It’s something we take for granted these days, but the fact that there’s a pool located inside Selkirk’s high school is quite the feat. And quite the story.
The idea came from a doctor, who also sat on the school board, and construction began. A money shortfall had the already under construction pool almost dead in the water, until volunteers and service groups threw it a lifesaver.
R.S. ‘Bud’ Oliver has all the details, and if you come out to An Evening of History on May 11 at Memorial Hall, he’ll share the story with you.
“That whole story to me is fantastic. How many high schools in Manitoba have a swimming pool attached to them? One,” Oliver says.
“How did that happen? it’s the kind of thing that I think is fascinating, and how many people would know this, now, today?”
Oliver and Bill Shead will host a fireside chat called ‘Selkirk’s Volunteer Legacy: A Look at Its History and Impact’.
The evening, which runs from 6pm to 9pm, is a fundraiser for the Selkirk Heritage Endowment Fund (SHEF), and will also include a heritage presentation and displays, wine or beer, hors d’oeuvres, entertainment, door prizes and an art auction.
Shead was Selkirk’s Mayor from 1980-1983 and served in the Regular and Reserve Forces of the Royal Canadian Navy for 36 years. Oliver, whose father was mayor of Selkirk at one time, was a Councillor for five years and Mayor for 19.
Both have a long history of volunteering and know the good that comes of it.
“Communities thrive when their people commit to work together,” Shead says.
“Volunteer organizations are the backbone of every community and the things they can accomplish are limitless. Selkirk is built on the commitment of its people, its service groups, and there are stories to tell that I’m sure will be entertaining and eye-opening for many.”
Celebrating and supporting history
SHEF was established in 2012 by the City of Selkirk as a perpetual endowment fund that will support the ongoing operational costs of a new municipal heritage museum.
Until such a museum is established, the fund provides annual grants to the Marine Museum of Manitoba and the city’s museum, which is hosted online at this time.
In 2015, the fund paid out its first grant of $5,422 to the Marine Museum. In total, SHEF has paid $117,631 in grants to both entities.
The Selkirk and District Community Foundation manages SHEF.
Ellie Longbottom, the city’s Culture Coordinator, says the Evening of History is always fun and educational.
“The stories that are told during the evening are designed to entertain but also to inform,” Longbottom says.
“Our city has a rich and colourful history and this year we’re focusing on the people and service groups that played such a big role in the development of the Selkirk we know today. And having two former mayors bring those stories to life will be something people won’t want to miss.”
Top notch entertainment and our wonderful sponsors
Entertainment will also be provided by Terry Danyleyko and Barry Thorvaldsen, who’ll put a smile on your face with their guitars, banjos, mandolins and harmonicas. The lifelong musicians have a wealth of experience bringing their traditional country and bluegrass to stages near and far.
Tickets are available online and at the Civic Offices and the Gaynor Family Regional Library.
The City of Selkirk thanks the following sponsors:
Title Sponsor – Métis N4 Construction Inc.
Entertainment sponsor – Access Credit Union
Appetizer sponsor – Life a Little Sweeter
Speaker sponsor – Selkirk Friendship Centre
Media Sponsor – Selkirk Record
