The Fortieth Anniversary of the Yorkton Chapter of the Superannuated Teachers of Saskatchewan (STS), was celebrated on Wednesday, December 2 at the Gallagher Centre in Yorkton with a banquet and a short program including greetings from Doug Haroldson, Provincial STS President, who congratulated the chapter saying, “You should be very proud of your 40 years of service and commitment to practicing teachers, retirees and community. Assuming that the average career is 30 years, approximately 8000 years of teaching service has been provided. Just ponder for a moment how much impact your approximately 271 members have had on Saskatchewan and beyond”. Provincial STS Vice-President and Executive Liaison, Maxine Stinka also attended. Greetings and congratulations were sent from MLA Greg Ottenbreit; Mayor Bob Maloney was in attendance and also extended his greetings and congratulations. Donations for the local Salvation Army were collected throughout the evening.
Forty years ago, a very active and forward thinking group of retired teachers from Yorkton and the surrounding area gathered to create a local chapter of the STS. The original vision was to work for the betterment of education in the province and to provide a means for retired teachers to keep in touch with their former colleagues. Superannuated teachers from the Parkland area were eligible to join. The first executive included President Miss Mildred Baldwin, Vice-President Bill Haacke, Treasurer Mrs. R.N. Adamson, and the Program Convenor Mrs. Gertrude Veal.
The twenty original charter members have all passed on, but a number of long time members were able to attend the celebration. The gathering was honored to have the Fortieth Anniversary Cake officially cut by Violet Churko who retired in 1986 and was chapter president the following year, and Alma Brown who retired in 1985 and has served on the Archives committee for many years. Three Honorary Provincial Lifetime members, Ed Magis, Gabrielle Hamilton, and Orest Machushek were also in attendance.
A rich legacy of memories in the form of books, documents, photos, clippings etc. have found a home most appropriately in the Anna Ingham Resource Room at the Fairview Education Centre, and highlights of that treasure trove of forty years of social, recreational and professional activities were shared by way of a power point presentation, displays and a commemorative program including Chapter Highlights from 1975-2015.
Those who attended enjoyed Christmas themed entertainment by the Yorkton Community Jazz Band under the direction of Larry Pearen in the festive anniversary atmosphere created by the social committee-- including door prize gifts from Santa and a 1975 Trivia Quiz.
The Yorkton Chapter is presently 271 members strong and for the past forty years have been an active part of the community hosting local and provincial social and recreational events, and supporting the cause of education through scholarships, reading programs, charitable donations and volunteerism. One of the most colorful moments of their history happened in 1976 when there was a postal strike, and chapter members delivered pension cheques which had come to Yorkton by bus.
The Yorkton Chapter is very active and looking forward to hosting the STS Provincial Bowling in May 2016 and STS Provincial Curling in November 2016.
The Superannuated Teachers of Saskatchewan (STS) is a provincial organization made up of retired educators and their spouses, and presently has almost 11,000 members. The aims of the organization are to promote the interests of members, and to maintain a working relationship with the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation and other organizations whose interests are similar. Such groups include the Canadian Association of Retired Teachers (ACER-CART), the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism as well as the Saskatchewan Senior Fitness Association.
In addition, the STS promotes the formation of local STS Chapters, maintains a continuing and supportive interest in education and the education of its members and provides leadership in matters which pertain to the welfare of members. The STS has established and maintains an Extended Health and Benefits Plan available to all members and provides and encourages opportunities for intellectual, social, political and recreational activities essential to wellness for seniors.
Theresa L. (Terri) Mitchell
President Yorkton Chapter STS
