The signs are now down, and our March 3rd provincial election turned out to be a quick and very lively event that resulted in an extremely decisive result from a poor voter turnout. No matter how many votes they may have tallied each and every one of the men and women who threw their hats into the ring and passionately expressed their party beliefs are to be congratulated for their enthusiasm, dedication, and community pride.
In the end the 41 per cent of the electors who put an ‘X’ on the ballots last Monday have certainly given Premier Ed Stelmach and his Progressive Conservative party mates a great big vote of confidence. All campaign promises aside it is now time for our elected officials to get back to the business and future plans for our Alberta, one of the richest provinces in the world.
They talk a lot about the ‘Alberta Advantage’, and that must be always be an open door opportunity available to each and every citizen, no matter what their age, their nationality, or their income. The party in power must put the emphasis on vital priorities like health and education, then hopefully the success of the rest of the present and future plan should fall into place from there. No matter which party we support we must never just sit back and wait and see, because that can create complacency. Let our MLAs know our ideas and how we feel by writing letters, phoning, or dropping into their constituency offices. After all their power and progress will only be as strong as the people they represent.
Lets chat about this and that
*Joyce and I quietly celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary last week. I can affectionately describe the great experience as a quarter of a century of wedded bliss with only a few glitches along the way! Add four wonderful kids, four precious grandchildren, and a super-bunch of family and friends, and what more could we ask for?
*In a Reflections story I wrote last week on aviation history I credited Ponoka resident and air force veteran Walter Burchnall with winning a Distinguished Flying Cross. It turns out that Walter did not receive a D.F.C., but he did fly 217 sorties over Burma in the second World War, and that will be another exciting story.
*It must be spring? Watch out for motorcycles, potholes, shorts, and most kids playing in puddles with or without rubber boots. Then there are those brave souls who are out riding their well-rested bicycles and never notice that little mud strip down their backs until they get home. Watch out for splashes, but bring it on.
*There should be a law against those cell phones that honk the car horn? I was casually out walking in the sunshine the other day when a parked car beside me started to beep and I nearly had an accident! What good are they when there is no one around to answer? Couldn’t they just leave a silent message?
Church bulletin bloopers!
*Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on Oct. 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school years.
*Ladies, please don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
*Potluck supper on Sunday at 5 p.m. with prayer and medication to follow.
*Next week there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
*The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment, and gracious hostility.
Paper clips from days gone by (from the Ponoka Herald)
*May 9, 1902. Ed Olmstead had a close shave last week while working around the sawmill. His beard became entangled on the cable of the carriage and he was carried some distance. Since then Ed has been going around with a smooth face, and this now makes two bottles of gin he owes the Sylvan Heights district.
*October 1902. Another potato story. C.S. Wing took 79 potatoes out of one hill, 53 of which were eating size.
*March 28, 1902. The good folks out west of Ponoka have been waiting so long for the government to put in a bridge across the Battle River that last week they went out and did it themselves.
*April 2, 1908. There will be a cancellation of the Wolf Bounty, effective April 20, 1908.
*The Wolfville district has always had its quota of bachelors, although a few of them met their waterloo when certain teachers arrived in the vicinity, or after a romantic boat ride along Long Lake.
Always remember that a smile is the lighting system of the face and the healing system of the heart. Have a great week, all of you!