CARLYLE - The Conexus Art Centre in Regina had a sold-out crowd of more than 500 people on April 27 in support of the selection night for the 2025 Saskatchewan Fire Fighters Calendar.
The crowd, which consisted mainly of women, welcomed 16 contestants to the stage for the 12 spots on the calendar. One of them was Carlyle's Wayne Zandee.
Voting was done online for a small fee and all the votes were tabulated for the final 12. This year the voting exceeded the previous year, and votes came in from across Canada.
Each finalist was announced and then the firefighters cruised through the crowd to shake hands and to give everyone a closer look.
The contestants were also given a challenge to be completed on stage, which for Zandee included sit-ups and pushups with a twist.
Zandee, a 63-year-old volunteer firefighter from Carlyle, made that final number of 16 but had to wait during the evening to see whether he was selected for the final 12.
Zandee always wanted to be a firefighter and started in the oilfield business to save money to go to school but caught up in the oilpatch.
He began his own company called Red Dog Drilling. When he sold the business, he felt he could give the time that was needed for the job as a firefighter. He also wanted to get in shape, and so his journey began when a fellow firefighter suggested he try out for the calendar.
With setting goals and going to the gym regularly, he took the challenge and applied to be part of the calendar.
Zandee has made the cut and will be featured in the 2025 calendar.
Brad Woodard of Regina, who is the organizer of the event, did not have the final numbers for the number of votes or how much money was raised, but he did say that every cent raised will go to the Jim Pattison’s Childrens Hospital Foundation.
It is their hope that the funds raised will help the children and their families to make life a little easier.
Funds have been allocated to the hospital for the past eight or nine years, but the calendar has been in existence for much longer and keeps growing.
The new 2025 SFFA calendar will be available in the fall and look for Zandee, as he will be on one of the months.
He is thankful for all those who voted for him far and wide, and the support he received from his family and friends.
