The Parachute Club!
This used to be one of my favourite things to do in gym class! The parachute at the Oyen Public School has been around for so many years and still so fun for the kids! Ask your K-1 student how tall our tent got.
| PHOTO COURTESY OYEN PUBLIC SCHOOL FACEBOOK PAGE
Two residents test positive for COVID-19 variant at Oyen Lodge
The Oyen Echo received the following press release from the Acadia Foundation on March 30, 2021:
“Unfortunately, The Acadia Foundation confirms that we have had two residents test positive for the COVID-19 Variant at the Oyen Lodge. The residents are medically stable and we are wishing them a full and speedy recovery.
During this time, the Centre for Disease Control and Medical Officer of Health are working with the Lodge Staff to ensure the safety of residents, staff and community. We would like to thank Public Health and Home Care for their assistance. All residents and staff members will be tested for the COVID-19 variants of concern.
We have been advised that Designative Supportive Visitors may not visit their friends/family during the outbreak. Meals on Wheels will be suspended to the Community and Life Lease residents.
I once again urge all members of the community to wear a mask, social distance and use hand sanitizer to help prevent the spread.
If you have any additional questions, please contact Sandy Kelts, CAO at 403-577-7940.”
Oyen Public School Grade 3’s submit newspaper articles
Excitement in Oyen
By Lennix Girletz
Let’s see who was involved. Prairie Rose School Division, Southern Alberta Hockey Academy, Oyen Fire Department, Town of Oyen, Oyen businesses, and community members, all came together to build an outdoor rink. Why did it happen? To let people skate again! It all happened on Friday, January 22, 2021. It occurred at South Central High School. People showed up with tools and equipment. Boards were put in place to keep the water in. The fire de-
partment showed up and they hooked up their hoses up to the water hydrants. It was probably “blasting loud” when the fire department was putting the water on to freeze. I know that it all made it to the Medicine Hat News. The guy who came up with the idea of making the rink is named Mr. Duchscherer. The reason I’m happy he did it is because hockey is one of my favorite sports and I play for the Oyen Bees. I’m happy to be on the ice again.
Mrs. Stammers And Her Crafts
By Georgia Thornton
Mrs. Stammers works at Oyen Public School. She is usually doing crafts. Mrs. Stammers makes jewelry, T-shirts, and picture frames. Mrs. Stammers lives on a farm with her husband. She says she makes crafts in her basement when her husband is watching TV. Her house is 32 miles from the town, which means she drives 64 miles every day. She has one dog and one cat, and she has cows too. The main reason she does crafts is that she was bored when her kids left, so she started forming crafts. I got my information from Mrs. Stammers.
storm creates havoc.
There’s A New Ice Rink In Oyen For Your Pair Of Skates!
By Angalina Magadia
Well we all know we can’t skate at the indoor skating rink that much, so the principal of Oyen Public School, Mr. Duchsherer wanted to make an outdoor skating rink. The outdoor skating rink might even be bigger than the indoor skating
rink too! The people who were involved were Prairie Rose School Division, Southern Alberta Hockey Academy, Oyen Fire Department, the Town of Oyen, Oyen businesses and community members. I got my information from Mr. Duchscherer. He has worked very
hard getting the skating rink all together. What happened you asked? People showed up with tools and equipment, and boards were put around to keep the water in place, and a liner was put on the ground to help the water freeze. The fire department added the wa-
ter with their hoses. This occurred on the west side of South Central High School. This happened to allow kids and people to skate again! It happened on Friday, January 22, 2021. This exciting news actually made the TV news in Medicine Hat, AB.
Ms. Beynon’s Grade 3 class at the Oyen Public School has been learning about the importance of newspapers! We are delighted to share some of their stories here. Who knows, one of these students might become the editor of The Oyen Echo one day.
PHOTO BY TRACY HUDSON
JOAN JANZEN joanjanzen@yahoo.com
Whatcauses someone to use whatever influence they have to care for people who are less fortunate?
Audrey Hepburn, whose career spanned the Golden Age of Hollywood,
OPINION
CHECK IT OUT with Joan Janzen
Promoting a culture of caring
passed away nearly three decades ago, however her granddaughter continues to carry on her humanitarian efforts.
Audrey travelled the world meeting and helping some of the world’s most vulnerable children, right up until her death.
Her granddaughter said she was the first celebrity to go into countries, visit the poor, cradle the babies and hug the mothers.
The values Audrey promoted stood the test of time, but what caused her to use her fame and fortune to help others?
It was because she was also rescued and pulled out of the famine in the Netherlands after the Second World War. It was because of what she experienced as a teen during WWII.
Back in 1941 she witnessed cancel culture and censorship. A local shop keeper was arrested for listening to a “forbidden radio channel” and given a ten month jail sentence. Audrey developed a love for dance, but by 1942 all organizations became political, even entertainment. The German dictators took over all organizations and Jews were excluded.
Audrey worked as a volunteer in a doctor’s clinic. The doctor, as well as all his colleagues, worked with the Resistance. The hospital was the secret Resistance headquarters and all doctors hid Jews in their homes.
Audrey’s celebrity as a dancer made her valuable to the doctors and the Resistance, who held illegal musical performances at various by-invitation-only locations.
These events were called “black evenings” when windows were blacked out, as musicians and dancers performed as a way to raise money for those who were sheltering tens of thousands of Jews throughout the Netherlands. Although Audrey suffered from malnutrition, she continued to perform for the cause.
The Easter holiday is now behind us, when many celebrated a man who lived a life of rescuing people, and died and rose from the dead to rescue people. It was the most significant humanitarian effort on planet earth. It is a legacy that has stood the test of time, and now generations keep that legacy alive by promoting a culture of caring.
Audrey Hepburn’s son said when his mother talked about life lessons she had learned, she never mentioned Hollywood; she talked about her experiences during the war. Fame and fortune hadn’t taught her to care for others. She had received a legacy from doctors who
cared for, and hid Jews in their homes, at the risk of execution.
Emerging from a bomb shelter and witnessing the devastation around her, would have influenced her perspective on the value of human life. It was a time when people whole heartedly helped one another in order to survive. Audrey’s humanitarian efforts began well before she ever attained celebrity status, but fortunately she chose to continue caring for the less fortunate. Today we need a culture of caring for others. It’s a legacy worth passing on throughout the generations.
You can contact me at joanjanzen@yahoo.com
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
By Robert Blagen
Youngstown, AB • 403-779-3859
Six bobble-headed judges came up with the conclusion that we have Global Warming and they figure Trudeau’s Carbon Tax will stop it.
and gas very cleanly, and that’s where his efforts should be. He just doesn’t seem to have figured this out,
so I guess we will all have to suffer the consequences till we get some better government in Ottawa!
The world has been warming up for hundreds of years and Trudeau’s Carbon Tax won’t reverse it. Thank God for that, but it will surely put a hardship on all the people of a Canada! We are already taxed past the max! We definitely don’t need any more of Trudeau’s taxation. He tries to say that the Carbon Tax will stop pollution, but it’s just more of his B.S. We have the technology to burn coal, oil
Out like a lion - winter storm roars through east central Alberta
Oyen Weekly Briefs
BY DIANA WALKER fwalker1@telus.net
Congratulations to Shelley Norris on her retirement at Chinook Applied Research Association. Shelley has been managing the front desk and accounting responsibilities at CARA for over 20 years. We hope her days are filled with love, laughter and fulfilment of life-long retirement dreams.
An excerpt from the Consort Enterprise, March 10 — Louise Christianson was in Oyen Thursday to see Dr. Hagens for an eye checkup. While there, she went to the Blue Mountain Crafts store, where she bought quilting material. So on the weekend, she made two baby quilts: one for a boy and one for a girl as she is going to be a great-grandma for the 7th time in the spring.”
April 1, today — the 47th anniversary of The Oyen Echo launching its first weekly edition with Helen Ball and Diana Walker at the helm under Holmes Publishing Co. Ltd.’s ownership with Ron Holmes as publisher. The Echo could not have served Oyen and surrounding communities without the support of subscribers, advertisers, correspondents and contributors. My hope is that all the above show the same support for new owner Kate Winquist.
Many locals, includ-
Reported by Maxine Girletz
403-664-0513
ing Oyenites, experienced varying lengths of power loss between Sunday and Tuesday, with one of the worst snowstorms and winds we have had in many years. Trees split, and many had to be taken down. Out On A Limb (Angie Warwick and crew) of Hanna were seen in several yards clearing the debris.
J G Contracting is also reshingling the Oyen Evangelical Missionary Church this week, fortunately in much better weather conditions.
Lee Tucker and the crew cleared the ice from the Oyen & District Memorial Arena this week. Spring is surely on its way!
Condolences
Sympathy is extended to Jean Olds and her family on her husband Bernie’s death on March 25, 2021, in the Hanna Hospital at age of 86 years. He was a son, brother, uncle, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather. To Fred, he was a former colleague when they worked together at Acadia Seed Processing Plant. To me, he was a chosen uncle. He was one of my ‘babysitters’ on my dad’s house moving crew until I went to school. He paid his Oyen Echo subscription in person (if possible), one year at a time, so he could be sure to remind me what
a ‘brat’ I was growing up and share a couple of stories to prove his point— all with a smile. And he always asked how Fred was doing and what he was up to. As a child, I enjoyed stopping at his parents’ farm south of Oyen for a ‘quick’ cup of coffee on our way to or from Grandpa and Grandma Balls. Bernie was usually there when we stopped. Louie and Gordon made you feel welcome. Bernie made you feel special.
Condolences to former long-time Oyenite Carol Hurley of Wainwright and her family on the death of her husband Rufus on March 29, 2021, at the age of 77 years. While living in Oyen, Rufus was a businessman, trucker, Kinsman and community volunteer.
I need help
NOTE: I have had positive feedback from readers about Oyen Briefs, but I need your help!
If you have club or personal news you would allow me to include in this column please email fwalker1@telus.net. Especially during COVID shut-ins tell me they look forward to reading history in the making between the Echo pages, but we can’t be everywhere, and some of us do not frequent flyers on Facebook.
After experiencing temperatures in the mid-teens on Sunday, March 28, the east central half of the province woke up to a raging blizzard on Monday, March 29.
Environment Canada says that a strong low-pressure system and cold front tracking eastward was to blame.
High winds and snow caused power outages and road closures across the area. It may be officially spring, but March definitely went out like a lion.
Youngstown Communiqué
Reported by Robert Blagen 403-854-0664
I wish to send my condolences out to the family and friends of Bernie Olds who passed away recently. Bernie, a long time friend of mine, formerly from the Cereal area, was currently residing at the Hanna extended care.
Sympathy of the Cereal Community is extended to Jean Olds, formerly a resident of Cereal, now living in the Oyen Lodge, and family on the death of her husband Bernie, age 86 on March 21. Happy birthday to: Eldon Ray Wilson, James Ford, Spencer Beaudoin, Steve Schmitt, Danny
Duffield, Kenneth Morey, Lori Ford, Sandy Paterson, Trina Martin, Carlos Duque, Cassidy Logelin, Chase Olsen, Ezlyn Smigelski, Darcie-Jean Riehl, Jennifer Erichsen, Lane Kelly, Quinn Grover. Happy anniversary to Adam and Jessica Diakow.
I also would like to extend my sympathies to the family and friends of Barb Cheney who has passed away. Barb was an avid curler in her younger years. I remember participating in some of the same bonspiels in town as she did, as well as some bonspiels in the surrounding areas. Barb also resided at the Hanna extended care. I hope everyone was able to manage okay during the power outage and high winds as the spring storm we were subjected to last week moved through the province. Our power outage here in town lasted somewhere around the 8 hour time frame, going out around 4:30-5:00 in the
morning after numerous power bumps. It did not come back on until around 1:00 pm in the afternoon. I have heard that other areas around the region were still out of power later on that evening and some even lasting as long as up to 38 hours. We are all very fortunate, and should be thankful, that despite the high winds, the temperatures were not any colder than they were and we did not get all that
much snow. I have not heard of too much in the way of damages happening in our area although there was some siding torn loose and blowing off of some building, as well as some items being moved or blown around, including BBQ’s, Smokers, and even an instance of a Cargo Trailer being turned and rolling a fair distance, luckily being caught up on curb, thankfully stopping it’s progress towards running into someone home. What little snow we had, was seen to have created quite the drifts in some places in the area, while bare ground showed in others. I don’t know if it is safe to say we are done with the unsettled weather or not. It is Alberta, after all!
TRACY HUDSON
Report from Battle River-Crowfoot MP
Damien Kurek
4945 - 50 St. Camrose, AB T4V 1P9
Text 403-575-5625 or toll free 1-800-665-4358
Email: damien.kurek@parl.gc.ca or social media @dckurek
Five Point Plan for Recovery
Secure jobs. Secure accountability. Secure mental health. Secure our country. Secure Canada’s economy. These Five points are the Conservative plan to move Canada past the COVID-19 pandemic. It appears Justin Trudeau is pushing for a spring election, and although Conservatives believe it would be irresponsible to go to the polls right now, we are nonetheless ready. Further, we have even been using our position in Parliament to push for things like a data driven plan to safely reopen Canada and increased accountability for current mismanagement. In this column, I want to share Erin O’Toole’s and the Conservative plan for Canada.
Secure jobs: In the last year, over one million Canadians have lost their jobs because of COVID. Our Conservative team is intent on regaining these jobs in every sector, ensuring Canada is able to get back to work and be prosperous. While vaccine delays, program mismanagement, targeting specifics sectors of our economy, and the many economic failures of the Liberals have held Canada back, we need a Government that puts Canadians and their future first.
Secure accountability: Since the election of Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Government, Canada has been plagued by scandal after scandal because of the Government’s corruption and poor judgement. During the course of COVID, the Liberals’ have doled out hundreds of millions of dollars to their friends. Conservatives will clean up the mess left by the Liberals by enacting new and stronger anti-corruption laws. Accountability must be at the forefront and is more important than ever while we take on the greatest health crisis in generations and ensure that Government regains the trust of Canadians.
Secure mental health: The pain and anguish caused by the pandemic has left deep scars in the consciousness of the Canadian public. The inability to see our friends and family, the restriction of movement, the financial distress of many Canadians are among many other factors that has detrimentally impacted the mental health of Canadians. Tragically, many have battled with mental health issues with some even taking their own lives. Boosting funding for partnerships with the provinces to address mental health, a national three-digit suicide prevention line, and
giving incentives to employers to include mental wellness coverage are part of the Conservatives’ Canada Mental Health Plan.
Secure our country: Canada needs a plan to both address the current challenges with COVID and future challenges. We need to be prepared for other potential disasters and pandemics. The Auditor General released a report on March 25th clearly stating the Liberals failed in preparing for COVID. Conservatives will retool the National Emergency Stockpile System and ensure we can manufacture vaccines, so we do not have to rely on other countries to do the work for us. Canada needs a secure domestic supply chain, we have the capability but while the Liberals were signing contracts with their friends at the start of the pandemic, Canadians were left behind.
Secure Canada’s economy: Canada’s economy needs a post COVID-19 recovery plan. However, our society as a whole doesn’t have to be reimagined as Justin Trudeau has called for. Fiscal responsibility; exercising restraint when needed; clear fiscal anchors; a path to a balanced budget within a decade; encouraging the growth of our entire economy including energy; and reducing red tape for businesses are all pragmatic solutions that will aide Canada’s economic recovery from the COVID recession and half a decade of liberal economic mismanagement.
The Conservative Party of Canada’s Five Point Plan will guide the actions we take to protect you from COVID-19, the damages that have ensued, respect provincial and regional differences, and bring good governance back to Ottawa. I will continue to work diligently here in Battle River-Crowfoot and with my colleagues in Ottawa to ensure you are represented and your voice is heard.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this column, you are encouraged to write MP Kurek at 4945-50th Street, Camrose, Alberta, T4V 1P9, call 780-6084600, text 403-575-5625, or e-mail damien. kurek@parl.gc.ca. You can also stay up to date with Damien by following him on social media @dckurek. If you are in need of assistance regarding a Federal Government program, or need assistance and don’t know where to turn, feel free to reach out to Damien’s office.
Ah, the simple pleasure of going to the sink and turning on water or flipping a light switch in the dark. Monday, March 29, a blizzard roared through our area causing widespread power outages and road closures. We awoke to no power and a screaming wind. Visibility was almost nil so we lit the wood burning stove and thought things would settle
Sibbald News
March 17, 2021
Reported by Lee Switzer
down. Funny this storm was predicted and then all snow was removed from the weather app we use! We managed fine laying low but send our thoughts to our ranching neighbours/friends who lost calves in that storm. Glad more critters were saved but conditions were horrid. The sun was shining yesterday but power wasn’t restored until late Tuesday afternoon. Thank you to the ATCO crew for repairing this service. As for snow, the wind blew everything into yards and trees. The
BOOK Notes
WE ARE OPEN! The library is open to the public starting at 3:30PM, Monday through Thursday. Maximum 3 people/1 family at a time; no appointment necessary (but waiting may be required if over limit). Patrons are asked to wear a mask, sanitize, and fill out a basic COVID symptom checklist prior to entering the library (there is a digital sign-in stand in the hall). No washrooms available at this time.
Curbside service will continue to be available during regular library hours. Please contact the library to arrange pickup.
ADULT FICTION:
Eternal by Lisa Scottoline
“A sweeping and shattering epic of historical fiction fueled by shocking true events, the tale of a love triangle that unfolds in the heart of Rome... in the creeping shadow of fascism.”
J FICTION: Here in the Real World
SHOP LOCAL. SAVE
by Sara Pennypacker Clues to the Universe by Christina Li
PICTURE BOOK: The Berenstain Bears’ Big Track Meet by Mike Berenstain
Secret Agent by Kim Dean
GRAPHIC NOVEL: Dog Man: Mothering Heights by Dav Pilkey
NON-FICTION:
1001 Ways to Celebrate Family & Create Lasting Memories Fantasy Map Making: A Step-by-Step Guide for Worldbuilders by Jesper Schmidt
Mysteries of the Messiah: Unveiling Divine Connections from Genesis to Today by Jason Sobel
KITS:
Spring Family Grab & Go Packs* Book & a Movie Packs
fields really don’t have anything. We have a drift in our yard over ten feet high and the deck has a path cleared in the four foot drifts. Oh well, moisture is moisture and we’ll take anything.
The local school kids and staff are enjoying spring break this week and will return after Easter Monday next week. Sending Easter blessing that from sacrifice comes the promise of life and love. Take care and enjoy these new beginnings.
by Tricia Fischbuch
(book, movie, crossword/ word search, popcorn) –New selections! Check out the full assortment on our Facebook page. Adult Colouring Kit (colouring book & pencil crayons)
*Please specify ages and number of children when ordering so enough craft materials can be included.
“Libraries were a solace in the Depression. They were warm and dry and useful and free; they provided a place for people to be together in a desolate time. You could feel prosperous at the library. There was so much there, such an abundance, when everything else felt scant and ravaged, and you could take any of it home for free. Or you could just sit at a reading table and take it all in.” ― Susan Orlean, The Library Book
403-664-3644 ext. 2727 aoymlibrary@marigold. ab.ca
Hours: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays 12-5; Tuesdays 2-7
Teen-years in a small town, now recognition nationally. Good fortune? Predictable? Or simply hard work? What would a retired professor of English Literature do to receive an award of this magnitude?
Former Oyen Student Awarded Order of Canada Krew Kuts
Among the new appointees to the Order of Canada announced on December 30, 2020 is Stan Dragland, a schoolmate. His family lived in Oyen from 1956 to 1962. Stan’s mother, Mydra was a school-teacher. Ken, his father, managed the Beaver Lumberyard, now the site of the town office (Many Trails Crossed Here, 263-264).
For those unaware, the Order of Canada was established in 1967 to commemorate Canada’s 100th anniversary of its confederation. It is this country’s highest civilian (non-military) honour. Membership is awarded to those who exemplify the Order’s Latin motto “Desiderantes meliorem patriam,” meaning “those desiring a better country.” It recognizes the lifetime contributions made by Canadians who through great dedication and service have made a major difference in their community.
“Community,” from the Latin “communitas,” so important in this respect, means public spirit, commonality, affirming a sense of place, and shaping the identities of who we are.
Stan’s life and mine took different pathways from our shared experience in school, sports, and breathing the fresh air of rural Alberta in the late 1950s. We connected again in 2012 during my visit to St. John’s Newfoundland where he now resides. His house, often affectionately called “Jellybean Houses” because of their colour, has a stunning view of the 500-year-old harbour. His home and Stan himself, it seemed to me, have an established, profound “sense of place,” now captured in song.
By Bernie Krewski bkrewski@shaw.ca
Ron Hynes, who died in 2015, was a Newfoundland and Labrador songwriter and folksinger. His song, “Sonny’s Dream,” familiar to many, has been recorded around the world. Stan wrote the lyrics for another song called “House,” recorded by Hynes, accessible on the Internet by entering “Ron Hynes – House.” Stan’s lyrics and Ron’s voice are my version of “soul music” - needing no further elaboration.
Stan explained during our conversation why he moved to St. John’s in 1999. Visiting there in 1997 while on sabbatical leave from Western University in London Ontario, he was drawn to the city’s refinement, its culture, “following in love with it.” He decided to retire early from his professorship in Ontario and continue his writing there.
Having visited every province and territory in Canada during my lifetime and being well-versed in Canadian history, I discovered this land has many special places. It is not “my land,” in the words of a famous folksong - it is “our” land.
I am a first-generation “Canadian,” legally and politically regarded as a “British subject” until legislation establishing Canadian citizenship was finally passed in 1946 – 1948, when I was in elementary school. I know a lot about my ancestral roots in the “Bloodlands” of Eastern Europe. And as a former graduate student in American history, recent developments in the United States are of no great surprise to me. These experiences have shaped immeasurably my view on this fundamental question: “What is a Canadian?” (McClelland & Stewart, 2006).
Historian Margaret MacMillan says this in her essay: “To be Canadian is, too often, to take Canada for granted and not to recognize what a success it is in a world where so many people are at odds with each other. For the most part we have lived peaceably” with one another.
Former Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson focuses on the importance of “Belonging” in her 2014 CBC Massey Lectures: “We can be both part of Canada as a country, and part of every other person who shares our land and our history.”
I believe that sometimes as individuals and as people, we “fit.” Sometimes not so.
I asked Stan in a recent email if he had any memorable thoughts about his youthful days in Oyen. “I remember those years fondly,” he said, “the mark they left on me goes deep.”
“It was plenty intense,” he mentioned, “just as high school days are meant to be” (yes! I wrote a thesis on that subject). But “I remember the sort of society we shared in high school as democratic - there were no barriers of class or any other kind. I don’t remember any rivalry,” adding this was not the case with his sons attending larger schools in Ontario. “All of us had to be everything, as much as was possible. To make up basketball teams, for instance, some had to play who might not have had the opportunity in larger schools, and they developed their skills accordingly.”
I wondered how Stan was viewed by his schoolmates, as reflected in our school’s yearbooks.
“Percy,” his nickname, “is Oyen High’s cherished all-round athlete, a whiz at track, baseball, basketball, hockey, and curling. He has a shy sense of humour. His phoney legal documents and practical jokes help to lighten the seriousness of school drudgery.”
One hint of Stan’s future writing ability is recorded in the 1958 yearbook, entitled “How to Paint a Picture.” He describes the equipment needed to produce a masterpiece: oil paints, smock, canvas, half-dozen eggs, several rotten tomatoes, and a couple of mildewed oranges. The painting process was detailed but simple – these items were thrown on the canvas and left to dry overnight. In granting Stan’s work a first prize, the judges commented “not only on the originality of his effort but on the smell – unique in artistic circles in the world.” Invigorating satire I would say, much healthier than teen-age social rebellion!
Margaret MacMillan eloquently characterizes Canadian humour: “We poke fun at our leaders, but we also laugh at ourselves. The Canadian sense of humour is gently satirical rather than savage, clever rather than crude. No wonder we produce so many great comedians.”
Think of Eugene Levy of the TV series, Shitt’s Creek; John Candy, and the “Hoser Brothers,” Bob and Doug MacKenzie and the Great White North.
His biography in the Canadian Encyclopedia describes Stan as a literary critic, editor, novelist, and poet whose “extensive work creating, publishing, critiquing and teaching Canadian writing has made him an influential figure in Canadian letters.”
Being a “critic” is a term poorly understood in our time, considering our lust for rants on social media and profoundly polarizing opinions. A critic in the literary world is a person who comments and assesses the qualities and character of literary works, like a scholarly detective, unearthing and authenticating their merits and limitations.
Stan’s official biography reads like this: Professor Emeritus, Department of English, Western University (19701999); teacher of creative writing at the Banff Centre and at Los Parronales, Chile; founder of Brick magazine and
Brick Books, a poetry publishing house, which he served for over forty years; poetry editor for McClelland & Stewart between 1994 and 1997.
The breadth and grasp of his writings say much more: Peckertracks (1979), shortlisted for the Books in Canada First Novel Award. Floating Voice: Duncan Campbell Scott and the Literature of Treaty 9 (1994) won the Gabrielle Roy Prize for Canadian literary criticism. 12 Bars (2002) co-winner of the bp Nichol Chapbook Award. Apocrypha: Further Journeys (2003) won the Newfoundland and Labrador Rogers Cable Award for nonfiction. Stormy Weather: Foursomes (2005), shortlisted for the E.J. Pratt Poetry Award. Strangers & Others: Newfoundland Essays (2015), shortlisted for the BMO Winterset Award. Journeys Through Bookland and other Passages (1984). The Bees of the Invisible: Essays in Contemporary English Canadian Writing (1991). The Drowned Lands (2008), a novel. Deep Too, a prose oddity, appeared in 2013. The Bricoleur and His Sentences was published in 2014. Strangers & Others 2: The Great Eastern in 2016, and Gerald Squires in 2017. The Squires book, about the career of one of Newfoundland’s finest visual artists, won the Newfoundland and Labrador Nonfiction Award. A new book of literary criticism, The Difficult, appeared in 2019. Stan is at work on a second Squires book, this one featuring the artist’s own writing.
Part 2 of this article will follow. It opens a small window to the depth of Stan’s work, focusing on public spirit, commonality, a sense of place, and the significance of identity. Hopefully, it will furnish Echo readers with a greater appreciation of Stan’s lifelong work, even if their reading habits do not usually include award-winning Canadian literature.
Stan Dragland and I.
Ron Hynes (from March 2009)
Stan - school yearbook
A nugget of local history
JOAN JANZEN joanjanzen@yahoo.com
Recently, a reader contacted Your Southwest Media Group, saying the brown house in a particular photo that Kate had taken was originally on a farm northeast of Sibbald, where an experimental farm was located.
The establishing of experimental farms received royal assent in 1886, but it wasn’t until the turn of the century that they were established in Alberta. Some of them existed for a relatively brief period, which was the case for the farm located near Sibbald.
Sometime after the Depression, the house was moved to its present location. That location is now the farm belonging to Alan and Ramona Chiliak, near Oyen, Alberta.
Alan Chiliak said the experimental farm was a sister research farm to the ones located in Indian Head, Rosthern, Swift Current and other locations. “It was called ‘Fogelvik’ (meaning bird sanctuary). It was started by a man named Andrew Anderson and his wife and brother-in-law,” Alan explained.
“The original house, along with the barn and
a few other outbuildings, are still standing on the farm a mile south of Laporte on the Leader grid.”
The establishing of experimental farms was to test crops, livestock housing, nutrition and management of animals, and manure as a fertilizer and the planting of shelterbelts. Andrew Anderson sold his farm to a Hutterite colony in 1932, and the colony later abandoned the farm in 1937.
“All the remaining yard assets were purchased by Raymond Wagner from Eatonia,” Alan said.
Alan has much more information about the experimental farm’s history, which he has found in the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, the Legislature in Edmonton, the Parliament building in Ottawa, and surprisingly enough, Buckingham Palace in London. He also has had the opportunity to speak to the original owners’ granddaughter, who lives in California.
Due to time restraints, I could not obtain all this additional information from Alan, but sometime in the future, we will chat and find out “the rest of the story.”
Joan Janzen accepts more permanent role at Your Southwest Media Group
Working in the newspaper industry has always been a part of my life. After taking journalism, I enjoyed a lengthy career in ad design. But about seventeen years ago I began doing a bit of freelance writing in the form of a lighthearted column about daily life, which I continued to do for about ten years. At
that time my writing took a 180 degree turn in a different direction. Although I had absolutely no interest in the political realm, I suddenly felt compelled to use whatever voice I had to “tell the rest of the story” as Paul Harvey used to say. If anyone had told me ten years ago that one day I would be passion-
ate about world events and politics, I would have said they were crazy. But now I am that person.
During the past five years I also began telling other people’s stories. Stories about people in the community who have made significant contributions, people who are pursuing their dreams, and people who have
overcome monumental obstacles. It’s what I love to do, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to share those stories with you, the people who read Your West Central Voice and The Oyen Echo You can contact Joan at joanjanzen@yahoo. com
| PHOTO BY KATE WINQUIST
The house on the right has quite a storied history. It currently sits approximately a mile south of the hamlet of Laporte.
BLANKET ALBERTA
AUCTIONS
ONLINE TIMED SPRING
CONSIGNMENT AUCTION CLOSING APRIL 27 & 28, 2021 @ 9:00AM. Farm Machinery, Cars & Trucks, RV’s, Trailers, ATV’s, Lumber, Lawn & Garden, Antique Farm Equip, Steel Light Poles, Forklifts, Scissor Lift, Livestock Handling Equip, Sea-Can, Skid Steer Attach & more. See www.montgomeryauctions.com. 1-800-3716963.
FEED AND SEED CERTIFIED SEED.WHEAT – Go Early, Pintail. - OATS – AC Juniper, AC Morgan, AC Mustang, Derby, SO1 Super Oat.BARLEY – Amisk, Busby, Cerveza, Conlon, CDC Austenson, CDC Maverick, Sundre. Very Early Yellow Pea, Forage Peas. Polish Canola, Spring Triticale. mastinseeds. com; 403-556-2609.
ALBERTA FEED GRAIN: Buying Oats, Barley, Wheat, Canola, Peas, Screenings, Mixed Grains. Dry, Wet, Heated, or Spring Thresh. Prompt Payment. In House Trucks, In House Excreta Cleaning. Vac Rental. 1-888-483-8789.
HEATED CANOLA buying Green, Heated or Springthrashed Canola. Buying: oats, barley, wheat & peas for feed. Buying damaged or offgrade grain. “On Farm
Pickup” Westcan Feed & Grain, 1-877-250-5252.
BUILDINGS FOR SALE
INTEGRITY POST FRAME BUILDINGS since 2008 BUILT WITH CONCRETE POSTS. Barns, Shops, Riding Arenas, Machine Sheds and more, sales@ integritybuilt.com 1-866974-7678 www.integritybuilt.com.
HEALTH
GET UP TO $50,000 from the Government of Canada. ALL Ages & Medical Conditions qualify. Have a child under 18 instantly receive more money. CALL THE BENEFITS PROGRAM 1-800-2113550 or send a text message with your name and mailing address to 403980-3605 for your FREE benefits package.
HIP/KNEE REPLACEMENT. Other medical conditions causing TROUBLE WALKING or DRESSING? The Disability Tax Credit allows for $3,000 yearly tax credit and $30,000 lump sum refund. Take advantage of this offer. Apply NOW; quickest refund Nationwide: Expert help. 1-844453-5372.
LAND FOR SALE
VERY INEXPENSIVE 2 QUARTERS OF PASTURE LAND, Central SK, for sale. 8 other good quarters may be available. Requires fencing. Great hunting $74,900.
Call Doug at 306-7162671.
SERVICES
CRIMINAL RECORD? Why suffer employment/ licensing loss? Travel/ business opportunities? Be embarrassed? Think: Criminal Pardon. US entry waiver. Record purge. File destruction. Free consultation. 1-800-3472540. www.accesslegalmjf.com
GET BACK ON TRACK! Bad credit? Bills? Unemployed? Need Money? We Lend! If you own your own home - you qualify. Pioneer Acceptance Corp. Member BBB. 1-877-987-1420. www. pioneerwest.com.
BLANKET THE PROVINCE with a classified ad. Only $269 (based on 25 words or less). Reach 90 weekly newspapers. Call NOW for details. 1-800282-6903 Ext 225
FOR SALE
FOR SALE: MF 220 Tractor w/ pt. hitch. 25 HP. Excellent condition. Great tractor for yard. Call Brent (403) 6648256.
COMING EVENTS
43rd Acadia Ranching 1976 LTD Bull Sale - April 10, Sat.: lunch at noon, sale at 2 p.m. featuring 2 year-old Charolais and Black Angus @ BSSA. Call Don Good 40-664-8844.
Bernie Olds 1934 ~ 2021
Bernard William Olds, beloved husband of Jean Olds, passed away at the Hanna Hospital on Thursday, March 25, 2021, at the age of 86 years. Along with Jean, Bernie will be lovingly remembered by his children, Kevin (Crystal) Olds and their son, Chance; Gordon Olds; Darcy (Tami) Olds and their children, Lhea, Austin and Darbi and Wanda (Will) Ball and their sons, Nathan and Grif-
fin; five great-grandchildren, Darcie, Luke, Beau, Emma and Harley as well as his sisters, Edith Olds and Ethel Holfeld. He was predeceased by his parents Gordon and Louise; grandson, Casey Olds and his sister, Dorothy Harris. Bernie was the only son born to Gordon and Louise Olds of Oyen, AB. He married Jean Scarff and together they lived in Cereal where they raised their four children, Kevin, Gordon, Darcy and Wanda. A private celebration honouring Bernard will be held at a later date. (Condolences may be expressed by visiting our website at www.cooksouthland. com) Honoured to serve the family is Cook Southland Funeral Chapel, 901 - 13 Street S.W., Medicine Hat, Alberta, T1A 4V4. Telephone 1-877-5286455.
e families of Herman Schwenk wish to express gratitude to everyone for the overwhelming support, prayers and encouraging words which we have received during the past month. In lieu of individual acknowledgements of memorial donations, a donation will be given to Paintearth Lodge in Castor. Many thanks; Marcella, Anne, Stephen, Helen, Peter, Philip, Edward, Michael and families.
e Oyen Law O ce of
Niblock & compaNy llp
Barry Miskuski, John F. Stodalka, Jeffrey J. Neumann, Ronald B. Baba, Marilyn A. Hermann, Bryce R. Farrell, Darren E. Folkersen will be open commencing at 1:00 p.m.
Jeffrey J. Neumann in attendance on April 1st April 22nd For appointments call 1-800-245-9411 or 1-403-526-2806 Oyen Law Office #215C Main Street (South side of Lijdsman Insurance) Wills & Estates Real Estate General Matters
SPECIAL AREA NO. 3
NOTICE OF DECISION OF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
This is to notify you with respect to a decision of the Development Officer, whereby a development permit has been issued authorizing the following:
WOOD - It is with great sadness, the family of E. Elaine Wood (nee Roy) share the passing of Elaine on March 21, 2021 at the age of 95 in The Long Term Care Facility, Oyen, Alberta. Elaine was born in Youngstown hospital August 9, 1925 to Eben and Mable Roy. Walker Roy (Unc) was a special person in her life as well. She was raised on the Hillcrest Farm south of Youngstown. Her favorite horse story was when she was 15, she rode Clarabelle in a race against some men at a Youngstown Sports Day and won. She claimed she just hung on and the horse did the rest.
Elaine developed a love for drama during her school years and took part in plays like “Deacon Dubbs”. She completed grade 12 in Youngstown. Elaine met Walter Wood at a local community dance.
They were married July 20, 1945 at the Roy farm. Their dance was held in the Youngstown Hall with The OK Orchestra. Their first daughter, Cheryl was born in Hanna Hospital in 1946 and Wendy was born in Cereal Hospital in 1949. Elaine wanted the best for her family and was always there when they needed her. Their home was shared with the eight grandchildren as they were growing up and they always slept in sleeping bags on the living room floor, ate popcorn and watched TV. Also, they were known to open their home to family and friends throughout the years whether it be to recuperate, bad weather or holidays. There were many gatherings where Elaine played the piano and her and Walter would sing. She was very proud that she played ball and curled, long enough to play with both her daughters.
Elaine was involved in their farming operations and helped wherever she could. Driving like a bat out of hell to town for parts, driving trucks, tractors, combines, delivering meals to the field by truck, car or motorhome were just a few of her contributions. During harvest, when she took meals out to the field, she drove a combine while
the men ate. She drove the Willies Jeep to check cows, bring in vegetables from the garden and give her grandchildren rides and driving lessons.
Elaine’s interests were many. Knitting, sewing, reading, puzzles, playing cards, crib, and outdoors she played fastball, curled, went ski-dooing, skating, horse shoes, tobogganing, fishing, camping and gardening.
She was an active volunteer in 3 communities, Cereal, Lanfine and Oyen. She was an Honorary Member of the Order of The Eastern Star. She spent countless hours organizing Lanfine functions, Cereal BBQ’s and helping with the Curling Club in Oyen. She had an artistic talent for creating decorations for all kinds of functions, parades and Halloween costumes.
Walter and Elaine traveled far and wide with friends and family including cruises, train trips, visited relatives in Nova Scotia, drove a car back from Detroit and went camping a lot at Blood Indian, Moose Lake, Waterton, Elkwater, and her favorite spot, Pine Lake.
After Walter’s passing, Elaine moved to her new house in Oyen in 2003, then to The Lodge in 2016 and finally to Long Term Care in 2018. She made
people laugh right up until she couldn’t anymore.
Elaine is predeceased by her husband Walter, her parents, Eben and Mabel Roy; Uncle Walker Roy; Brother Don (Lila) Roy; Walters parents Allie and Ethel Wood as well as his Brother Ellis (Margaret) Wood; Sister Doris (Art) Berg and her Grandson John Hogan.
Elaine leaves two daughters; (1) Cheryl (John) Hogan, their children Trish (Jack) Breum; Tom (Cyndi) Hogan, Don (Denise) Hogan, Bobbi-Jo Hogan, and John’s (Lacey) Hogan; (2) Wendy (Jim) Marr and their children: Lori (Kerry) Bohnet; Tyler Marr and Mitchell Marr as well as 17 Great Grand Children and 4 Great-Great Grandchildren as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
No greater lady will ever be missed as much as we will miss her.
Elaine never said good-bye. In her words.
“OK, WE’RE GONE!” A private celebration of life will be held at a later date.
Memorial tributes may be directed to the Oyen & District Health Care Foundation, Box 150, Oyen AB T0J 2J0 or the charity of your choice. Funeral Arrangements in the care of MacLean’s Funeral Home in Oyen, Ab. ofsmacleans.com
The Special Areas Land Use Order provides that any person claiming to be affected by a decision of the Municipal Planning Commission may appeal to the Development Appeal Board by serving written notice of appeal to the Secretary within 21 days.
Further information regarding the above application, may be obtained from the Special Area No. 3 District Office in Oyen.
Darran Dick
OYEN EVANGELICAL MISSIONARY CHURCH