Heritage Founders (Minimum $50,000)

George and Marlene Squires

A big thank-you to George and Marlene Squires who have become the first members of the Founder’s Club, a tier designated for those donating $50,000 or more toward the Heritage Centre. George said. “While we no longer live in Watrous, we return frequently and our roots are in Watrous. We both grew up in the Watrous and Venn areas, went to school in Watrous and still consider it as home.”

George’s parents were active with Town committees and his father Doug worked at the CBK transmitter. Marlene’s (Dahl) parents farmed in the Venn district and her father Albert also had a hardware business in Watrous and served on Watrous Town Council.

Centennial Ford: Earl and Terri Amendt and Michelle Amendt

Centennial Ford in Watrous has become the second member and the first business to join the Founder’s Club, a tier designated for those donating $50,000 or more towards the Heritage Centre. In making this financial commitment, the Amendts stressed the importance of giving back to their community.” A big thank you to Earl and Terri Amendt and Michelle Amendt for their very generous gift!

Centennial Ford will be 50 years old in 2018,” said Earl Amendt Jr. “It seems appropriate that we match that number with our donation.”

Michelle pointed out that Watrous and the surrounding area have always been a vibrant and exciting place to live and work. “We want to remember and recognize all those people who helped to create and build the place we enjoy today. We are happy and proud to be part of this project.”

Pictured left to right: Earl and Terri Amendt representing Centennial Ford, Kathy Bergen and Lionel Sproule of the Heritage Centre and Michelle Amendt of Centennial Ford.”

Watrous Co-op

Watrous Co-op joins Heritage Founders Club with $50,000 Donation– General Manager Andrew Parrott said: “All of us at the Watrous Co-op are very excited to be a founding member of this great preserver of the past which helps us see the future!”

“On November 17, 1934, A group of farmers in Renown Saskatchewan held an organizational meeting which resulted in the Renown Co-operative Association being incorporated on March 23rd, 1935. In 1965 the name of the Co-operative was officially changed to Watrous Co-operative Association Limited as the store in Renown had been closed.”

“Like the Watrous Co-op, our town and surrounding area has an amazing story to tell of all the people who have worked so hard to make Watrous, Manitou Beach and the surrounding area what it is today.”

“Following our Values of Customer Centric, Accountability, Community Involvement, and Sustainability, The Board of Directors of the Watrous Co-op decided that the Watrous Co-op needed to be a founding member of the Watrous Manitou Heritage Center. This center is another story of the people of this area that would not give up and persevered through. All of us at the Watrous Co-op are very excited to be a founding member of this great preserver of the past which helps us see the future.”

Pictured left to right: Heritage Centre board member Ron Frey, Watrous Co-op General Manager Andrew Parrott, Co-op board members Mel Rostie, Brendan Manz and Lori Ann Frey.

Mainline Motors

A big thank you to Gerald Merrifield and Mainline Motors who have become a founding member of the Watrous – Manitou Beach Heritage Centre! Gerald Merrifield, Owner of Watrous Mainline Motor Products (pictured second from right), is thrilled to present a cheque for $50,000 to Lionel Sproule of the Heritage Committee (far left). Also on hand at the cheque presentation were Christie Pilling, Jill Gross and general manager of Mainline Dale Miller.

Gerald stated, “Watrous is a great community for growing a business and raising a family. I am happy to give back to the people of both the town and the surrounding area. They have always supported Watrous Mainline and we look forward to many more years of that support.” Gerald and Watrous Mainline have been pro-active in their support of local sports, the hockey rink, swimming pool, curling rink, both elementary and high schools and provincially, at the Royal University Hospital, the new Children’s Hospital and Stars Air Ambulance.

Based on the support and success of the Watrous dealership, Mainline Motors has expanded over the years to several other communities in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Gerald has remained strong to his Watrous roots and as of Jan. 1, 2017 he has decided to commit 100 percent of his efforts to the Watrous Mainline Motors dealership. As Gerald said, “I am happy to support the Heritage Centre and to help retain the history of this area. Mainline Motors has been part of that history and will be part of its future.”

The Westby Family

A Big Thank You to the Westby Family!
-Article & photo by Daniel Bushman

A local family with deep roots not only in Watrous but within the immediate area have become the latest members of the Watrous Manitou Beach Heritage Centre’s Heritage Founder’s Club, donating $50,000. With roots extending to the Renown, Venn and Simpson areas, the history of the Westby family within the area dates back to the early 1900s. With a farm established in 1906 by the grandparents of Murray Westby, the farm still remains in the family today.

Over the years, Murray and his wife Delilah have also put down strong roots, living in Watrous since 1957. The pair were involved with the local John Deere business for 50 years and have also been involved in community life for the past 60 years. During some of that time, Murray was a member of town council for 36 years and 17 as mayor. The Westby’s children and grandchildren were also all born and raised in Watrous with four of the grandchildren residing and working in the community and immediate area today. With five generations of family members that have lived and worked within the community, Murray said, “We have been very fortunate to have lived and made a living here over our lifetime and to have had our children and grandchildren here as well. This community has been good to us and we have tried to repay that generosity by being involved in many different aspects over the years. That is why we are supporting the Heritage Centre with this donation. We feel it is important that the history of our community and the many families that worked to establish and maintain it needs to be recorded and preserved in a central location.”

Murray and Delilah (pictured above middle) were joined by their children Shelley and Keith Engele (left) and Brad and Brenda Westby (right), who were acknowledged for their generous contributions by Heritage committee members Lionel Sproule (far left) and Kathy Bergen (far right).

Gordon and Pearl Findlay