Test your knowledge of ‘Mr. Prince Albert’

by Ruth Griffiths

People from far and wide associate Prince Albert with Prime Minister John G. Diefenbaker who represented this area in the House of Commons from 1953 until his death on Aug. 16, 1979. Everyone knows “Dief the Chief” is the man from P.A., but how much do we know about him?

  1. Diefenbaker was born on Sept. 18, 1895 in which southwestern Ontario town?
  2. What were his parents’ names?
  3. What was his brother’s name?
  4. What brought the Diefenbaker family to Saskatchewan in 1903?
  5. John Diefenbaker was the first student to secure three degrees from the University of Saskatchewan. What were they?
  6. What was his first elected position?
  7. He contested federal and provincial elections through the 1920s and 1930s with little success until he was elected to parliament in 1940 in which riding?
  8. Diefenbaker was only the second Conservative MP elected in Prince Albert. Who was the first?
  9. During his years as Prime Minister (1957-63) Diefenbaker appointed the first female minister in Canadian history to his Cabinet. Who was she?
  10. Diefenbaker appointed the first aboriginal member of the Senate. Who was he?
  11. Diefenbaker was PM in 1960 when the vote was extended to what group of people?
  12. What was Diefenbaker’s most historic piece of legislation?

Answers:

  1. Neustadt.
  2. William Thomas Diefenbaker and the former Mary Florence Bannerman
  3. Elmer
  4. William Diefenbaker accepted a teaching position near Fort Carlton.
  5. Bachelor of Arts 1915, Master of Arts 1916, Bachelor of Law 1919
  6. Elected to Wakaw village council in 1920.
  7. He represented Lake Centre until the Liberal government eliminated   the riding in 1952.
  8. James McKay 1911-14
  9. Ellen Fairclough was named Secretary of State in 1957
  10. James Gladstone in 1958
  11. First Nations and Inuit peoples
  12. Canadian Bill of Rights enacted Aug. 19, 1960

Why I love the summer fair

by Ruth Griffiths

For me, the best part of the summer fair is the hall exhibits. I enjoy competing and seeing the entries others have brought for the various competitions.

Besides the usual competitions, this year there are several that celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation. A patio pot special offers gift certificates from Obsession Greenhouse for the best “patio pot or planter containing a variety of plants with both red and white flowers.” The planter or pot must be a minimum 12 inches across.

Also in the horticulture section, Class 209 offers gift certificates from Brayden’s Greenhouse for the best fresh floral arrangement celebrating Canada 150. Full rules are outlined in the Hall Prize Book. You can enter the horticulture section up to the morning of Aug. 2 but it’s a good idea to contact the Prince Albert Exhibition office now to get the Hall Prize Book and be assigned an exhibitor number.

In the Arts and Handicraft section you can celebrate Canada 150 in Class 1336, sponsored by Prince Albert Exhibition. Cash prizes are offered for the best handicraft into in red and white.

Entries into the Needlecraft and Baking section close July 22. There is a special needlework prize for competitors over age 65, a group that has consistently supported the Prince Albert summer fair.

There are also competitions for children in both needlework and baking. The 4-H Clubs have their own special competitions — providing a consistently good showing at the Exhibit Hall.

The arts and handicrafts section continues strong with the opportunity to show your skills in almost any craft. Children make an especially strong showing in this area, including the collections section.  For example Class 1360 is for a model kit assembled by a child 12 or younger. The entry fee is just 50 cents.

The photography section seems to be expanding each year; it pulls a steady stream of viewers into the Exhibit Hall. Although July 22 is the entry deadline, you need to bring your photographs to the Exhibition Centre on July 27.

During the 134th annual Prince Albert summer fair, the Exhibit Hall is open free of charge noon to 9 p.m. each day Aug. 1-5.  Stop by just to get out of the heat and stay to enjoy a wonderful display of local talent and ingenuity.

I’ll be involved in the flower-arranging demonstration on Aug. 3. You could win one of the arrangements that you have watched us assemble.

Prince Albert is one of the last truly agricultural exhibitions with strong showings in the cattle and horse competitions as well. Unfortunately, the Heavy Horse competition is no more. I will very much miss the parade of those massive horses.

As always West Coast Amusements will provide an action-packed midway. With your admission to the fair you are buying plenty of free entertainment, including chuck-wagon races and the grandstand shows. Everything winds up on Saturday night with a musical performance by CashBack, a Johnny Cash and June Carter Tribute Band. Fireworks on Saturday at 11 p.m. will wrap up another wonderful week at the fair.

The local angle on a historical event

by Ruth Griffiths

On this day in 1908, a Canadian dentist, Cal Bricker, finished third in the broad jump at the Summer Olympic Games in London, England. Bricker later spent most of his professional career practicing dentistry in Grenfell, Sask. But the 1908 Olympics were notable for several other reasons.

The 1908 Olympics were hastily hosted by Great Britain due to a catastrophic event in Italy. According to Wikipedia, the 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were originally scheduled to be held in Rome, but were relocated on financial grounds following a disastrous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906.

The Fourth Olympiad was also remarkable for its length. This international multi-sport event was held in London April 27 to Oct. 31, a total of 187 days, or six months and four days, making these games the longest in modern Olympics history.

Women competed in skating and tennis for the first time in 1908 in London. Female athletes first competed in the modern Olympics in the 1900 Games in Paris, France.

Canada did well at the 1908 Olympics. It was seventh in medal rankings, winning three gold, three silver and 10 bronze medals. By contrast, in the 2016 Summer Olympics, Canada ranked 20th in the medal count with four gold, three silver and 15 bronze medals.

Bricker was among 87 Canadians competing in London in 1908. Besides winning bronze in long jump, he finished fourth in the triple jump.

Bricker was a dentist, already known as “doctor” when he competed in London. He went on to win silver in long jump at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm.

Bricker was a 1907 graduate of University of Toronto. During the First World War served with a dental corps. He helped organize the 1919 Inter-Allied Games in Paris.

After the war, Bricker settled in Grenfell where he practiced dentistry. He died in 1963 at age 78.

Bricker was inducted into the University of Toronto, Saskatchewan and Canadian Sports Halls of Fame. Canadian athletes who excel in jumping activities are awarded the Cal D. Bricker Memorial trophy.

The next summer Olympics will be held in 2020 in Japan.

The local angle on historical event

by Ruth Griffiths

On this day in 1908, a Canadian dentist, Cal Bricker, finished third in the broad jump at the Summer Olympic Games in London, England. Bricker later spent most of his professional career practicing dentistry in Grenfell, Sask. But the 1908 Olympics were notable for several other reasons.

The 1908 Olympics were hastily hosted by Great Britain due to a catastrophic event in Italy. According to Wikipedia, the 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were originally scheduled to be held in Rome, but were relocated on financial grounds following a disastrous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906.

The Fourth Olympiad was also remarkable for its length. This international multi-sport event was held in London April 27 to Oct. 31, a total of 187 days, or six months and four days, making these games the longest in modern Olympics history.

Women competed in skating and tennis for the first time in 1908 in London. Female athletes first competed in the modern Olympics in the 1900 Games in Paris, France.

Canada did well at the 1908 Olympics. It was seventh in medal rankings, winning three gold, three silver and 10 bronze medals. By contrast, in the 2016 Summer Olympics, Canada ranked 20th in the medal count with four gold, three silver and 15 bronze medals.

Bricker was among 87 Canadians competing in London in 1908. Besides winning bronze in long jump, he finished fourth in the triple jump.

Bricker was a dentist, already known as “doctor” when he competed in London. He went on to win silver in long jump at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm.

Bricker was a 1907 graduate of University of Toronto. During the First World War served with a dental corps. He helped organize the 1919 Inter-Allied Games in Paris.

After the war, Bricker settled in Grenfell where he practiced dentistry. He died in 1963 at age 78.

Bricker was inducted into the University of Toronto, Saskatchewan and Canadian Sports Halls of Fame. Canadian athletes who excel in jumping activities are awarded the Cal D. Bricker Memorial trophy.

The next summer Olympics will be held in 2020 in Japan.

We are all treaty people

by Ruth Griffiths

The after-dinner speaker at a conference often puts me to sleep. Perhaps it’s the combination of a long day and a full stomach. I nod off fairly easily during such events. But a presentation by a representative from The Office of the Treaty Commissioner had me fully awake during a conference a few years ago. My ears were opened.

Although I’ve lived my whole life within the area covered by Treaty 6, I was unaware of its implications for my life. I had read the treaty, at least in part, because it had been published in full in the Prince Albert Daily Herald during the time that I worked in the newsroom.

Nevertheless, reading the treaty and having someone explain it to me were two different things.

The phrase that stayed with me from that after-dinner presentation was, “We are all treaty people.”

A treaty is an agreement negotiated between sovereign nations. Everyone benefits from the treaty. All the people living within the treaty territory are beneficiaries.

The Office of the Treaty Commissioner states: “Newcomers and their descendants benefit from the wealth generated from the land and the foundational rights provided in the treaties.

There are misconceptions that only First Nations peoples are part of the treaties, but in reality, both parties are part of treaty. All people in Saskatchewan are treaty people.”

The First Nations understood that under the treaty they would receive assistance to the transition of a new lifestyle, maintenance of their cultural and spiritual rights, right to hunt, trap, and fish, education, medical assistance, reserve land, agricultural tools and support, and peaceful co-existence with the newcomers.

Newcomers would receive a peaceful co-existence with First Nations people, access to lands for settlement, farming, railways and future industrial development.

Treaty 6 was negotiated between the Dominion of Canada on behalf of the Queen and several First Nations groups: Cree, Saulteaux, Nakota, and Dene. Treaty 6 was signed on Aug. 23, 1876 at Fort Carlton and at Fort Pitt on Sept. 9, 1876. Some First Nations bands were not present at the Treaty negotiations and therefore signed an adhesion to the treaty at later dates. Little Pine and Lucky Man bands adhered to Treaty 6 at Fort Walsh on July 2, 1879, Big Bear in 1882 and the Lac La Ronge and Montreal Lake bands in 1889.

The spirit, intent, and provisions of the treaties last forever, as long as the sun shines, the grass grows and the rivers flow.

In love with Heritage Lake

by Ruth Griffiths

My granddaughter just returned from her first real camp with Girl Guides of Canada. She’s almost eight and has completed her first year as a Brownie. She’s done sleepovers before, but this was the first time she was away for two nights at a camp, complete with hiking, cleaning biffies and a campfire. She loved it.

I too loved my first Girl Guide camp. I was 12 when the Tisdale No. 1 Guide Company camped at Heritage Lake Girl Guide Camp. Back then it was known as Little Sandy. It was renamed “Heritage Lake” in 1966, commemorating the first Heritage Camp held by Girl Guides of Canada, Saskatchewan Council.

This year, the Heritage Lake Girl Guide Camp is celebrating its 57th birthday with a family reunion camp Sept. 2-4. I’ve been registered for several weeks, but I thought you might like to know about the camp too.

Activities begin Saturday afternoon with registration and sampling the original recipe Girl Guide cookies. You can set up your own tent, borrow a tent from the camp or sleep in a bunk bed in the all-weather lodge.

Because the camp is being held on the Labour Day weekend, organizers hope that former campers will bring along their families, significant others, grandkids, etc. Families would need to bring their own campers or tents. There are no services for large motorhomes, but smaller RVs could be accommodated in the parking lot.

During the afternoon you might enjoy the 150 Canada challenge, horseshoes, croquet or itty bitty knots. Browse the display table of memorabilia and renew acquaintances with former campers.

The Saturday night supper is potluck, so plan to bring something to share with the other campers.
In the evening, there will be an old-fashioned slide show and a sing-song. Do you remember those silly campfire songs and skits?

On Sunday morning, the flag-raising ceremony will include a reaffirmation of Canadian Citizenship. Also on Sunday there will be a pancake brunch, waterfront activities, a wiener roast, Canada birthday cake and a campfire program. And of course, more visiting throughout the day.

The fees for this camp are incredibly low. The $57 registration per person includes two nights site fees, a Heritage crest and four meals. Children pay just $15 for the weekend. If you wish to attend for Sunday only and not stay overnight, the fee is just $20.
The fees are so low because there are no paid staff. The camp is organized and run by volunteers. So, in true Girl Guide fashion, everyone will lend a hand. The campers will be the people who sweep the floor, haul the water, chop the wood, wash the dishes and, yes, clean the biffies. It’s all part of the camping experience that we know and love.

For more information about the Heritage 57 Reunion Camp or to register email provincial@girlguides.sk.ca or call 1-800-565-8111.

Ruth Griffiths is a the former editor of Rural Roots and the former Daily Herald lifestyles section editor. She remains an active member of the Prince Albert community

Losing it over losing things

by Ruth Griffiths

Doesn’t it drive you crazy when you lose things?

I bought some colourful Band-Aids and fruit-flavoured toothpaste for my granddaughter. She was so happy, she hugged them to her chest and danced around the kitchen. The next day, they had disappeared. She denies hiding them and I have looked everywhere, including the freezer. (Grandma does strange things sometimes.)

When I did my grandson’s laundry, the dryer returned just one grey sock. Where do those little socks go? Humorist Peg Bracken had a suggestion in her book “I Hate Housework.” She thinks the rotations of the clothes dryer spin socks into a parallel universe.
Sounds about as good as anything else I can think up.

Of course the surest way to find something is to go out and find a replacement. Then you have two!

Sometimes I do find things, but in the strangest places! When I brought out the grandchildren’s bubble wands and beach toys for the first time this spring, I discovered my favourite funnel. I had struggled all winter with filling the salt shaker. Somehow the orange plastic funnel had morphed into a sand toy and was hiding out with the shovels and pails.

Of course this proves the maxim: A place for everything and everything in its place.

You’ve seen those organized workshops where the tool is outlined in paint on the peg board. All you have to do is train everyone to put it back where they found it. (But training a puppy might be easier.)

How much time to we spend looking for our keys and wallet? To create a place for your most important things, take a test run. Walk into the house carrying your things, and look for a place you’ll be able to put them every single time you get home. And then do it.

Another trick that works for me, is to tell someone else or even myself where I am going to store something. “I’m putting Nana’s birthday card on top of the refrigerator,” I announce to an empty room. But the foolishness of it really seems to help me remember where to look.

Getting out the door in the morning can be a nightmare if you have to remember four or five things to take with you. If I think I might forget something, I put the item in the car the night before. That doesn’t prevent me from running around the house looking for it, but it sometimes prevents me from having to make a special trip back home to pick it up.

I notice that I lose things more often if I am tired, distracted or stressed. We have to be intentional about putting things away so they can be found later. Hunting for Easter eggs might be fun, but searching for the remote gets old fast.

Canadian icon gets a facelift

by Ruth Griffiths

On this day in 1866, the Parliament of the Province of Canada began its fifth session in the still unfinished Parliament buildings in Ottawa. It was the last session as the Province of Canada before Confederation.

The Parliament Buildings are so much a part of the culture and character of Canada that it is hard to imagine them not being there. But renovations underway on Parliament Hill underscore the evolving nature of our nation’s capital buildings.

The original construction on the first Canadian Parliament buildings took 20 years, beginning in 1857. According to a Government of Canada website: “The West Block is being rehabilitated to meet the current and future needs of Parliamentarians, while respecting its heritage character. Rehabilitation work began in 2011, and building occupancy is planned for the opening session of Parliament in fall 2018.”

The West Block was built to house the federal public service. Before it was emptied in 2011, it housed the offices of the Prime Minister, Cabinet, members of Parliament and their staff. It also housed committee rooms and the Confederation Room.

When we picture the Parliament Buildings we usually think of the Centre Block. It contains meeting spaces for the House of Commons and the Senate Chambers with the Hall of Honour separating them. Some parliamentarians also have offices in the Centre Block. A rehabilitation project is scheduled to begin in 2018 and continue for 10 years. While the Centre Block is closed, the newly built West Block courtyard will serve as the home of the interim House of Commons Chamber.

 The Centre Block was destroyed by fire in 1916. All that remains of the original building is the Parliamentary Library at the rear of the Centre Block.

While the Centre Block is closed, the newly built West Block courtyard will serve as the home of the interim House of Commons Chamber. The Senate chamber will be housed in the former Union Station.

Renovations to the interior and exterior of the East Block have been ongoing for several decades. The rehabilitation of the northwest tower, which was completed in 2013, served as a pilot project for the upcoming masonry repairs within the East Block’s original wing. Further rehabilitation of the exterior is scheduled for this year.

Renovations to the Parliament buildings are budgeted to cost taxpayers $3 billion.

Who invented the piggy bank?

by Ruth Griffiths

Several Canadian banks use the piggy bank as a prominent image in their advertising. The piggy bank is a traditional coin container, usually used by children. So I wondered, why is that little coin container in the shape of a pig? Why not a dog or a cat?

I checked the Internet for clues and came up with these suggestions.

According to Wikipedia, pygg is an orange-coloured clay commonly used during the Middle Ages as a cheap material for pots to store money, called pygg pots or pygg jars. Perhaps “pygg” was simply a dialectal variant of “pig.” By the 18th century, the term “pig jar” had evolved to “pig bank”. Other materials, such as glass, plaster, and plastic, eventually supplanted earthenware but the name gradually began to refer specifically to the shape of the bank, instead of the material that was used to make it.

The oldest Western find of a moneybox dates from 2nd century BC Greek colony Priene, Asia Minor, and features the shape of a miniature Greek temple with a slit in the pediment. Moneyboxes of various forms were also excavated in Pompeii and Herculaneum, and appear quite frequently on late ancient sites, particularly in Roman Britain and along the Rhine.

Wikipedia also says, the Javanese and Indonesian term cèlèngan (literally “likeness of a wild boar”, but used to mean both “savings” and “piggy bank”) is also used in the context of domestic banks. A pig-shaped money container was excavated at Majapahit and dates to the 15th century. Several boar-shaped piggy banks have been discovered at the large archaeological site in East Java, the possible site of the capital of the ancient Majapahit Empire. These are probably the source of the Javanese-Indonesian word referring to savings or money containers.

One important Majapahit piggy bank specimen is housed at the National Museum of Indonesia. It has been reconstructed, as this large piggy bank was found broken into pieces. Majapahit terracotta coin containers have been found in a variety of shapes, including tubes, jars and boxes, each with a slit into which to insert coins.

The Financial Brand website says that in Europe, early piggy banks had no hole in the bottom, so the pig had to be broken to get money out. Perhaps that is where we get the expression “breaking the bank.”

Nature is awesome

by Ruth Griffiths

Nature has the power to heal us, connect us and build community. Nature is awesome.

Nature is a prescription for good health. Studies have shown that as little as 20 minutes in a green space can help children with attention deficit disorder cope better with the challenges of everyday living. A walk in the park can soothe your mind, lower your stress levels and aid digestion.

Our bodies were made for movement. It feels good to get outdoors in the fresh air and feel the sun and the wind on the skin. Getting away from artificial lights, noise and technology creates an oasis of peace in a crowded day.

After my husband retired, he occasionally picked me up from work at noon and we took a picnic lunch to Little Red River Park. After eating our sandwiches, we took a short walk to admire the new growth that was always in abundance. That 45-minute picnic in the middle of the day was a relaxing as a vacation.

The beauty and grandeur of nature inspire awe. Awe is defined as “a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.” Standing before a waterfall, you can’t help but feel inspired by the power of the falling water. The waterfall is awesome in its extreme beauty and potential for harm.

Nature can also be awesome when it connects us with others. Looking out from the top of the ski hill at Big River, I felt small in comparison to the vastness of the valley spread out before me. But I felt connected to the people who were standing with me to view that wonderful panorama.

Some of my most memorable days have been spent in outdoor activities with others: picking berries, searching for wildflowers, identifying birds. Picking berries helps me feel connected to the thousands of generations of women who have foraged for their families. Looking for wildflowers and birds is an intellectual pursuit that never fails to enrich me.

When my grandmother was 95 she still had her bird books spread out in front of her living room window, ready to identify the feathered friends who flew into her farm yard. Learning about our natural world is a hobby I hope to pursue as long as I live.
I believe that if we want our lives to be awesome, we need only to acknowledge our place in nature. As a community, we are interconnected in our awesome world.