Shawn Bailey
Dauphin’s Countryfest back in the groove: Ransom
Planning and executing a world class music festival is a lot like riding a bike - it doesn’t matter if you haven’t done it for awhile, muscle memory kicks in and everything comes flooding back.
At least that is the experience for Dauphin’s Countryfest organizers who brought Canada’s longest running country music festival back to Selo Ukraina after a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There might have been some rust on day one, festival president Ann Ransom said, but by day two everyone was “back in the groove.”
“Of course, there is always going to be a few things where you think ‘right, I forgot about that’ or ‘how did we do that in the past?’,” Ransom said. “Everybody was pitching in and everybody was helping each other out. We have a really, really, really good team. Everybody rolls up their sleeves and everybody pitches in. When you need somebody you are never on your own. We work really well together, so it has made it a lot easier to shake off the cobwebs and get going again.”
In fact the return of the festival exceeded all expectations, Ransom said, adding she was cautiously optimistic heading into the weekend. Comments organizers received from patrons throughout the weekend were encouraging, Ransom said, adding the smaller crowd this year was a highlight for those attending and is something organizers will put on the table for discussion when it comes to the future of Countryfest.
“Because it was truly a unique experience that we hadn’t had before because we have always had the big, big crowds and that just doesn’t feel the same,” she said. “This a little bit more personable and it really just had a different vibe this year. And we would like to replicate that for future festivals.”
Of course, limiting crowds affects income and it is a fine balancing act to a combination that works, Countryfest general manager Rob Waloschuk added.
“We’ve made adjustments in some things like the entertainment, the production, all of that sort of stuff. We’ve tried to play both sides of it. We’re going to have less income we know that, so how do we how do we make it work on this other side? So we’ve been working hard at trying to do that,” he said.
One of the big changes this year was a return to a three-day festival with Thursday night set aside for an appreciation evening in honour of festival patrons who rolled over their tickets for Countryfest’s two-year hiatus in 2020 and 2021.
“We went back to what we originally started this festival as, a three-day festival. However, we made that Thursday available to everybody who kept their tickets,” Waloschuk said. “So many people came up to us and said ‘we just want to thank you for doing this for us.’ And I said to them that ‘we want to thank you for doing this for us. You saved us’.”
That nod to the past was a big theme of the 2022 festival, Ransom added.
“We had this whole ‘Return to the Hill’, but I think we also had a return to our roots. We have really found a core of people for our festival who will always come out and support us and we just really need to recognize that and thank them for it. Applaud them for helping us out and knowing how important it is to keep this festival going. “Those that really truly believe in the festival have shown up and lots of kudos to them. It has just been fantastic.”
Other changes made for this year around vendors and the use of tokens rather than cash for purchasing food and merchandise have, after some initial pushback, worked as predicted, Waloschuk added. It was always the plan to cut back somewhat on vendors to make things more viable for all vendors, he said.
“This year we knew would be a little slower than normal, so cut a few back and help those vendors that are here actually make more money. And that’s been successful,” he said, adding one vendor, a festival veteran, sold out of her weekend supplies by the end of Friday night, restocked for the weekend the next day and sold out again that night. “So that’s kind of been the story everywhere.”
Ransom added vendors are already signing up to return next year.
“From the festival patrons there has been lots of comments about the variety and the unique items that we have up there. Which is always kind of nice,” she said. “It’s great feedback for us because, of course, we changed something. We went a different way. We are just trying to stay at pace with other festivals and other events in what they are doing. And we are finding it works for us. It is good to see.”
Change is always hard, Ransom said, but the results speak for themselves.
“Obviously, we had to make money this year to keep the festival going. And we didn’t want to do that unsustainably, or by causing hardship for others, so we came up with a system that we thought would be fair and the feedback has been really good,” she said. “The vendors definitely bought into the process and are fully supportive of it. And it is great that they are already interested in next year.”
And that means big things for the community, Waloschuk said, reflecting on all of the development and support Countryfest has provided Dauphin over the last three decades.
“I just want to make sure everybody realizes how hard this organization has worked for this community and how much it means for this community. I think that gets lost sometimes and when it’s been gone for a couple years,” he said, adding the festival did have some difficulty securing volunteers this year. “All the local sponsors have stepped up, and beyond what they would normally do, absolutely stepped up in more ways than just their sponsorship, just to make sure this happens. We can thank them by doing certain things throughout the year and having a reception and stuff here. But I just want to thank them publicly like this.”
That support and confidence adds up to a bright future for Countryfest and the community.
“We are back, baby, and we are excited to be back,” Ransom said, “We are definitely alive and well and healthy and that bodes well for the city of Dauphin.”
Organizers, she said, are ready to go and feel like they have turned the corner.
“We will see some changes. The board of directors will be busy meeting after the festival, once we have all caught up on our sleep, just to debrief and say this worked well, we need to fix this. We are always looking at other festivals to see what they are doing and listening to our patrons. We are constantly trying to be innovative and change things, but also keeping our core values in place,” she said.
“We weathered the storm and we are starting to pick up steam and we are going to be in a good place.”
City, RM host AMM district meeting
Municipal representatives from across the Parkland were in Dauphin last week for the Association of Manitoba Municipalities’ June District meeting.
“It was a decent crowd with people from as far as Roblin and as close as Gilbert Plains,” Dauphin mayor Christian Laughland said, adding between 60 and 70 delegates attended. “People were excited to be back, because that’s the first one we’ve had since 2019.”
The district meeting is an opportunity for elected officials to discuss issues of common concern, such as the new RCMP policing, municipal insurance options, materials procurement and immigration.
But more than that, it is an opportunity to get to know other elected officials from the area, which can only really be done face-to-face and lays the foundation for future co-operation.
“It’s very important, not only from getting stuff done, but just the networking and talking to people,” Laughland said, adding he had good conversations with NDP leader Wab Kinew, Swan River mayor Lance Jacobson and AMM president Kam Blight.
“I wouldn’t do that on a virtual meeting, because at virtual meetings you just get down to business and unless you have a question, you’re not going to be talking one-on-one with people.”
As well as Kinew, the province was represented by Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Immigration John Reyes, who gave a presentation on immigration to the province.
Most importantly, the meeting was an opportunity to debate and vote on resolutions to be presented to the AMM Fall Convention.
A number of resolutions were chosen to move on including one to lobby the province for waste disposal financial assistance, sponsored by Mossey River Municipality; a City of Dauphin-sponsored resolution calling on the province to encourage and fund all municipalities in developing community safety and wellbeing plans; a resolution calling on the province to make changes to Farmland Portioned assessment, sponsored by the Ste. Rose Municipality; a Roblin Municipality resolution calling for a review of the licensing procedures for internationally educated nurses; and a resolution calling for the wages of municipal personnel to be covered under disaster financial assistance, sponsored by Mossey River Municipality.
The meeting was also a chance to present RM of Dauphin councillor Dennis Forbes a 20-Year Service Award.
No mosquito fogging, says City
Manitoba’s two largest urban centres are gearing up to begin fogging operations for nuisance mosquitoes, but Dauphin residents will have to deal with the pervasive pests on their own as the City of Dauphin has opted against fogging as a control measure at this time.
“The City of Dauphin is not in a position at this time to fog our community in an effort to kill adult nuisance mosquitoes,” mayor Christian Laughland said, adding there is a lot of preparation for such an operation and its effectiveness is dependent on many factors, such as rain, temperature, the creation of buffer zones for residents who do not want their property fogged and time of day fogging occurs.
“Number one is we don’t have the equipment to do it, so we would have to hire someone to come in and do it, and we’d be looking at a significant charge in the tens of thousands of dollars. Cities like Brandon, they have their own pest control unit and we don’t have that here,” Laughland said.
Laughland added the City is currently exploring all aspects of fogging, from the costs of renting and buying equipment to proper procedures and planning fogging areas.
“Do we stop at the city lines, or do we start going outside into the RM because of the possibility of a 40 kilometer an hour wind blowing mosquitoes back in?” he said. “There’s been reports of places mosquito fogging and the mosquitoes coming back within three days. But then it’s been good and worked up to 14 days, too. So if we had to hire someone to come in and do it, would they be coming in every two weeks? Would they be coming in every week to do it? If we’re paying them that adds up pretty quick. So they’re investigating the cost of equipment and everything to do with mosquito fogging and just improving things down the road.”
Laughland said the situation is continually being monitored and fogging could be triggered by the right set of circumstances, specifically the appearance of the West Nile Virus. Should that occur, he said fogging efforts would be supported financially by the province.
One of the problems, he added, is that the province removed its mosquito traps from Dauphin a number of years ago meaning the City has to rely on data from other communities. For now, the City will continue with its annual larviciding efforts in an attempt to impact the appearance of adult mosquitoes by striking them in their larval stage.
“It’s going to be pushed to its maximum capabilities. As long as the staff at DRS are able to do it, they’ll be doing it to its maximum capacity possible to slow down and help drop the mosquito population,” Laughland said. “Again, they’re looking into research on how often can they do it. If they can do it say once a week they’ll do it once a week.”
There are also ways city residents can help with the effort by eliminating problem areas on their property. One of the most effective measures is to control standing water by changing the water in pet bowls, bird baths, wading pools and vases at least once a week. Ensure that rain barrels are covered with a fine screen and tightly sealed around the downspout and clean your yard of old tires, empty flower pots and buckets and empty standing water from children’s toys, eavestroughs, tarp covers and plant trays.
“Keeping your grass mowed is kind of a significant one,” Laughland said.
The City appreciates residents’ frustration, Laughland said, and hopes everyone can work together to reduce nuisance mosquitoes around the community.
“We were due to have a bad year for mosquitoes. The last two years mosquitoes have barely been noticeable it was only a matter of time before the mosquito population exploded. Hopefully this year is just a one-off,” he said.
Dauphin’s Countryfest returns to the hill after two-year hiatus
Dauphin’s Countryfest’s return to the hill is only days away and, after a two year absence, festival president Ann Ransom could not be more excited.
“It is just wonderful. We’re a little rusty, but it is so good. Being a community person in the City of Dauphin and working in the Parkland here for so many years, I just can’t wait to see that new money flowing in to give a boost to these poor businesses that COVID has just been so hard on,” she said.
In the past Countryfest has kicked off with a Thursday night party open to everyone. This year things will be a bit different.
“It’s a smaller Thursday kickoff,” Ransom said, adding the evening will be for those who have rolled their tickets over while the festival has been cancelled the last two years. “Just because we wanted to show our appreciation to those folks that knew that we were going to be struggling without having our big revenue, being the festival, for two years. It’s been a bit of a struggle and thankfully those people recognized it and said ‘hey we believe in you. We’re going to keep our funds in there.’ And really, we wouldn’t be where we are without those folks. So we just wanted to do a bit of an appreciation just to say thank you, you’re keeping us running.”
The festival hits full stride Friday with a Canada Day celebration “like no other,” Ransom said.
“We’re finally getting together and I just can’t wait to feel that energy off the amphitheater. People coming together, having a good time, singing along and just getting together with our friends. I’m already getting goosebumps,” she said.
Don Amero gets things started on the Club Regent Casino and Event Centre Main Stage at 3:30 p.m., followed by Jess Moskaluke at 5 p.m.
Washboard Union gets the evening celebration going, hitting the stage at 7 p.m., followed by Terri Clark at 8:30 p.m. Paul Brandt takes over the show at 10 p.m. to round out Friday’s entertainment.
“It’s just going to be a fantastic, nice way to kick things off,” Ransom said.
Saturday’s main stage entertainment gets underway at 2 p.m. with Nate Haller, followed by Jade Eagleson at 3:30 p.m. and The Reklaws at 5 p.m.
Chad Brownlee kicks off the evening at 7 p.m. followed by Dean Brody at 8:30 p.m., with Dallas Smith taking to the stage at 10 p.m. to round out the day.
On Sunday the main stage gets underway at 1 p.m. with Madeline Merlo. Tyler Joe Miller takes over at 2:30 p.m., followed by Doc Walker at 4 p.m.
Michelle Wright opens the evening show at 6:30 p.m., followed by Hunter Brothers at 8 p.m.
Johnny Reid closes out the weekend with a 9:30 p.m. start.
As always there will be lots to do away from the main stage with a full lineup of entertainment set for the Bell MTS Stage and Credit Union Corral Stage. And a full range of food vendors will carry on the Countryfest tradition of offering a wide array of culinary delights.
Ransom said basically all of the pieces are in place for the weekend, although additional volunteers would not be turned away.
“We’re still looking for volunteers here and there. But thankfully people have really come out. I understand it’s been two years that people haven’t really gotten together and I get that there might be some hesitancy in that. But we put a call out there for volunteers and, Dauphin being Dauphin, they have come out and supported us,” she said.
“It’s nice to see people coming back and wanting to volunteer. They understand how important Countryfest is to the community and it’s so great to see people coming out and just going ‘yep, we’ve got to make this happen.’ It just feels like a great big team effort.”
Ransom added there are still some tickets available for the festival, both day tickets and weekend passes, although she thinks that might change quickly.
“Tickets are going to be a hot commodity, especially when people start seeing what the weather’s like and once folks are starting to post on social media,” she said. “I think we’re going to see people going, ‘you know what, let’s maybe take a day from the lake and go and visit friends that might be up there’.”
Either way, Countryfest is back and that means big things for small groups and organizations fund-raising for their year’s activities or local businesses recovering from the effects of the COVID pandemic.
“So businesses out there in Dauphin just a heads up that we’re basically causing a population boom for the city,” Ransom said, adding the festival will provide exposure to other attractions in the area such as the Northgate Trails. “It’s always just nice to see that injection into fund-raising that’s not out of everybody’s pocket here in the city, but that’s new funding coming in. That’s always a nice little boost to all our great non-profits we’ve got in the Parkland.”
Family fund effects positive
For the last few months the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund has been soliciting support for its efforts to relocate families displaced by the war in Ukraine.
And with nine families making their way to the Parkland so far, the positive effects of those efforts are starting to show.
“Our original plan was 12, however if the funds continue and we are able to, we will support more,” said Fr. Brent Kuzyk of Saint George’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church who sits on the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund.
Nataliia and her daughter Milana arrived in Dauphin recently, after fleeing Kyiv on Feb. 24. The two made their way to Lubin, Poland, by car, unsure of what lay ahead for them.
“We couldn’t make our way right to Poland so we spent six days in our car waiting in a line,” Nataliia said. “Then we travelled around Poland to find a place to stay.”
The young family were included in a federal government chartered flight to Winnipeg.
Get the FULL, IN DEPTH STORY in this week's Dauphin Herald!
Bosiak enters race to become Dauphin’s next mayor
There is officially a race to become Dauphin’s new mayor as local businessman and community advocate David Bosiak registered as a candidate yesterday.
For Bosiak, the motivation for letting his name stand was simple, to ensure the progress he has seen in the community over the last number of years continues.
“We were on pause for two years with COVID and I think that the city right now has an opportunity to continue on in a forward direction or be diverted or distracted by what I would call minor issues,” Bosiak said. “And so I just want to assist in moving us forward in a method that has sort of been my process my whole career. Working with other people.”
To illustrate the effectiveness of a collaborative approach, Bosiak points to the restructuring of recreation delivery in the early 1990s and the formation of the Dauphin Joint Recreation Commission which brought together several groups which had never officially worked together in the past.
Baseball advocates wanted new fields, soccer advocates wanted new pitches, proponents of hockey wanted a new arena and swimmers wanted a new pool.
“Our strategy was let’s get people together. We have to hear what their priorities are. Because before that people had priorities, but they were never collectively shared and then prioritized,” he said, adding a community roundtable discussion brought together 50 or 60 groups, each with an opportunity to express their wants and desires.
The process resulted in a list of community priorities which were worked on by everyone.
“We held everyone accountable by saying if this is priority one for us as a community we’ll all work on priority one. And if it gets accomplished then we just won’t go away, we will then work on priority two, three, four,” he said, adding he recently looked at some old notes from that time. “We listed 20 priorities, which is a lot at any given time for sure,” he said, citing a new arena, a new curling rink, a new pool, new sports fields, new soccer pitches and new walking trails and bike paths as being all in the top 10.
“When I looked at that list a couple weeks ago, we achieved everything. Not at once and not immediately, but up to 20 community priorities from 1993, they’ve all been achieved, they exist today. And mostly because nobody ran away after their priority got completed.
“Obviously completing the project is a priority, but it’s how you get it completed.”
It is all about what is good for the community, he continued, recalling a conversation with an older resident during the time when the push was on to develop the Parkland Recreation Complex.
“He said, “I don’t swim, I don’t curl. I’m an old guy, I’m 75, 80 years old. But if this means my kids will come home more often to visit me, I’m in favor of it. It’s good for us as a community’,” Bosiak said. “That just was such a message to me . . . you may not be the primary consumer or user of that service, but if it benefits the general sense of community it’s good.
Read the FULL STORY in this week's Dauphin Herald!
Jaddock ready for his new role as MVSD superintendent/CEO
Stephen Jaddock is preparing to step into the role of Mountain View School Division superintendent/CEO.
The current assistant superintendent has been hired to take over from Dan Ward when he leaves the division at the end of the month.
“I’ve been three years in the assistant superintendent role, and, of course, came to that position from the ranks of being a teacher and a principal and vice-principal within the division,” Jaddock said, adding he enjoys his role in administration. “It’s the ability to make decisions that influence education and influence what happens with students and with teachers and staff involved in the system. It just gives you a little bit of a role in that.”
Born in Brandon, Jaddock came to Dauphin via Edmonton.
“Of course my dad was born in Dauphin and we’d visit my baba here. I knew where Dauphin was on the map and I spent some good times here,” he said.
Jaddock started with MVSD in the 1993-94 school year as a Ukrainian language and Chemistry teacher at Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Secondary School.
“I had sent sort of an application package just blindly to every school division that had an English/Ukrainian bilingual program,” he said, adding it was the year Grade 9s were leaving Mackenzie Middle School for the DRCSS and a Ukrainian instructor was needed. “I got called for an interview and the rest is history.”
After three years teaching at the DRCSS, Jaddock moved to Smith-Jackson School where he taught for another four years before moving into the principal’s chair for a nine-year stint following which he moved back to the DRCSS as a vice-principal.
“My first year at the DRCSS they had an adult learning center, so I was also the director of the adult learning center. I just finished a master’s degree, so that was something that they were looking at having somebody look after,” he said, adding the program moved out of the school after the first year. “So then I did almost two years as a dual credits facilitator for the school division, working on getting high school students some college courses and university courses while still in Grade 12.”
And Jaddock is looking forward to putting everything he has learned throughout his career into action as superintendent.
“I’m just humbled and honoured to serve and I feel that all of the different positions that I’ve been able to have throughout my career will help me in that role as superintendent,” he said. “Right now the big thing is after coming out of COVID, learning and the mental health of students and staff is first and foremost. And making sure that we get on that firm foundation of where we want to move.”
Jaddock added the division has not been able to complete any “robust” planning in the last number of years.
“Looking at where do we want to be in the next five years or three to five years. We’ve just been able to do one-year plans the last couple of years, so what we’re looking forward to is being able to do a little bit more of the long-term planning,” he said. “Our minds were just in survival mode throughout the pandemic. When we were in the throes of the pandemic, we were just worried about one day at a time and we weren’t doing a whole lot of future thinking.”
Jaddock added the job will be made easier thanks to the firm footing Ward has put the division on and the talented staff at the division office.
“The great thing about Mountain View School Division is that there’s an excellent team in place at the division office and with all of our administrators and staff to work with students and to help them along the way,” he said.
Jaddock’s replacement in the assistant superintendent’s role will be announced soon.
Grad celebrations returning to “normal”
Graduation ceremonies throughout Mountain View School Division will have an air of familiarity this spring, as the division has cleared school to return to in-person convocations.
Over the last couple of years graduation exercises across MVSD have been “different”, said MVSD superintendent Dan Ward, with formats such as drive-through ceremonies, outdoor events or grad parades promoting the social distancing requirements of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve always made our decisions guided by the public health guidance of the day,” Ward said. “In reviewing the public health guidance as it stands right now, we felt comfortable moving ahead with in-person grads and really a return to normal so to speak. The grads will have the look and feel of grads pre-COVID.”
Ward added there are elements of the pandemic years grads which will have been adopted going forward. For instance, most communities will continue to have a grad parade following the ceremonies, he said.
“And some of our schools, including Dauphin, are looking at live streaming the events, knowing that there could still be some family members of our graduates that don’t feel comfortable coming to a large in-person event. Maybe they have a family member who’s immunocompromised or maybe they’re immunocompromised themselves, so they’ll still have that opportunity in particular at some of our larger schools for the live stream,” Ward said. “And we’re still going to recognize our grads in local publications like we’ve done in the past because we felt that was very well received in terms of having the grad pictures and write-ups from our six high school principals and our board.”
All six high schools in the division have decided to return to in-person convocations. Gilbert Plains will kickoff the schedule with its traditional Friday night graduation, June 17, followed the next day by Ethelbert and Grandview. The following week, Dauphin Regional comprehensive Secondary School, Winnipegosis and Goose Lake High in Roblin will have their graduations.
“Most of our communities are participating in the safe grad initiative this year, as well. By and large those safe grads are happening following the actual convocation event. That’s something that, of course, has been around for some time to ensure that our graduates are safe and can celebrate their accomplishment in a safe way,” Ward said. “We’re still going to emphasize good hand hygiene and masks are certainly welcome for those that choose to wear them. We’re encouraging any family members who are symptomatic to stay away, and if their school has that live stream option to use that option instead.”
Ward added a complete listing of graduation dates, venues and time will soon be available on the division website at www.mvsd.ca. A list of elementary and middle school year-end events will also be available.
Fire chiefs gather for MAFC conference
For the first time since 2019 fire chiefs from departments across the province were able to gather in person for the Manitoba Association of Fire Chiefs Annual Conference and Trade Show this year and they did so in Dauphin, June 2 to 4.
“We tried to run some virtual conferences over the past two years, but everybody meeting in little squares, Hollywood Square style, wasn’t the greatest,” said Dauphin fire chief Cam Abrey, who hosted the convention on behalf of the Riding Mountain Mutual Aid District. “The opportunity to bring in important speakers like we lined up this year was something that we’ve missed out on the last few years with our virtual conferences. We were only doing the business side of things, we didn’t have that opportunity to learn with each other and the networking opportunities.”
Whether it is over a meal or on the floor of the trade show, it is the unstructured times that offer the best connections.
“People are talking about their recent purchases, or different training opportunities,” Abrey said. “Do you really pay attention online? Now you have a chance to listen to somebody’s first-hand experiences and then network with each other and share that information back and forth.”
With more than 100 delegates registered, the MAFC offered several information sessions with speakers such as Laura King of the National Fire Prevention Association speaking on cancer prevention strategies and two firefighters from Winnipeg who have both experienced a cancer diagnosis sharing their personal journeys.
“It’s one of the things we want to share amongst the delegates in attendance. What can you do to better protect your firefighters? What can you do for your records maintenance so that if somebody does get a diagnosis in 20 or 30 years that there’s actually records maintenance for your department,” Abrey said.
Other speakers included Vince MacKenzie, chief of the Grand Falls-Windsor Fire Department in Newfoundland talking about how fire departments can recover post-COVID and Lionel Crowther, a Winnipeg firefighter who survived the 2007 fire which killed his colleagues, Captain Harold Lessard and Captain Thomas Nichols.
But the weekend was not all “heavy” as a comedian was hired to lighten things up Saturday night.
“Some nice clean comedy and a chance for everybody to break bread and just sit around and rehash old friendships,” Abrey said, adding holding the annual conference outside of the major urban areas is important. “It’s an extreme honour to be able to host this event . We allow our members to take in some of the sessions, as well, so it’s not just us sending out one or two representatives to bring the information back. More people have the opportunity to hear it,” he said. “We’re not only looking at Riding Mountain Mutual Aid District, our 11 departments, but all the departments of the Swan River Valley Mutual Aid District are able to attend, it’s less travel distance for them. The Lake Winnipegosis Mutual Aid District, those departments are able to attend. So keeping those transportation costs down is beneficial for the municipalities, as well, which is why we try to rotate the conference throughout the province. So each area can catch that same feeling. And bringing 200 people to the community for three or four days it is a financial boon.”
Local historians honoured for their efforts
Two Parkland residents have been honoured for their commitment to the preservation and promotion of local history and heritage.
Edward Stozek of Dauphin and Josephine “Jo” Bunka of Winnipegosis were both recipients of the The Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Historical Preservation and Promotion, during a ceremony at Government House, last week.
The award, initiated in 2011, is presented in consultation with the Manitoba Historical Society (MHS) to people who have rendered prolonged, meritorious service in the preservation and promotion of Manitoba’s history and heritage.
The awards are presented annually in a ceremony at Government House around Manitoba Day in May.
“The individuals selected to receive awards this year represent the many dedicated individuals throughout Manitoba who take such care in preserving and promoting this province’s rich and vibrant history,” Lt.-Gov. Janice C. Filmon said. “Whether through stewardship of the province’s historic buildings, museums and archives, the writing of books or creating programs to engage and inspire future historians, these outstanding Manitobans care deeply about the communities in which they live. It is a pleasure to recognize their efforts and achievements.”
A retired high school history teacher turned newspaper columnist, musician, and filmmaker, Stozek is active in promoting local history in the region. Stozek has authored three books to his credit including The Sawmill Boys, P.O.W.’s and Conscientious Objectors: Stories from the Parkland as well as A Slice Of The Parkland and Triumph And Tragedy From The Heart Of Manitoba. For more than a decade, Stozek has also contributed a biweekly column to the Dauphin Herald, “A Slice of the Parkland”, which earned him the Wes Rowson Memorial Award as Best Columnist from the Manitoba Community Newspaper Association.
Stozek has also produced four documentary films for MTS Television’s “Stories From Home”, serving as writer and narrator, on subjects ranging from German POWs in Riding Mountain National Park to Ukrainian settlers around Olha, Man. His films have been screened at Dauphin Culture Days, Dauphin’s Countryfest, Riding Mountain Film Festival and The Bend Theatre at Strathclair, Man. In addition, Stozek writes and performs original songs about Manitoba history at schools and public events, and is an active board member with Fort Dauphin Museum.
“I was really excited to have gotten the award. It was kind of a surprise,” Stozek said, adding he does not know who nominated him for the honour. “I feel honoured that I have received the award. All of the years of researching and doing the documentaries for the love of preserving the past.”
For Stozek, the ceremony, which included the presentation of the award and a luncheon, in the historic setting of Government House, was a highlight.
“It was just an amazing evening for me anyways because of the formalities and the governor’s house is sort of steeped in history, too,” he said, adding he was able to share the occasion with six guests. “I was kind of in awe of the building itself inside with all of the paintings and the tapestries. It was a really exciting evening. The Lieutenant Governor, she was a very hospitable host and very easy to talk to.”
Also a retired school teacher, Bunka is currently the curator and president of the Winnipegosis Historical Society (WHS) and has been a tireless volunteer for many years. Her museum duties are diverse, ranging from the organization of tours to the hiring of summer students to the acquisition of grants to managing the museum’s Facebook page and its weekly blog entries. An indication of her dedication to the north Parkland’s history, to better curate and care for the museum’s artifacts, Bunks received training from the Association of Manitoba Museums. Bunka also presently serves on that organization’s board as one of two Parkland regional councillors. The association has also recognized Bunka with two Awards of Excellence.
In addition to her duties with WHS, Bunka mentored a community group, which in 2015, compiled the history book More Reflections from Little Muddy Waters: A History of Winnipegosis. Right from the initial call from Filmon to the ceremony at Government House, Bunka has been overwhelmed and humbled by the award. It is an honour she believes belongs to the WHS as a whole.
“This award, though it came to me personally, I sincerely believe it belongs to the Winnipegosis Historical Society board,” Bunka said. “I have been with them since 1985 and working together we have been so fortunate. We have preserved two marvelous buildings that are now our museums, the CN Station and the Medd House.”
To be honoured for something she loves so much is almost surreal for Bunka.
“I am passionate about history and I have made it something that I have always been involved in. It comes from my own family. I grew up in a family that tells and retells its history and stories,” she said. “I know that I am passing it on to my children and grandchildren because it is part of me, wanting to preserve that history.”
And the Parkland has a rich history that is being preserved by dedicated individuals for the future, so people can get a real sense of where they come from, Bunka said.
“I look at what Ed has done and it is just marvelous. What a talent to be able to preserve the written stories. And what I am trying to do is also preserve the stories, but it is artifacts and photos and research papers and those types of documentation,” she said. “We have such a strong Indigenous story here and we are fortunate that we have been able to work together and preserve that story.”
Like it was for Stozek, Bunka found the ceremony at Government House a highlight of the whole experience.
“Seeing the Governor’s house, 1883 it was built. I wanted to explore every nook and cranny. I was so excited. It had a beautiful curved staircase. I knew I couldn’t go up it, but I was dying to,” Bunka said, adding she invited fellow WHS board members Loretta Dyck, Terry Wood and Ruth Wright to be part of the evening, along with colleagues from the Association of Manitoba Museums. “The ceremony was beautiful. Her Honour was so gracious. She made us feel at home in her home. She spoke from her heart and truly I felt she was honouring us in such a kind and thoughtful way. Having the president of the Manitoba Historical Society there, Gordon Gouldsborough there really added to the ceremony. I was just so overwhelmed.”
The Manitoba Historical Society (MHS) receives award nominations from the public and recommends up to three people to receive awards each year. Nominations are welcome at any time. This year, Elva Simundsson of Gimli was also honoured with an award.
Further details of the award program, along with a nomination form are available on the MHS website at www.mhs.mb.ca and can additionally be accessed through the website of the lieutenant-governor at www.manitobalg.ca.