The Yorkton Branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM at the Yorkton Public Library.聽聽 Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, November 10, and anyone interested in genealogy is most welcome to attend.
This meeting will be a special one for the Genealogy Society; members will be attending the Yorkton Film Festival Open Cinema on Tuesday, November 10 at 7:00 PM at the Yorkton Public Library to hear 鈥淰oices of Courage:聽 Stories from the World Wars:聽 A Film Evening with Bill Waiser鈥�, and the chance to see the film 鈥淔ront Lines鈥�. 聽
As the Yorkton Film Festival website explains, 鈥淭he evening will include the screening of the NFB production, Front Lines, and a presentation by Bill Waiser entitled 鈥淪omehow, It Didn鈥檛 Seem like War at All鈥�. This presentation about World War One is certain to be interesting and full of the humour that only Bill can bring to his story telling.
A history professor recently retired from the University of Saskatchewan, Bill Waiser is a well-known writer and speaker. In his work, he focuses on 鈥減eople stories鈥�. One example is Tommy鈥檚 Team, an account of the people who played a critical role in the achievements of Premier T. C. Douglas and his government. The second is Who Killed Jackie Bates, the gripping account of the murder of a young boy, but more than that, the story of the depression and how it contributed to the death. Even Saskatchewan, A New History, his best-known work, recounts the broad sweep of the province鈥檚 story not through government policy and statistics but through the tales of ordinary people living ordinary lives through a more than ordinary period of 100 years. This presentation will follow this same approach.
This event, made possible through a grant from the Government of Canada, is free and open to the public.鈥�
The world of historical research in the province lost a shining light with the passing of Bill Barry on October 5, 2015.聽 Bill was a teacher and project director with the government, but he was also a wonderful and talented writer.聽 Bill wrote the entertaining and informative book 鈥淕eographical Names of Saskatchewan鈥�, which should be an important and permanent reference in any genealogist鈥檚 archive.聽 He also wrote聽 鈥淧eople Places: Saskatchewan and its Names鈥�, 鈥淧eople Places: The Dictionary of Saskatchewan Place Names鈥�, 鈥淧eople Places Cookbook鈥�, 鈥淯krainian People Places鈥�, 鈥淧eople Places: Contemporary Saskatchewan Place Names鈥�, and聽 鈥淎ge Shall Not Weary Them鈥�.聽 Other projects included working on the 鈥淎tlas of Saskatchewan鈥� and developing the Saskatchewan Virtual War Memorial (SVWM) web site. (Visit www.svwm.ca).
Bill鈥檚 interest in the province and its fascinating history and people was a wonderful example to any genealogist.聽聽 His books are excellent records of these unique aspects that make up our province.聽 The Yorkton branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society extends sympathy to Bill鈥檚 family.
The Yorkton Genealogy Society welcomes genealogist at any stage of research.聽 Whether you are wondering how to get started or have been researching for a long time, you will find helpful discussion and interesting speakers at the meetings.聽 New members are welcome anytime.
