Opinion

I guess I started playing tennis at the P.M.H. (Centennial Centre) grounds when I was hardly big enough to hang on to the racket or look over the top of the net. So many of us played because it was a fun sport that we could all afford, and all you really needed was an old hand-me-down wooden racket and a can of balls.

Happy 141st Birthday Canada. Our great country is another year older although it seems young compared to other countries we are still in our infancy and learning the ways of the globe. In Canada we have many things to be proud of and one of the many is the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which was enacted to the Canada Act in 1982 and came into force on April 17, 1982.

It is the most exciting time of the year in Ponoka for many people. The 72nd annual Ponoka Stampede is finally here. It seems like forever since the stampede wrapped up last year and I have been counting the days until the 2008 edition.

It has been my extreme pleasure to have been acquainted with Laura Wierzba over the past few years. I was so pleased when I heard that this vibrant lady of 90 years young was the recipient of the 2008 Morna Chorney Memorial Volunteer Award as well as being named as the honorary president of the 72nd edition of the Ponoka Stampede.

Every day men and women are working in the Canadian Armed Forces to help make Canada a safe and secure place to live. This year’s Ponoka Stampede theme is ‘A Salute to the Armed Forces.’ This theme encompasses what everyone should do every day for the hard work and dedication of those serving.

Growing up I spent most of my childhood, adolescent and teenage years living with my father. When I had a girly issue he was the man to take care of me. Even now with him living so far away I am in constant contact with him via phone, e-mail or a written letter. As Father’s Day quickly approaches it is a good time to recognize the important men in your life.

Fathers Day, Sunday-June 15 is a day of commemoration for good old dad…. our mentor, our coach, our master of barbecuing and whisker rubs and that great guy to have around the house who would do anything to protect his loving wife and family. My greatest treasure in life was to finally become a dad and later a grandfather, and to still have the joy of pampering my own dad.

Everyone enjoys getting a raise and having a few extra dollars to spend on something new and our elected officials will be doing just that. This week Ed Stelmach and his cabinet got a huge increase. His 23-member cabinet voted on May 27 to boost their pay by $42,000 to $184,000 and Stelmach himself received an increase of $54,000 bringing his salary to $213,450. This 30 per cent increase was voted on behind closed doors and was not announced until May 29.

We quite often refer to ourselves as creatures of habit, and many of those wild and wonderful habits have been developed and practiced at a very early age. Although we are constantly striving to adjust ourselves to changing lifestyles, some of our well-worn habits are hard to break, and we automatically or stubbornly carry them on for many years.