Let the Games Begin. June 19th 2023
Sometimes it is just fun to belong to something. A group, a club, a fan base. That isn't even really a "sometimes" thing. I am pretty much a rural kind of guy. I as born the son of a farmer turned oil man. I grew up in a small town. And no offence to those I shared that experience, but I couldn't wait to get out of there. So I joined our national police force and said goodbye to our little town of four thousand. Six months later I was posted to Pelly Saskatchewan, population 300. It wasn't until 1989 that I lived somewhere larger than my home town. Karma?
Not being a city kid sure didn't make me a farm boy. I was a townie. Townies, some would consider the living breathing proof that there is indeed a purgatory. "And where is this going?" you ask. Well why don't we get to that....... All those years in those smaller places you discover that in order to have the things that the Metropolitan has, you have to be involved. And that is what we did. For nearly thirty years.
In years gone by, I have played hockey ( terribly). I have coached high school football, worked as a volunteer trainer for a Junior Hockey team. Been a Cub scout leader, a projector operator, acted, and directed in amateur theatre, Served as an adult advisor for school youth groups, played in a pipe band, cooked at fairs and in arenas. Curled, chaperoned, cleaned, shovelled, and lifted and toted. My wife Carol has done all those things. Well, she didn't act, she did props and wardrobes. And she didn't operate projectors, she made popcorn and sold concessions. She also served on boards for everything from Play Schools to Victim Services. It's what you do if you want those things in your small community.
We slowed down some since we retired over a dozen years ago. We have filled our time with grand children, and travel and golf. Our existence has been a little more selfish than years gone by. We have managed to stay active in a few things. Like the Red Deer Highland games.
In 2016 the Highland games Association put out a more or less urgent call for volunteers to serve on the Committee. The response or lack thereof would determine the games future. I attended that first meeting in January of 2017. There were well over 20 people there. I have been on the committee ever since and with exception of the two years of COVID interruption, have managed securing entertainment and demonstrations. It is not easy work. Meetings start months in advance. The weekend of the games is very physical. There is a lot going on the day of, which has you basically fielding questions, or answering calls for assistance, and of course doing emergency trouble shooting.
And when it is all over? Well it's just freaking awesome! Since our involvement in the games we have again watched the volunteer numbers on the board dwindle to less than a hand full of people, some of whom, myself included are getting a little long in the tooth to do what is required. Carol and I enjoy travel now adays. We like to spend some time in the south over the winter. Not long, just enough to miss a meeting or two. This year our journey south left me feeling like I was playing catchup when we returned. It is getting harder for me to continually trouble shoot or find replacements for the entertainers that have to cancel because real life gets in the way. But mostly, I don't burn diesel anymore. I no longer possess one of the ingredients in my strong back weak mind combo. It is time for me to move on.
The truth is, that if these wonderful cultural games are to continue in this corner of my home and native land, we will need newer younger blood and lots of it to prepare and host them in the future. It may take a threat to the existence of the games themselves to bring out fresh new ideas, organizational skills, and strong backs.
By all appearances, the volunteer is going the way of the buffalo. You see it in service groups such as the Lions, the Rotary, Kinsmen, all organizations that built and maintained so many vital parts of community living. The average age of the volunteer in local service groups in these parts is well above mandatory retirement. While I am not suggesting that there should be no place for seniors in community service, it is apparent that younger people need to be involved if those services are to perpetuate.
Events such as the Highland Games are part of the cultural fabric of a community. Many of the original settlers to this area were Scots. And although they are called the Highland Games, they are the games of the new world. Over the years First Nations have been involved in the New world highland games in Red Deer. It is one of the things of which I am most proud. First Nations people were so responsible for the early settlers in Canada being able to survive through those first winters. Through the dry times in the summer. First Nations people have always been generous with new comers. They have always been forgiving. And this inclusion of First Nation's people in Highland Games once again shows they are forgiving and ready to help us move on. This year they are sharing bannock. A Scottish food they adopted. And it happens on Saturday.
Piping, drumming, dancing, sheep dogs, celtic music, haggis, historical re-enactments from mid evil to new world beginnings. It's all there for a great day. So let the games begin........again, for the first of many many more.
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