The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
In this early January edition of my column, I have a mishmash of items that have taken place over the previous weeks. The first was a mid-December get-together at the Snow Lake Legion that saw a long-time resident recognized for her longevity on another front. This happened when Legion Branch No. 241 President Cauline Armsworthy presented Bev Meuse with her 40-year service pin. Another presentation of sorts took place during a 'Belt Test' held Dec. 8 at Flin Flon's Northern Spirit Taekwondo Academy. Local Taekwondo instructor Bernard Fourie's Snow Lake group did very well. Mason Wahl received his white belt yellow stripe; Morgan Hiebert her yellow belt; Ryanne Galiz her green belt blue stripe; Ciara Fourie her green belt blue stripe; Conner Coulson his yellow belt; and Caden Mercereau his yellow belt green stripe. One more presentation was brought to the attention of locals over the past month. This was an national honour that former resident Rocky McLeod received from his employer. Exellence Awards The company Rocky works for is Revera, a retirement living and long-term care provider. They celebrated their annual Quest for Excellence (QE) Awards in Toronto on Nov. 27. They honoured winners in eight categories, as well as recognizing some of their sites for performance and improvement. They received more than 250 submissions for the 2012 QE Awards. Rocky was distinguished in the category of Respect for his work at the Waverley Retirement Living Centre in Winnipeg. He was recognized not only for the respect he holds for those he works with and for, but also for so many of the other virtues that we in his hometown know he possesses. His musical ability, humour, encouraging words, knowledge and helpfulness all played a part in Rocky's recognition. By reading over the award submission details, it is obvious that Rocky McLeod is one well-thought-of man! See 'Snow...' on pg. 11 Continued from pg. 9 The Snow Lake Sno-Drifters Snowmobile Club held their Santa Claus Parade over the Christmas season and it was a resounding success, as was their Boxing Day social! It appears those who were home for the holidays joined with those already here to do it up right, in fine Snow Lake fashion! Another annual event, the Boxing Day Hockey game, draws from the ranks of 'home' and 'visitors' to field similarly named teams. The game ended up being a 15-10 win for the White team. Goaltending duties were taken on by the trio of Lance Chartrand, Mark Steeves and Davey Roberts. Reffing, as well as playing, fell to Terry Hornyak and Lance Chartrand, and Troy Steeves manned the clock and penalty box (none called, they were a clean crew). Lastly, Snow Lake has witnessed a lot of change in its garbage service over the past year and residents are about to see more. Since the inception of trash pickup in Snow Lake, it has almost always been a contracted service. Initially, when Howe Sound looked after the community's refuse, the garbage collector's position was filled by an hourly wage earner; this remained when Howe Sound morphed into Britannia Mining. Contract However, when HBM&S arrived on the scene in the late '50s, the LGD took over the service and ran it on a contract basis. When the LGD morphed into the Town of Snow Lake in 1976, it remained a contract position. Things changed once more when it ceased to be a contract on August 12, 2012 and was again staffed by an hourly wage earner and equipment employed by the town. Another change comes to the system at the end of January, when all homeowners will be issued 64-gallon garbage containers and the community will go to an automated pickup system somewhat the same as Winnipeg's (hopefully without all of the same problems). This will result in a bit of a learning curve for residents as most will now have their trash picked up on their front street rather than at the back of their property. It will also be an education for those at the town as they deal with the hitches and problems that arise with a change of this magnitude. My Take on Snow Lake runs Fridays.
