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Southwest Assiniboine Retired Teachers Tour

“Go west, young man, go west” was a phrase made famous by American author, Horace Greeley, originally attributed to John Babsone Lane Soule in an article which appeared in the Terri Haute Express in 1851.
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Former Goutler Principle Joyce Cawston, poses with a “Somber, stoic, statuesque” member of the RCMP at the RCMP Heritage Centre Regina.

“Go west, young man, go west” was a phrase made famous by American author, Horace Greeley, originally attributed to John Babsone Lane Soule in an article which appeared in the Terri Haute Express in 1851.

And that is exactly what some 33 members and guests of the Southwest Assiniboine Chapter of Retired Teachers’ Association of Manitoba did on a sunny June 15 morning. “Yup, we’re going to Regina”, not to Winnipeg but to Regina on a trip once again organized by our capable tour director, Kel Smith. So early on this sunny June morning this group of happy tourists assembled at the Royal Canadian Legion to await the arrival of the Brandon Bus Lines Motor Coach with some of our Oak Lake colleagues already on board, under the capable driver, Ray Hillman behind the wheel. Our western adventure began at approximately 9:00 a.m. with our departure from Virden. A quick stop in Elkhorn to pick up another passenger completed our entourage.

During our trip westward we were kept informed about various interesting facts and statistics of the areas through which we passed by our tour guide, Mr. Smith. Also we were provided with the opportunity of “Making our fortune” playing bingo with Smith calling the lucky… or not so lucky numbers, assisted by Beth Allison.

Our first “port of call” in Regina was the RCMP Training Depot. We disembarked from our bus at the RCMP Heritage Centre where we were taken by small open shuttle buses to the RCMP Chapel. Here we were met by tour guide, Christine Van Den Merewe, who provided us with a history of the chapel and detailed explanation of the furnishings, stained glass windows, etc. She also pointed out an interesting feature in that the front pew, left side, was never to be occupied by regular visitors as it was permanently reserved for visits by royalty. Unfortunately, during our visit, the royals must have been occupied with more important matters of state elsewhere, much to this writer’s utter disappointment!

Following our lunch at the RCMP Heritage Centre, where we had a “ringside seat” to watch a practice for a live outdoor theatre on horseback event to be staged later in the day, “Spirits of the Trail-Inspector Walsh Meets Sitting Bull,” another shuttle bus took us to the Parade Square where we were able to observe the Sergeant Major’s Parade. Here we watched as drill staff put cadets through their paces. The parade included a roll call and inspection of the troops, accompanied by a band. As I watched one particular drill sergeant, my mind wandered back to my days as one room rural school teacher where every year our schools participated in the Annual Track & Field Meet where we competed, not only in athletic events, but we were also judged on our “marching skills”. It occurred to me I could have used this chap’s services. My school would have won the marching competition “hands down!”

Following our visit to the drill square we were once again taken back to the RCMP Heritage Centre. Our shuttle bus driver, Amanda, and tour guide, Stephanie, provided us with an opportunity to tour the entire Training Depot. We went by a very colourful and well maintained barn and we were advised that, although equestrian training is no longer part of the regular RCMP training regime, two “Retired Musical Ride” horses were stabled in the barn as tourist attractions. We were told these were truly “pampered purebreds”. For example, they are provided with cooling blankets during extremely hot weather. Apparently these cooling blankets are designed to hold icepacks to ensure creature comforts.

As well, these horses enjoy the attention and adulation of visitors. I am certain I overheard one of the retired teachers mutter something to the extent that, “These horses have a better pension plan than we retired teachers do!”

Upon our return to the RCMP Heritage Centre we had the opportunity to view all of the historic displays in the RCMP Museum as well as view a video entitled, “Courage in Red Depot”. This video gave us an insight into the lives of young recruits and their experience at the Regina Training Dept.

Our final leg of the journey of discovery involved a trip to Government House which is celebrating its 125th Anniversary in 2016. This building houses the offices of the current Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, Vaughn Solomon Schofield, and a very interesting museum featuring a number of antiques associated with the history of Government House. Prior to touring Government House we were taken on a tour of the massive yard surrounding this building. It featured a veritable smorgasbord of flowers, trees and shrubs. Most of the items inside the Government House were considered of the untouchable variety. “Look but don’t touch”. The exception to this was the “Salesman’s Chair” located in the vestibule of the main entrance. Most designers of chairs seek to make comfort a feature of their chair but not with this chair. It was considered rude to turn salesmen away from the door so the butler would seat them in this chair to wait “for the man of the house”. The front legs of the chair are shorter than the back ones causing the salesman to slide forward and there is a crack in the seat to pinch them when they tried to slide back up the seat. The faces in the back of the chair would poke them when they tried to sit back. Salesmen would often leave before the man of the house arrived because the chairs were so uncomfortable. It occurred to this writer that a modern electronic version of such a device would assist in dealing with telemarketers. Two of our retired teachers, who moonlight as salesmen, both tried out these chairs with no lasting ill effect… but also no Amway or Watkins sales were reported by either of these two gentlemen! There are just too many objects in this museum to describe in detail in an article such as this. The only way to really appreciate Government House is to visit it in person.

Following our visit to Government House we concluded our visit to Regina with a super meal at the Classic Buffet.

A somewhat tired, but satisfied, group of teachers and guests arrived back in Virden at approximately 8:45 p.m. Appreciation again to Smith for organizing another outstanding tour.

Plans will be underway shortly for another tour next year. As they say on radio and TV… “Stay Tuned”.

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