Margaret Barbour Collegiate Institute band students were joined by students from across the north in a one day, mass band exchange earlier this month.
Joining The Pas students were musicians from RDPC in Thompson as well as Hapnot Collegiate in Flin Flon for a total of 117 band and choir students. Band students worked on three mass band pieces: "Spring" by Randall Standridge was directed by Ms. Heather Gibson (Band Director at MBCI); "Latinesque" by Bruce Preuninger was directed by Mrs. Kim Jones (Band Director at Hapnot); "Spirit of the Wolf" by Michael Oare was directed by Mr. Kevin Lewis (Band director at RDPC)

The Vagabond Theatre Co - kids edition - thrilled the crowds as they brought the Dastardly Doctor Devereaux to the stage last week.

The musical comedy was an absolute hit. 

The company is now gearing up for their week long Acting Up summer camp which starts in mid-August. 

See their Facebook site for more details.

Dauphin residents are once again being given an opportunity to learn more about the history of their community.

The Dauphin Family Ties Family History Group is once again hosting its popular Cemetery Stroll, May 29, at Riverside Cemetery.

The event, which debuted last spring, includes a walking tour through a portion of the cemetery that will introduce attendees to 16 former Dauphinites who helped weave the fabric of the community. A biography will be provided at each gravesite allowing the reader to learn about the lives of the people that came before us and their contributions to the evolution of Dauphin.

As well, out of respect to all the airmen and airwomen who served and trained at the two British Commonwealth Air Training Plan schools at Dauphin during the Second World War, the group is calling special attention to 15 of the 49 airmen who lost their lives while training here and who lie at rest at Riverside.

The event will start at 1 p.m. and will run until 4 p.m. weather permitting.

If the day is spoiled by inclement weather, the alternate date will be, June 5.

The Dauphin Clippers boys rugby team won its second game of the season, last Monday, scoring a 26-10 win over Brandon’s Crocus Plains Plainsmen in Dauphin.

Coming out of the pandemic, Clippers coach Gerald Lopez said the players are slowly picking up the game.

“I thought Brandon played a really great game. Their forwards are very big. Our forwards were starting to get into the rhythm. There’s still a lot of stuff to fix up, but we’re really early into the season,” he said.

Lopez saw improvement in the team’s play, noting most of the players have not played a full 15s game.

Get a full rundown in this week's Dauphin Herald!

The Dauphin Kings are 2-0 at the 2022 Centennial Cup in Estevan, Sask., after the opening weekend.

The Kings opened the national championship tournament with a 2-1 win over the Central Canada Hockey League’s Ottawa Jr. Senators, Friday afternoon.

Phillipe Jacques staked Ottawa to a first-period lead with a power-play goal with 24 seconds left in the period.

Luke Morris pulled the Kings even at 6:06 of the second stanza and Nakodan Greyeyes netted the winner on a power play at 12:53.

Dauphin’s Carson Cherepak was named Player of the Game for the Kings, stopping 30 of 31 shots. Ottawa’s William Desmarais made 22 saves in the loss.

Dauphin scored once on four power-play opportunities, while Ottawa was one-for-three.

Dauphin’s offence exploded in game two, Sunday evening, scoring five times in the second period, four on the power play, as the Kings skated to a 7-1 win over the Maritime Hockey League’s Summerside Western Capitals.

After a scoreless opening frame, Nick Braun opened the scoring on a power play at 3:50 of the second and he made it 2-0 on another man advantage at 15:31.

Just 18 seconds later, Logan Calder made it 3-0 with an even-strength marker, before Parker Malchuk scored twice on the power play to put the Kings up 5-0 heading into the second intermission.

Goals from Kaden Bryant and Brayden Dube on another Dauphin power play, extended Dauphin’s lead to 7-0 before William Irvine’s power-play goal with 2:55 left snapped Cherepak’s shutout bid.

Cherepak was outstanding once again, with 35 saves to his credit. Felix-Anthony Ethier made 17 saves on 21 shots before giving way to Jacob Leblanc, who made 10 stops on 13 shots the rest of the way.

The Kings were five-for-seven on the power play, while Summerside was one-for-seven.

Dauphin’s defence has been outstanding of late. Going back to game four of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League final, the Kings have only allowed seven goals in their last six games, winning five of those contests and three in their last four tilts, all victories.

With the win, Dauphin moved into first place in Group B at 2-0. They will face the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Flin Flon Bombers on Tuesday and the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League on Wednesday.
Both games begin at 5 p.m., Manitoba time and can be viewed on the Centennial Cup website at hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/national-championships/men/national-junior-a/2022.

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.

Across Canada, Pride month is celebrated in communities across the country. The month of June is a time when the celebration of diversity, the acknowledgement of the struggles the LGBTQ2S+ communities have endured and the progress that has been made in fight for equality occurs. This year, community members from our tri-community of The Pas, Opaskwayak Cree Nation and the RM of Kelsey are also joining in the celebration of Pride month.
Over the past few weeks a group of tri-community members have been meeting to plan a number of activities designed around celebrating Pride month and bringing awareness to the struggles and judgement that still exist around the LGBTQS2+ community. The committee, adopting the name Tri-Community Pride, began when two friends came out together last year and have discovered there is still a lack of support and some stigma and judgement that exists in the community.

While the water level has subsided in the Pine River, severe flood damage remains where it crosses Hwy. No. 10, where half the road surface has crumbled and contributes to the significant detours in the Parkland’s highway system as the severed provincial artery limits the Swan Valley’s connection to the rest of Manitoba to only Hwy. No. 83, as other highways and secondary provincial roads also have experienced major flood damage.

Dauphin Kings defenceman Colby Jaquet hands the Turnbull Cup to teammate Mathew Rathbone following the team’s 2-1 victory over the Steinbach Pistons in game seven of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League final, last Wednesday in Steinbach.

With the victory, the Kings quailfy for the Centennial Cup to be held in Estevan, Sask. For more on Dauphin’s eighth MJHL title, see page A11 and the special section commemorating the Kings’ victory inserted into this week’s paper!

Local residents organized a March for Ukraine, which took place, Sunday afternoon.

Following an opening prayer, the crowd of about 75 people marched down Main Street to the Dauphin Public Library to show their continued support for Ukraine, which is continuing to fight back against Russian invasion forces.