‘The backbone of our community’

Glad to have come: Left, Joan and Gerard Hogervorst, from Peterborough, Ontario, who were passing through Maple Creek.

By Marcus Day

Maple Creek News

They could have danced all night, they could have spread their wings and done a thousand things …

For more than two hours, a packed Royal Canadian Legion Hall in Maple Creek throbbed to sound of music – and feet tapping the floor.

It is estimated about 120 people attended Wednesday evening’s “seniors’ appreciation” evening.

Among those present were Joan and Gerard Hogervorst, from Peterborough, Ontario. Gerard, 71, is cycling from Calgary to the Ontario border – a distance of about 1,800 kilometres – while his wife drives and provides a supporting role, keeping him hydrated.

The couple’s stay in Maple Creek was unplanned.

“We happened to see that there was this event at the Legion, and decided to come,” said Gerard, a retired engineer with Dutch ancestry.

The appreciation evening, which started at 7pm , had been sponsored by the Maple Creek-Medicine Hat Superannuated Teachers of Saskatchewan. It featured performances by the Genert Garage Band, food, beverages, door prizes, fellowship … and, of course, plenty of dancing.

At the outset, two former educators who died recently were remembered – Lew Bevan, a Maple Creek Composite School teacher for many years, and Joan Bosch.

In her opening remarks, Marlene Bertram, president of the Maple Creek-Medicine Hat Superannuated Teachers of Saskatchewan, described seniors as the “backbone” of the community.

Later, she told the News-Times: “We received a grant of $500 to put on an event to celebrate seniors.”