planet at time.
One can rightly criticize the content of the Harpauer’s June 15 spending for not abandoning the Sask. Party government’s spending plans unveiled on March 18.
Under the circumstances of a worldwide recession, one would think Harpauer should have spent the last three months adjusting her spending.
But that hasn’t been the major criticism from Meili and other New Democrats, who have more been critical of the Sask. Party government for not spending enough.
Finally, let’s get a little realistic about those longterm numbers New Dem-
ocrats now tell us are so vital. No government _ neither their governments nor the Sask. Party government _ ever came close to hitting them anyway.
They are of value in that they somewhat hold government to account. But they aren’t legally binding.
So why bother with telling you about this silly political debate?
Well, it’s a pretty good illustration of how silly this entire sitting was and how neither the NDP nor the Sask. Party should have much to celebrate when it comes to their performance.
Sadly, what we just witnessed from both sides won’t much help voters with the choice they will have make on Oct. 26.
You can always come home
KATE WINQUIST kate@yoursouthwest.com
After spending the past twenty-eight years in southwest Saskatchewan, I moved back to Kindersley this week, the place of my birth.
I grew up on a farm just outside of Glidden and spent the first 18 years of my life here. I attended both Westberry and Kindersley Composite School, where I graduated in 1987. I never thought after I left to attend college in Medicine Hat that I would call Kindersley home again. I’d go back to visit my parents on the farm a couple of times a year until they retired to Medicine Hat in 2002. After that, the trips were few and far between.
I’ve enjoyed a career in communications for the past thirty years, working for such publications as The Farmer Stockman AdVisor, The Shaunavon Standard, and The Maple Creek News. I also ran my own publishing company Winquist Ventures Ltd. from 2009-2017, where I published 400 issues of the Gull Lake Advance / Advance Southwest.
Anyone who knows me knows that I have printer’s ink running through my veins, I have an unbridled passion for the newspaper industry. Since I closed my paper in Gull Lake, I have always felt a bit lost in my career. I did some photography gigs and some marketing for a southwest meat shop, but it didn’t give me the same excitement as the weekly newspaper. I started working as Managing Editor for the Maple Creek News in March 2018. Working for a corporation was never my first choice, but I was back doing what I loved. I figured this would probably be my last job in the industry. I drove back and forth from our home in Gull Lake for the first few months and then decided to rent a house in Maple Creek with our youngest two children. My husband stayed in Gull Lake with our oldest boy and drove to his employment in Shaunavon. Our son would be graduating in 2020, and we didn’t want him to move during his final year. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but you do what you have to do to pay the bills.
I was a board member of the SWNA (Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association) when I heard the news of the closure of the Kindersley Clarion, West Central Crossroads and the Eston-Elrose Press in one of our Zoom meetings. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. The Clarion was the paper that I grew up reading. It was Kindersley’s oldest business, established in 1910. When our meeting ended, I immediately emailed my superiors at the Alberta Newspaper Group. I explained
that with these closures, along with the earlier closure of the Leader-News in November 2019 - there was no community footprint in the west-central region - that it might be possible to expand into that territory. There seemed to be some interest, not with a new publication, but to send up an existing paper for the area. Since I grew up near Kindersley, they asked if I would do some research into potential advertisers. I’ll admit that I wasn’t all that keen on researching without any financial benefit, and I put it in the back of my brain.
We’d had a pretty busy first part of the year for the papers in Maple Creek. We were meeting our targets when the
bad that we couldn’t start a new paper for Kindersley and area. I think one good quality paper could serve that area quite well. Believe it or not, he agreed with me, although he said that it probably wasn’t the ideal time with the pandemic and all.
I got in contact with some colleagues and asked them what they thought.
“If anyone can do it, Kate, it would be you. You know the area, and you’re crazy like the rest of us in this industry,” one friend replied.
I started doing some digging. Who could print my paper? What was available to rent in Kindersley? How much had the area changed since I was there
coronavirus pandemic hit. I covered my last event on Sunday, March 15, 2020the Maple Creek Figure Skating Carnival. On Monday, March 23, we received notice that all employees were taking an immediate 20% pay cut and had our hours reduced to 30 hours per week. My sales commissions were also slashed by 50%. I called my husband, Robert, in tears. I knew that we couldn’t afford to have me paying rent in Maple Creek and still pay our mortgage in Gull Lake. I made the difficult decision to give my notice at our rental house, and the kids and I moved back to Gull Lake before the end of April. I continued to drive back and forth Monday-Thursday, all the while thinking if my job would even be there for much longer. After all, it seemed like corporate-run newspapers were shutting down more and more frequently. Postmedia closed eight of their Manitoba based papers on April 28.
One night I got into a discussion with my husband, and I said, it’s too
for a funeral seven years ago? I took a drive up through Leader, Eatonia, Glidden, Eston and back over to Kindersley with my daughter Jaidyn one day in early May. As I drove and told stories to my daughter about growing up on the farm, it was our stop at the Dankin elevators that I had an epiphany. My Dad farmed the land right beside those elevators for many years. I was the youngest of six children, but I was the only one fortunate to ride with Dad in the tractor - the one he bought in 1973 that finally had a cab. I may have been 47 years ago, but at that moment, it was like yesterday. I could hear my Dad singing “Go Tell Aunt Rody” to me while I sat on his lap. I could feel the dust and dirt in my fingers as I would “draw” pictures on the back window. I could still taste the stale water from the blue and white thermos. Tears welled in my eyes as I told Jaidyn how her great-grandfather planted the trees that were in the distance. I told her about sitting in the grain truck while
Grandpa Drummond unloaded his harvest.
My Dad passed away in 2010. He and my Mom were always my biggest supporters. I knew at that moment that Dad would tell me to take a chance on a newspaper. I went back to Gull Lake and told Robert about my day and thought we should take a leap of faith.
I gave my notice at the Maple Creek News on June 3 - my 51st birthday.
As I laid in bed that night, I thought of a song by country artist Alan Jackson; You Can Always Come Home.
Spread your wings, don’t be afraid to try
The world can be hard; you gotta live a little ‘fore you die.
So open that door, step out in the bright sunshine. Follow your heart, and remember any time.
You can always come home.
Wherever life’s road leads, you can get back.
To a love that’s strong and free
You never be alone; in your heart, there’s still a place.
No matter how right or wrong, you’ve gone.
You can always come home.
So pack your bags, smile and say goodbye. And chase those dreams, and when you lay down and die.
You know that there’s someone praying for you every day.
Even if you never find your way
You can always come home. Wherever life’s road leads, you can get back.
To a love that’s strong and free
You never be alone; in your heart, there’s still a place. No matter how right or wrong, you’ve gone.
You can always come home. When I was young, my daddy said to me. The very same words and I took those words with me.
When I was afraid, I’d pull them out and think.
Just how much they mean to me
You can always come home.
Wherever life’s road leads, you can get back.
To a love that’s strong and free
You never be alone; in your heart, there’s still a place. No matter how right or wrong, you’ve gone.
You can always come home.
You can always come home and I’m happy to be back.
- KW
PHOTO BY KATE WINQUIST
Former Saskatchewan Wheat Pool No. 834 and No. 847 “B” grain elevators in Dankin. Both elevators were closed in 1975. The name “Dankin” came from combining the last names of Bob Daniels and Bill King, who were early settlers in the region.
White Bear, Saskatchewan
White Bear is a tiny hamlet located in the Rural Municipality of Lacadena No. 228. The community of White Bear’s name comes from the sighting of a probable but now extirpated white prairie grizzly bear by an Assiniboine warrior on the shores of a neighbouring lake during the Palliser Expedition of the 1850s. During the 1930s, White Bear was a bustling community of approximately 250 residents with two grocery stores, a school, four grain elevators and three garages servicing an area of 200 families, but has since dwindled in population. The White Bear Hotel remains the only business in operation, noted for its hot wings and hospitality, but unfortunately it was closed the day that I passed through.
Saskatchewan tests new technology to improve farmers’ mental health
CONTRIBUTED
Innovation Saskatchewan and the Ministry of Agriculture are partnering with a health services company to provide farmers with a new tool to track their mental health and link them with supports.
The mobile app, developed by Bridges Health in Saskatoon, was selected during a province-wide Innovation Challenge in the spring of 2020, where technology entrepreneurs offered solutions to assist Saskatchewan farmers, ranchers and agricultural workers in actively monitoring their mental health.
“Despite progress made, there is still stigma associated with asking for support when it
comes to mental health,” Minister Responsible for Innovation Saskatchewan Tina Beaudry-Mellor said. “Having access to an app in the privacy of one’s own home will enhance the likelihood of people asking for help when they need it the most.”
Calls to the Saskatchewan farm stress line doubled in 2018-2019 compared to the previous year and, in 2020, COVID-19 is placing new pressures on people within the agriculture sector. The app – called ‘Avail’ – analyzes wellness data supplied by the user and offers supports including articles, videos and online tips, or more immediate help from a personal support network.
“Saskatchewan producers face unique challenges when it comes to dealing with mental health and we are committed to providing resources and strategies to help support them,” Agriculture Minister David Marit said. “We know there is a need for solutions like this and I’m looking forward to working with Bridges Health to provide a resource custom-built for the agriculture industry.”
Bridges Health is a mental health service organization based in Saskatoon. As Innovation Challenge winners, the company receives $10,000 in funding and a 16-week collaboration with government to develop the mobile app.
“As a company founded and based in Saskatchewan, the agriculture sector touches both our business and our families,” Bridges Health Vice President Leon Ferguson said. “We are honored to have this opportunity to work with government and partners to develop and advance this mental health and overall wellness tool.”
Innovation Challenges encourage Saskatchewan-based tech companies to find innovative answers to issues facing the public. Previous projects introduced tech responses to rural crime, online permissions for hunting and fishing on private land and tracking landfill waste.
Find previous Innovation Challenge winners and program information at https://innovationsask.ca/ initiatives/innovation-challenge/previous-innovation-challenges.
PHOTOS BY KATE WINQUIST
LEADER COMPOSITE SCHOOL
Celebrating Leader’s 2020 Graduates
JOAN JANZEN joanjanzen@yahoo.com
The celebrations for the 2020 graduates from Leader Composite School may have differed from previous years, but the grads were still made to feel special and celebrated. School staff had personalized banners made, placed downtown, and personalized lawn signs were placed on the school lawn.
Principal Colleen Robarts, along with the vice-principal, made home deliveries to each of the grads, delivering gift bags and their scrolls in person.
“We put together a video and uploaded that to our Facebook page,” Colleen said.
On Saturday, parents did their part, organizing a grad parade that travelled all around town as residents sat in their front yards and cheered them on.
Speeches followed at the ball field and then a delicious supper at a farm outside of town.
Most of the ten graduates have been together since kindergarten. Some of the teachers have known them since then.
Colleen Robarts said she had taught them for four years.
“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.”
“We put together something nice that would normally be read at the grad ceremony.”
“Kids and parents are disappointed all across the country. It might not be formal, but it’s heartfelt. They know everyone is working hard for them because they deserve it.” Colleen said.
“We’re grateful for parents picking up where we are unable to due to restrictions. It’s been a great co-operative experience between staff and parents.”
“This group of kids are a mature group. They don’t need to be asked; they just step up. They’re hard workers, and hard workers are always successful. They’re absolutely wonderful kids.” Colleen said.
Now, this school year draws to a close, and it has been challenging for everyone involved. But Colleen Robarts acknowledged that every challenge is also an opportunity to gain new understanding.
“We got a fresh understanding of how important we all are to each other in raising our kids. We have a renewed sense of appreciation for one another,” she concluded.
Kerstyn Wenzel
Megan Tumbach
Katiara Madge
Riley Feiffer
David Fehr
Sarah Arendt Carson Bergen
Brandon Deering
Julia Deering Mckenna Farr
KINDERSLEY COMPOSITE SCHOOL
Aspyn Baliski Thulani Baloyi Kayley Berg Cody Beswitherick Jace Borgal Precious Canillo
Jett Tunall Kalen Vamvakakis Matthew Vielhauer Cory Vold Sydney Wall Zachary Walter
Ryker Olafson Ronan Paulhus Logan Perrin Jensen Reichert Brooklyn Rublee Liam Rye
Brandt Leismeister Liam Lennea Brooklyn Lindsay Kris Lyons Brody Malcolm Nike Mardian-Brost
Nichlas Drew Preston Edgerton Dexter Francis Isaiah Friesen Justin Gallop Emily Garland
Shaelyn Anderson Caleb Bacon
Vianna Card Alyssa Carfantan Paige Cormons Shaun Cranston
Nicholas Wamback Seth Wamback Tori Werner Amy Wiebe
Carson Sedgwick Emily Smith Kali Sproule Miguel Tadena
Courtney Mckenzie Katelyn Miller Abigail Missere Meryck Moffat
Madison Garrett Jessie Herner Lauryn Hyde Matthew Kehrer
Dayton Curtis-Wiebe Louise de Guzman Kaylee Wooldridge Mitchell Wozniak
Bea Tang Cassandra Taylor Curtis Moore Jyotsna Nanda Jesse Kirchner Mason Kuntz Hudson Bahm Ty Bahm
EATON SCHOOL (EATONIA)
ESTON COMPOSITE SCHOOL
Hannah Swan
Turner Somerville
Taylen Solvberg
Jackson Schuh
Emma Eckstein Hannah Eckstein
Ethan Green
Caden Hayes Hayden Kulyk
Hope Colley Madison Hobbs
Shelby Hobbs
A.J. Hubbard Jasper Kraft
Jackson McIvorDylan Olson
Kaylee Skjei
David Stevenson Nathan TurnerSamual Van Dammeß
KERROBERT COMPOSITE SCHOOL
Take pride in how far you have come, and have faith in how far you can go.
Emma James Keaton Mock
Mathew Knorr
Ethan Matchee Joshua Sauverwald
Mackenzie Hennings Heiden MoyseyMok KasemsukpongpraiKordell Murphy
Robert Duhaime
Rylan Borschneck
Tiara Thiessen
Trinity Schrieber
Rylan Fletcher Neyl Manlapig
Carson Charteris Alivea Osterhold
Alyssa Krahn
Ariel Murphy
Bria Tuchscherer
Carter Neumeier
Caydence Cusick
Darby Meyer Dawson Schreiber
Your West Central BUSINESS DIRECTORY
Classifieds SUBSCRIPTION
Jenn McLean, Sales Agent
Phone: 306.463.1766
Cell: 306.460.9419
Jennmclean@royallepage.ca
CARD OF THANKS
THANK YOU from the Eston 95 Lions Club for your donation in memory of Lynda Hunter. Your Memorial Donation will go a long way to support our many community projects. Thanks again for your generosity!
COMING EVENTS
The Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame 36th Annual Induction will now be held on Saturday, October 3, 2020, in Battleford. For information call 306-446-1983 or email saskbaseballmuseum@sasktel. net
yourwestcentral.com
HELP WANTED
Full-time -Yard Clerk; Main duties: Customer service- involves reading invoices and loading appropriate goods. Deliveries- involves valid class 5, following directions. Position will be 40 hours/week inside of Monday - Saturday 8 am-5:30 pm. Apply to Melody by emailing office@kcbc.ca.
Full-time – Receiver / inventory maintenance / store clerk. Main duties: accurately recording incoming inventory. Maintaining inventory cycle counts and stock rotation. Customer service. Position will be 40 hours/week inside of Monday - Saturday 8 am - 5:30 pm. Apply to Melody by emailing office@kcbc.ca.
NOTICE
CLASSIFIED RATES (based on 20 words or less). $8.95 plus GST. Additional words are 20 cents each. Advertising Deadlines are Thursday by noon. Call Kate at 306-671-0242.
Please recyle this newspaper.
Chantal Palynchuk, camp director, with a happy camper.
Camp is coming soon!
JOAN JANZEN joanjanzen@yahoo.com
“Kids are super excited!” Chantal Palynchuk, Camp Director of iKids Day Camp, said. The camp will take place at 800 - 12th Avenue East in Kindersley beginning August 4th and running every week day until August 28th, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Every day will be jam packed with fun activities including spike ball, soccer, bubble mat yoga, relay races, chocolate pudding painting, crafts and jello wars! There’s something for everyone, and the camp is designed to get every child involved and having fun!
The camp has run for the past three years, however there will be a few changes this year because of public health regulations. This year the camp will be limited to fifteen children per day and children ages 5 to 10 years will be eligible. More volunteers will also be needed to implement the necessary sanitary protocols.
Because a limited number of children can attend, parents must pre-reg-
ister their children in order for them to be part of this year’s iKids Camp. Camp Director, Chantal Palynchuk recommended parents register their children for at least several days per week, and If there are spaces available throughout the month, those can be filled as well.
This year the camp will have an overall theme, which will be “bravery” and how children can be resilient. It’s an appropriate theme, considering the past few challenging months which everyone, including children, have experienced.
Parents wanting their child to be a part of iKids camp this summer, can send their name and email address to info@ikidsclub.ca, or look them up on their facebook page.
“I’m expecting kids from past years to come back, but I know there will be a few parents who will be trying it out for the first time,” Chantal said.
Not only will the kids be excited to attend iKids Camp, but Chantal and her helpers look forward to having fun with kids and getting to know them.
The pagan king aroused from his sleep, disturbed by a dream that seemed significant, but he couldn’t remember it! His wisemen and counselors that he depended upon weren’t able to help him. This made him so angry and frustrated that he sentenced them to death. When one of the unconsulted wise men was informed of the king’s death decree he bravely spoke up, “Wait a minute! Not so fast! There is Someone who can reveal hidden things. Give me time to find out what the King dreamed.”
Thus it was, that Daniel, a Jewish captive serving in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court, sought out three other Jewish captives, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, and they prayed to the God of heaven. In answer to their prayer, God showed Daniel the dream and its meaning. It was significant! It foretold the future of the world until the very end of time—even into eternity!!!
The dream, as recounted in Daniel chapter two, depicted an image of a man composed of four different metals, signifying four empires. The head of gold represented Babylon, the existing empire at the time of the dream. King Nebuchadnezzar’s empire of Babylon dazzled with gold. It was referred to as the golden empire. The breast
and shoulders of brass represented Media-Persia which would succeed Babylon. Then the belly and thighs of silver depicted Greece, which was to be supplanted by the iron empire of Rome. The feet and toes had a mixture of clay with iron. Europe’s ten kingdoms tried to unite by intermarriage, but failed in achieving long-lasting peace, because iron and clay do not adhere to one another. History books give details of these four empires just as Scripture foretold them. It is possible to see where we are in 2020 by this prediction given 2,500 years ago to a heathen king and interpreted by Daniel through prayer. Recognizing history’s record of strife and warfare, many ask, Will there be lasting peace? The last part of the dream assures us that there most assuredly will be peace—everlasting peace. That’s the best part of the dream. We are today living in the toes of iron and clay. Uncertainty and chaos increase daily. The fourth and last earthly kingdom is nearing its end. I recently wrote in an email my confidence that we are actually in the toenails of that great image. One responded by saying that it seemed plausible that even those toenails were being cut short! It’s a joyful anticipation that the best is yet to come as we move away from the image of man to what God has in store for our future. It’s all there in the dream to read about in Part 2.
Muenster’s Hofmann has big league dreams
BRUCE PENTON brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca
He’s got the ready-made nickname — the Monster from Muenster. Now. Saskatchewan’s Logan Hofmann has the next few years to try to live up to it.
Hofmann is striving to join an exclusive group of baseball players — major leaguers whose home bases are in Western Canada. It’s a short list; current Western Canadians on Major League Baseball team rosters include pitchers James Paxton (Delta, B.C.) of the Yankees and Mike Soroka (Calgary) of the Atlanta Braves.
Hofmann, a native of Muenster, Sask., was chosen by Pittsburgh Pirates in the recent amateur draft, going in the fifth and final round, 138th overall.
Normally, the major league draft is a drawn-out affair lasting 40 rounds, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was shortened this year to five. Being selected from among such a reduced pool of players is quite a feather in the cap for Hofmann, who was picked in the 35th round of the draft last year by St. Louis but didn’t sign a contract. His desire to improve his draft status by
playing one more year of college baseball paid off in spades. A fifth-rounder commands a much bigger contract offer than one chosen in the 35th round.
The 20-year-old righthander was almost unhittable in his final season with Northwestern State in Louisiana, striking out 38 batters in 28 innings, giving up zero earned runs. Yes, that would be a 0.00 ERA. His stats in the Cape Cod Summer League last year weren’t as spectacular, but they were still impressive enough for the Pirates’ brass — 27 strikeouts and only five walks in 20 1/3 innings and a spot on the league’s all-star team.
Being selected 138th overall means Hofmann holds the honour of being the highest pick ever for a Saskatchewan product. James Avery of Moose Jaw, who went to the Reds with the 152nd pick in 2005, formerly held that distinction.
“Obviously I had a good start to the year and my goal was to be a top-10 rounder going into this year, and once I heard (the draft) was cut to five rounds I wasn’t too happy about it,” Hofmann told Saskatoon’s CKOM News. “I kind of thought it was a 50-50 chance
I’d get drafted still.”
There’s no timeline for when Hofmann might proceed through the Pirates’ system. Baseball is slated to resume in late July as a result of the pandemic. But all of Muenster, all of Saskatchewan and fans all across Western Canada are hoping he can approach the levels of success enjoyed by Paxton, who has a 56-32 record and a no-hitter in seven seasons, and Soroka, who posted a 13-4 record in 2019 and emerged as the ace of the Braves staff.
• Bob Molinaro of pilotonline.com (Hampton, Va.): “When baseball and the NBA return, does it make sense to play the national anthem in empty parks and arenas? Just
Grads of KCS parade through the town
JOAN JANZEN joanjanzen@yahoo.com
Graduation for the grads of Kindersley Composite High School looked different in 2020 than in previous years, due to recent restrictions and public health regulations. But that hasn’t stopped the school’s principal and staff from doing their best to celebrate their special occasion and achievement. This year 68 grads were celebrating.
Principal Blain Hilbig explained, “We had things change. Things seem to change by the hour. We’ve done some virtual things, as far as awards are concerned. We’ve recorded awards, award winners, speeches and pre-recorded speeches. We posted a banner outside of the school with pictures of each student, a tradition which we might continue. We got yard
signs for each graduate and placed them on the school’s front lawn.” The grads were then invited to take the signs home to place on their own front yards.
On June 26th, the grad parade began at 3:00 starting at Main Street and Railway and ended up at KCS, where a stage was set up, diplomas were received, and photos were taken.
Blain Hilbig has been the principal at KCS for four years and was the vice-principal for one year before that. “After four years with them, you get to know them fairly well,” Blaine said. “I’ve coached some of them and taught some of them. They’ve been a well-rounded group and easy to work with. There haven’t been many issues over the past four years.”
During the three months preceding grad,
asking.”
• Molinaro again: “ESPN notes that the highest-paid public employee in 40 states is a football or men’s basketball coach. Clearly then, the priorities of the other 10 states need adjustment.”
• Comedy guy Steve Burgess of Vancouver, on Twitter: “If the #Jays can’t play at Skydome their backup plan is to move to Diseaseville in the state of Coronastan.”
• Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com: “Florida is still telling travellers from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to quarantine for 14 days. This would kind of be like the Houston Astros making a video telling the rest of baseball not to cheat.”
• Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle: “Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson? Boring. Give viewers the golf match they really want to see: Obama vs. Trump.”
• RJ Currie of sportsdeke.com: “Reuters reports a British man spent five years building a high-performance vehicle from scratch, despite being blind. So what’s the NY Knicks’ excuse?”
• Washington Redskins linebacker Ryan Anderson, on why he plays the game so hard: ‘If I can remember my grandkids’ names then I didn’t play the game right.”
• Headline at TheOnion. com: “Staples Center employee realizes he left shot-clock buzzer on this whole time.”
• Tacoma broadcaster Mike Curto: “In 1920 Major League Baseball outlawed the spitball. One hundred years later, MLB is outlawing spit.”
• Public-service tweet from Ottawa Public Health: “We admit, sometimes wearing a mask in public isn’t the most fashionable or comfortable choice. But some people wear Leafs jerseys, so yeah. Just saying.”
• Jay Busbee of Yahoo.com, on the tenuous resumption of sports: “COVID-19 has surged back out to a three-touchdown lead on us. But believe me, I know it’s possible to come back from this kind of a deficit. I am a Falcons fan, after all.”
• Janice Hough again, on fantasy football: “Beginning to think in 2020 the fantasy is that we can play football.”
Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca
Dakota Buttar looks to repeat in The Hat
After PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada made its successful debut in Medicine Hat, Alberta in 2019, the “toughest sport on dirt,” will return to The Hat on Saturday, September 26, bringing fans, and viewers around the globe, even fiercer competition, with the 2020 Thunderbuck in the Badlands now part of the elite Monster Energy Tour.
Marking just his third event on home soil that season, Buttar went a flawless 2-for-2 to surge to the victory inside the Canalta Centre and capture 320 crucial national points. While Buttar entered the event No. 12 in the nation, he surged to No. 5 courtesy of the win, moving within 1,014.16 points of then No. 1 Jared Parsonage (Maple Creek, Saskatchewan).
Grade 12 students could either take the grade they had achieved or try to increase their mark. “We had a pretty high percentage that continued on with their learning,” Blaine said. “Our school did a good job of communicating and getting information out and being available for group calls. Overall, it was as good as it could be.”
Of course, the students all miss the social aspect of school attendance, and Blain Hilbig said the staff misses the students coming in and sharing their stories. Everyone misses the connections with all the kids.
“Face to face is important,” Blaine said. Everyone will look forward to more face to face interaction in the new school year, and the grads will look forward to their new pursuits and endeavours.
Previously a Touring Pro Division (TPD) stop, the event, produced in partnership with Lorelle Halderman and Blazing Brand Marketing and Productions, at the Canalta Centre will now offer competing bull riders twice as many points towards both the national and world standings as part of the PBR Monster Energy Tour.
The PBR Monster Energy Tour regularly features Canada’s best riders alongside some of the league’s top international athletes, squaring off against the rankest bucking bulls from across the nation. Fans will witness exhilarating 8-second rides and wrecks throughout the action-packed event as the PBR’s courageous bull-riding athletes face off against their 2,000-pound opponents.
With the event once again scheduled near the end of the 2020 season, tensions will be high as riders look for coveted points used to qualify for both the PBR World Finals and PBR Canada Finals.
In 2019, the Medicine Hat event was one of a league-best five won by Saskatchewan sensation Dakota Buttar (Kindersley, Saskatchewan).
As the season unfurled, Buttar continued to dominate in Canada, momentarily overtaking Parsonage for the No. 1 ranking, and setting up one of the most fiercely contended national title races in league history, culminating at the Canadian Finals.
While Parsonage and Buttar entered the season-culminating PBR Canada Finals ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation, within a slim 32.49 points of one another, a dominant performance by young gun Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York) allowed him to complete one of the most riveting come-from-behind surges in history.
After Swearingen entered the event No. 4 in the nation, he went a perfect 4-for-4 to win the Canadian Finals and erase a 689.57-point gap to emerge the 2019 PBR Canada Champion by 450.42 points over runner-up Buttar. Thus far in 2020, the bull riding competition in Canada has remained stiff. With four events held across all levels of competition to date, Buttar has won three, including both Monster Energy Tour events, en route to claiming the No. 1 ranking in the national standings.
Arlene Chynoweth
In Loving memory of Arlene Chynoweth, who passed away at the age of 89 years.
Beloved wife of the late Donald “Buck” Chynoweth
On April 30th, 2020, Arlene passed away peacefully after a brief nonCovid-19 respiratory illness. She leaves behind four of her children; Morris (Elaine), Cheryl (Chris), Dale (Cathy) and Donnie (Cheryl) and her son-in-law Dan Downe (Wendy), along with her precious grandchildren; Andrea, Derek, Danielle, Kyle, Kaden, Cassie, Kristi, Quinn and Danik, and three and a half great grandchildren (Mikaela, Chase and Myer). She is survived by her two sisters Marguerite Sidebottom of Lloydminster and Sharon (Art) Bradburn of North Battleford.
Arlene Keall was born in Battleford and raised on a farm in the Mount Hope area, and, after graduating Normal School in Saskatoon in 1950, took her first teaching position with Gloria Lowe in Coleville SK. She met and married the rapscallious Don (Buck) Chynoweth in 1953 and began her family in Coleville soon after. In 1970 Buck and Arlene moved the family to Kindersley where they resided for forty-five years.
Arlene was a dedicated stay-at-home homemaker until the last of her children were finishing school. She then upgraded her teaching certificate and became a substitute teacher at the Kindersley high school. She loved every minute of her early and later teaching career.
Arlene was active with the Coleville Kinettes, Coleville curling club and later the Kindersley Beta Sigma Phi chapter. She loved her daily routine with “the coffee girls”, played golf whenever possible, volunteered with the Arts Council but most of all she loved to travel.
She and Buck visited many places across Canada, Mexico, United States, Hawaii, Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and continental Europe. She would travel with anyone – her husband, parents, sisters, in-laws, children and friends. Her greatest thrill was visiting her grandchildren in Edmonton, Calgary, Fort Lauderdale and Ottawa, or having them visit her in Kindersley.
Arlene was known for her generosity of heart, sense of humor, and love of life. She was a wonderful wife, mother, grandma and friend. She was an incredible listener who had a powerful sense of fairness and willingness to be open and inclusive. She would never
let you down. There was always room for others at her kitchen table and there was always fresh homemade bread, buns and cookies to share.
Given the present circumstances, no decision on a service has been made.
In lieu of flowers, we request you direct donations to either the Kindersley and District Arts Council, PO Box 2324, Kindersley, SK S0L1S0 or the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), 1149 8th St E, Saskatoon, SK S7H 0S3. www.cnib.ca/donate
Arrangements entrusted to the Kindersley Community Funeral Home & Crematorium.
A Poem to Mom:
Lord, you may not have noticed
Someone special at your gates today
She would have arrived without a fuss
And not very much to say.
But if you notice your children
Smiling with all their might
Check out the person reading to them
Every day and every night.
And if you wonder why
Fresh bread is showing up
With cinnamon buns beside
Your steaming coffee cup.
Have a look around
At the Saints in your hallowed land
For a new one has arrived
To lend a helping hand.
She’ll make sure you’re fed
And heaven is sparkling clean
She’ll run your special house,
Like a well-oiled machine.
And if you find you’re craving
Something sweet for your lips
She’ll whip up some ginger snaps
Or some awesome chocolate chips.
And while you may marvel
At her energy and her smile
She will clearly show
She’ll go the country mile.
And if you have those who stray
From your teachings, as they swoon
She will straighten them all out
With her trusty wooden spoon.
Lord, you have my Mother
Take her under your wing
She has very valuable teachings
And loves to dance and sing.
And when you see her with a guy
Especially on your day of leisure
Ask for a joke from the man called Buck
Along with a fancy Caesar.
And while we may complain
And call this so unfair
If you play your cards right
She’ll even wash your hair.
As hard as it is for all of us
As she left us on Earth today
You have gained one-of-a-kind
We hope you treat her that way.
She may have been blind
And frail for you and me
But her vision and guidance
Is better than those who see.
Hold her in your arms, Lord
And hug her in-between.
For your newest Saint
Goes by the name Arlene.
Winnie Cannon passed away on April 20, 2020 at Kindersley Hospital. She was loved and cared for by her children and grandchildren through her final days reflecting the love and care she had shown her family throughout her life.
Winnie was born on October 9, 1926 and raised on a farm near LeRoy, Saskatchewan with her father Richard (Dick) Woods, mother Francis Woods (nee McKay) and four brothers George, Frank, Robert (Bob) and Mervin (Merv). She also had a brother, Douglas, who passed as an infant. As with many folks her age, the depression and Dirty 30’s was a defining time in her life, and she grew to appreciate the value of close family and education.
Winnie attended Newnham School from grades one to ten graduating after attending Leroy High School in grades eleven and twelve. She enrolled in Nursing at City Hospital in Saskatoon and graduated as an RN in 1948. She worked at City Hospital for a year after graduation before moving to Kindersley to work at Kindersley Union Hospital. It was shortly after her move to Kindersley that she met our father Malcolm (Mac) Cannon.
Mac farmed in the Kindersley area and the two met at one of many community dances held in the area every Saturday night. After just a few weeks of dating they knew they were in love and that marriage was in their future. They married on October 17, 1950 and moved to the Cannon family farm in the Avon Hill/Sagebrush district. Children soon followed with Lorne then Janice, Richard (Rick), Allan and Gordon over the next 10 years, followed a decade later by Ronald (Ron) who kept Mac and Winnie young and active in the community.
Winnie was an accomplished and spirited athlete who loved sports- not surprising growing up in a home with
four athletic and competitive brothers. She played softball and other sports and was part of the Beadle community team after marriage until raising a growing family took precedent. Mom and Dad were members of the bowling league in Kindersley for almost 30 years. As her children grew and became involved in sports she was an avid supporter who spent many hours at the rink, gym, or the ball diamond cheering on her family; batted numerous ground balls and flyballs to her sons in the farmyard; not to mention many hours on the road traveling to see her children and then her grandchildren compete. She was the ultimate supporter who made you feel like you were the best no matter how the game went. You knew when Mom was in the stands you had the ultimate supporter, or the ultimate Momma Bear, should someone cross you on the ice/field or an opposing fan need to be corrected.
Mom was predeceased by her husband Malcom in 1989, her son Rick (Nancy Yeo) in 1997 and brothers Douglas, Bob, Frank, and Merv. She is survived by her brother George who lives in Chilliwack, BC and by her sister-in law, Sandi Woods (whom she always called the sister she never had); by her children: Lorne (Anne) their three children and four grandchildren; Janice Shahsavar (Mac) their two children; Allan (Debbie) their three children and four grandchildren; Gordon (Joanne) their two children: and Ron (Cora) their three children; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Family was everything to Winnie and she was thankful for her marriage to a wonderful man and to have raised five sons and a daughter to be successful and productive citizens. She loved being around family gatherings, watching family members sports events, and visits with her grandchildren (13) and great grandchildren (8) or later when less able to attend in person connecting with them or following their activities on Facebook.
In her later years, Mom would reminisce about the days when she met Dad and how much they enjoyed going to local dances every weekend and dancing the night away. After his passing she would talk about how much she missed those days and enjoyed watching couples dance on Saturday nights on a local community TV channel. I think she missed him most then. As much as we all miss you, we know that all the trials and pain of arthritis and cancer are gone… and you are with your Saviour and can dance once again with the love of your life. Dance, Mom, Dance!
A memorial service is to be determined at a later date.
Dale
P.S. Mom would have been embarrassed by the accolades in this poem, which was part of her humility and her grace. I hope she understood how much she meant to all of us.
Winnifred Mary Cannon (Woods) October 9th, 1926 – April 20th, 2020
