Regular Features
FOR FEBRUARY 20, 2012
Prairie Talk Now & Then
with Angela Temple
Hello out there! How was your week? It was a bit of toque on/toque off for me, dependent on those fluctuating temperatures outside, but I’m definitely not complaining.
To the delight of a colourful room of friends and mutual acquaintances, Marion Clemens held a special pre-Valentine’s party on Sunday, Feb. 12 in the Common Room at Kin Place in Oakbank.
For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Marion, she is a local author of three books about her life (before and after calling Canada home), a former columnist and reporter for The Clipper Weekly for over 20 years, as well as an active volunteer in her community.
She was also my mentor for the first edition of Prairie Talk – Now and Then!
George McQuade and Russel McKay teamed up to provide an afternoon of old time favourite songs on guitar and vocals. The best song played was “Happy Birthday” as everyone joined in to also extend their birthday wishes to Marion who turned 85.
“Now I have only 15 more years to go till I’m 100,” declared Marion.
McQuade, who has known Marion for at least 30 years, was honoured to provide entertainment at her party. McQuade’s son Scott used to take music lessons from Marion when he was a boy. Now Scott makes a living as a jazz/swing musician in Owasso, Oklahoma.
According to McKay, he has only had the pleasure of knowing Marion for the past few years. He has played guitar for over 80 years of his life and has a son, Harry, who is also an avid guitarist.
If you have not yet heard about CJNU 107.9 FM, then you’re missing out on radio’s “Good Old Days” today.
Don Willcox, a member of Toastmasters who attended Prairie Voices recent Open House in Oakbank, told me about the Nostalgia Broadcasting Cooperative. Programs are run by volunteers; if you’d like more information to become a member or supporter call 204-942 CJNU (2568) or go to www.CJNU.ca. Music and programming can be freely enjoyed via their web site live link up.
February is a good month for making soup. Thanks to the Beausejour Centennial Cookbook, compiled by St. Mary Catholic Women’s League in Beausejour, I tested out a batch of Ukrainian Meat Borscht. The recipe, found on page 302, was submitted by Geri Kuffner. Using some frozen beets that mom and I grew in our garden last year, we were happy with how tasty this borscht turned out. We’re looking forward to trying many other recipes in the Centennial Cookbook.
You won’t have to cook or make your first meal of the day if you attend the next Pancake Breakfast at Cooks Creek Community Centre. Volunteers serve plates of pancake from 9 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25 by Silver Collection.
The Hazelridge Skating Club volunteers and skaters are getting set to present their 30th Annual Ice Show on Sunday, March 4. For tickets, please call Cindy Warkentin at 853-7364.
Here are the Whist Drive results from Feb. 10 at Kin Place in Oakbank: Ladies First was a tie with a score of 139 for Alfhild Johnson and Evelyn Argyle; Gents First place went to Eugene with 138, and Second spot went to Sam with a score of 134.
Horse Droppings
with Rocky Temple
Attention horse enthusiasts – don’t throw out that old suitcase. If the zipper still works, it’s likely quite suitable to hold tack items such as bridles, bits and halters, or even a few clean saddle blankets. My Girl Angie uses a large suit bag to hang and store Hi-Ho Silver’s driving harness.
Speaking of Silver, his (Bashkir) curly coat is likely as thick as it’s going to get this winter – I’m thinking of changing his name to “Toni” since he looks like he’s been given a home perm!
Need an inexpensive toy idea for your equines in the backyard? To our delight, Handsome Jimmy gave us a couple of worn out motorcycle tires (no wheel inside, of course) which we can easily chew on, pick up by our teeth and wave them around. Is anyone up for a game of tug-o-war?
Gotta go for now. My favourite snowy field beckons me for my mid-morning roll over and a nap.
“Did that horse get a perm?” Each winter, this Bashkir Curly horse’s
hair grows quite thick with tight curls.
From Here and There
with Carol Ans
Laurie Hamelin of Elma has had a lifelong love affair with horses and harness racing. From the time he was a toddler barely able to walk or talk his mother said he would sit on her knees laughing and pointing to the racing horses and shouting “Run! Run!”
When he talks about the horses he has owned and the races they have run, there is a light in his eyes and an excitement in his words. He enthusiastically showed me pictures of horses and races and described the wins and the losses.
He has retired from racing now. In his 70s, he has recently gone through a hip replacement and suffers with a bad back. He’s doing fine and will soon be back to watching the races and yelling “Run! Run!” wherever the horses race.
I asked him if he ever thought he could race again. He said no but he will do the “warm-up” of the racers. His cousins are waiting for him to come back and drive the racers on the warm-up track.
Laurie Hamelin was born in Ste. Eustache, Man. He grew up there on the family farm. He admits to being not very good in school but he learned to drive for his grandfather and his dad at an early age.
He comes from a family of harness race lovers. At one time, the area of Manitoba he grew up in was full of farmers who had a horse or two and every Sunday the races would be on at one of the tracks built on the farm.
The family moved to Pine Falls in 1949 where his father ran a taxi and bus service. Laurie helped out his father here too driving taxi – another kind of “horse power”. He remembers his first real job was with the Hudsons’ Bay Company in Pine Falls.
In 1953 the family moved again this time to Poplar Point. There he met his wife, Iris, while attending the local church in nearby Carmen. Iris suddenly developed an interest in harness racing at the Carmen track. With a twinkle in his eye, Laurie said it wasn’t the horses she came to watch, but a certain driver.
That may well be for in 1960 they were married and moved to Winnipeg where Laurie bought a delivery truck and began a route delivering bread, a job he would do for 39 years.
All this time they owned race horses. But renting premises to house and train his horses was expensive and time consuming. When he finished his bread run he would grab a bit of supper and head out to the racetrack to prepare the horses for the weekend races. It didn’t give the family much time together.
Laurie’s bread route extended to the Elma area and it was here he looked for a small farm where he could raise his family and train his horses. He found the ideal spot, a mile and a half from the Village of Elma, with a house and barn, close to the main road with a field ideal for a training track.
In 1997, the Hamelins moved to Elma, the kids went to school in Whitemouth, Laurie drove his bread route during the week, and trained and raced his horses practically in his own front yard. Weekends were for racing.
The Hamelins had three daughters and one son, every weekend that there was a race they would have the horses loaded up and the trailer hitched to the truck, ready for Dad to come home on a Saturday afternoon. He’d quickly change clothes, grab a sandwich and off they would go to Assiniboine Downs, or to Carmen or wherever the races were taking place. The racing circuit took the Hamelins to tracks across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec.
With his back and hip problem making it difficult for him to drive, Laurie realized he would have to sell his horses and retire from his beloved sport.
Now the barn is empty and the track is growing over with grass, but the memories of the many races and the horses linger.
Laurie is thankful that in his racing career he never had an accident, though he witnessed some bad ones where drivers and horses were injured and died. He is proud of his skill in training difficult horses – one can see it in the firm but caring way he handles a horse.
His children have retained some of this horse love. Connie and Cory helped him train and drove warm-up for Dad while Karen became a RCMP officer and did two terms with the famous RCMP Ride. Kami is a nurse but also trains horses for dressage.
Power of the West, Graceful Wilco, Thirty-Three and many others still live in the picture albums. And who knows... maybe Laurie Hamelin will be driving warm-up this summer for Cousin Bill. Good luck Laurie!
Dates to keep in mind:
March 2nd: World day of Prayer at Whiteshell Baptist church, Seven Sisters, 2 p.m.,
March 9-11 Whitemouth Stick Bonspiel, phone 348-3716 or 348-7918.
Feb 22 Presentation at Whitemouth School; 6:30 p.m on Internet safety for children.
The Reynolds School in Prawda is looking for volunteer readers to take part in “I Love to Read” month. Please phone Rhonda at 426-5559 if you can help.
This warm then cold weather is making walking and driving slippery so be careful out there.
Stay well, till next time.
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