Bjorkdale News: Former resident to be in Sask. Ag. Hall of Fame

A former resident of the Barrier Ford/Bjorkdale area received some very prestigious recognition from the Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame.

Les Hill was officially announced as one of the six individuals who will be inducted into the Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame for 2022. The Hall of Fame formally recognizes individuals making significant and distinguished contributions to the welfare and improvement of Saskatchewan agriculture.

Les was the project manager at the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) in Humboldt until his retirement seven years ago. Hill played an important role in PAMI’s combine testing and evaluation program. He helped to optimize combine performance and reduce harvest losses saving grain and oilseed producers many millions of dollars over the years. He along with five other individuals will attend a formal ceremony happening on Nov. 12 in Saskatoon. Congratulation Les on being recognized for your contributions.

The graduating Class of 1965 held their ninth reunion on Aug. 4 at the home of Juliette and George Hills’. The party consisted of Frank Collins, Alice (Horn) Murray, Ardella (Hale) Bendig, Diane (Courchene) Piche’, Juliette (Leconte) Hill, Joyce (McLeod) Nieman, Esther (Abbs) Russel, Don Hill and Margaret McKeith (teacher). They celebrated with a fire that night and enjoyed reminiscing about past school days.

The 80th Annual Golburn Fair was held on Aug. 6. It was wonderful to be back after a two year absence welcoming old and new friends to an old-fashioned day of family fun. There was something for everyone. Children enjoyed the sand pit, bouncy castles, races, fishpond and pet show. Everyone was entertained by the ball games, horse show and gymkhana, bingo, Golburn’s Got Talent Show, pie eating contest, chilli challenge, hall exhibits and fair food. The evening concluded with an amazing performance by Terri-Anne Strongarm on the grandstand. They can’t wait to see everyone back next summer.

As beautiful as the weather has been this summer, Barrier Ford got hit hard on Aug. 13 with hail the size of golf balls and as large as a tennis ball in the area. I was an unfortunate victim of Mother Nature, who wreaked havoc on my garden. It’s a stark reminder that the weather can be very unforgiving at times.