By GREG NIKKEL, of the Weyburn Review
The importance of volunteers to local communities was celebrated on Sunday afternoon with the presentation of the Southeast Saskatchewan Volunteer Recognition Awards in the Creelman Memorial Hall.
Awards were given out to nine individuals and a curling team, all residents of the southeast area, including Weyburn, Pangman, Midale and Creelman in the local region. The awards were nominated and given out through the three regional recreation associations of the southeast, including Wheatland Souris, Moose Mountain and Pipe Si-Cana, along with the Zone 1 Sports Council.
In the heritage category, Mary Scott of Pangman was nominated by the Pangman branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society.
In the citation read by Edith Bernard, the audience was told she taught at Pangman School for many years, was involved with the Holy Angels Catholic Church, the seniors centre, helping with the regional winter games hosted at Pangman in 1995, and being involved with the Pangman-area history book committee.
She also served on the auxiliary of the Deep South personal care home, and after retiring as a teacher continued as the school's librarian.
"She is a volunteer in the truest sense of the word," read Bernard, before making the presentation.
"Did I really do all that?" asked Scott, adding the words of a poet help to guide her, which state, "Any good I can do, or any kindness I can show my fellow man, let me not neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."
The other heritage recipient was Daisley Anderson of Wolseley, nominated by the Wolseley Recreation Board.
In the culture category, Eliford Mott of Creelman was nominated by the Creelman Parks and Recreation Board for his many involvements, particularly for keeping the Creelman Dinner Theatre alive for the past 18 years.
In reading his citation, Janet Carnegie noted Mott has been or is a member of the school board, church board, Creelman Ag. Society board and the Weyburn Credit Union board, as well as being involved in curling and ball and helping to design and build the village's community complex.
Mott has played a leadership role in the dinner theatre project, right from choosing a play, holding auditions and rehearsals, to serving as the director and acting in the productions as well. The plays are usually held over a number of evenings with sell-outs of 130 people each night, and the profits are given out to members of the community who have a personal or medical need.
The other culture recipient was Cheryl Andrist of Estevan, nominated by the Estevan Arts Council for her involvement as an artist and as a member of the council.
The Southeast Athlete of the Year is Weyburn's Graham DeLaet, who at 17 years of age won the Saskatchewan junior golf tour last summer for 18 and under, and was the Saskatchewan Juvenile Champion. He holds the junior golf record for the Weyburn Golf Club with a score of 68, and was a member of the Saskatchewan junior golf team which went to the nationals.
DeLaet thanked the presenter, Marie Grohn, who has also been a major component of the junior golf program at Weyburn.
"She's one of the reasons I've won this award, driving me around to tournaments for the last four years," said DeLaet.
In the recreation category, Ed Howse of the Khedive-Pangman area was nominated by the Pangman-Norton Parks and Recreation Board.
The citation, presented by Gene Kessler, told the crowd, "Ed's the type of person, when you ask for a volunteer, he comes in with hammer and nails and is ready to get at it."
His community involvement has included the Pangman United Church, the Wheat Pool committee in Khedive and then in Pangman, setting up and leading the Pangman 4-H Multiple Club as well as serving as the 4-H District 7 council president since 1988. He has served on the curling club board, has been involved with the local archery club and has been a member of the recreation board for a number of years.
With the recent purchase of a short-line rail line, Howse and three others were instrumental in the many volunteer hours involved with making this a reality, added Kessler.
The second recipient in the recreation category was Brenda Erickson of Midale, nominated by the MORE 2000 committee which coordinates all recreation activities and fund-raising in Midale.
Award presenter Marylou Rosengren told the audience that shortly moving to Midale in 1991 with husband Paul, she became involved with the co-operative playschool and with MORE 2000. She was one of the driving forces behind Midale's new arena complex which began in 1997 and had its grand opening last year.
"She was on the site every day, and after it was up she was there painting and cleaning," the audience heard, plus Erickson looked after fund-raising efforts for the organization, such as bingos and Nevada ticket sales, and the annual community fund-raiser auction which usually brings in around $20,000.
She and her husband do a lot of the work for the town swimming pool, from painting and repairing to cleaning, added Rosengren. "She never hesitates to get involved and takes great pride in whatever she does."
Erickson is also a member of the Midale First Responders and recently took on the position as emergency responders coordinator for the town and RM of Cymri.
The Southeast Coach of the Year is Gary St. Onge, nominated by the Bienfait school and formerly of the Torquay area. Born and raised at Torquay, after graduating from university he taught for 12 years at Torquay School, including serving as the principal, before being transferred to Bienfait in 1980.
He initiated the sports and intramural program there and is involved in coaching and officiating in school sports and community sports, was on the board for the 1993 Men's Tankard committee, a member of the Estevan Minor Ball Association, secretary-treasurer for the Torquay Rink Board for 12 years and coached the men's senior volleyball team in Estevan. He has also served as a school board member in Estevan.
The sports administrator is Victoria Boutin of Kenosee Lake, who runs the Four Seasons Drop-in Centre since retiring from teaching in 1979. She helped form the Kenosee Lake library, helped put together the 10th anniversary booklet for the centre and was heavily involved in the 55+ senior games hosted at Kenosee.
The team of the year is the Michael Eberle rink from Montmartre, who represented Saskatchewan recently at the Canada Winter Games in Cornerbrook, Newfoundland. The team consists of skip Michael Eberle, 17; third Brian Kuntz, 17; second Stephen Perras, 15; and lead Mark Kuntz, 15, and they were coached by Bob Jamieson.
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