Thirteen photographers will have their pictures featured on the pages of the 2021 Sunrise Credit Union calendar and two local scenes are featured - a Lauder farm and the Uno Bridge north of Miniota.
One of 13 finalists, Dylan Bertholet, who works on the family farm near Lauder, says he loves Manitoba’s incredible landscapes and beautiful sunsets. “[I’m] So happy how this picture turned out. I took this photo after a prairie storm in July of last summer, outside of Lauder, Manitoba on my family farm.”
The Uno bridge photo was by Donna Firby Gamache, a writer and retired teacher from MacGregor.
She had heard about the trestle bridge and wanted pictures for an article she planned to write. She says, “With some difficulty, considering my age, I climbed up the steep hill above the train track and waited. After 20 minutes or so, I hear the train coming and took many pictures as it approached and then passed below me. At the same time some cattle were passing under the bridge, which helps to indicate the size of the trestle. We were so glad that we had taken the time to drive there that day.”
Justin Oertel of Brandon, with 'Harvest Sunset' has emerged as the front-page winner from over 230 entries. A shortlist of 30 photos was put through a one-week public vote last month, through the www.ourmanitoba.org website. Close to 10,000 votes were cast to identify the 12 finalists and the grand prize winner. Finalists will receive a canvas print of the winning photograph, and their photos will be featured in the 2021 Sunrise Credit Union calendars and the soon to be released travel guide - Local Adventures from Sunrise to Sunset.
