Moment with the Mayor: Imagine

Hi Neighbours:

One of my daydreaming activities is to imagine I have a time machine. I have often imagined myself travelling to the past to witness both great events and the banal. How did creation come to exist? Why did the dinosaurs perish? Was life as nasty, short, and brutish as depicted in Rome? What were the plains of western Canada like more than 200 years ago? I’ve often imagined myself canoeing, hiking, and riding across a pristine Canada meeting indigenous peoples and seeing a land that echoes in my memories like Eden.

One thing I don’t do in my daydreams is travel into the future. It’s not that I don’t imagine a future world; I do. But I’m the type of guy who doesn’t read the last chapter of the book first, and travelling to the future would be like reading the last chapter first.

As Tent Town’s (now Kindersley) founders broke the ground and made their sod houses and set up their tent homes, what did they imagine? Could they foresee the transformation of this “bleak and inhospitable country” as a thriving community of 5,400? Did they imagine Motherwell Reservoir as a recreation area rather than a water source? (Could the Hon. William Motherwell imagine pumping water 55kms?) Did Mr. P.C. West imagine a whole line of shops lining the dirt path through town for passersby as he drove the first car to Kindersley in 1909? Did the Bynes, parents of the first child born in Kindersley, imagine a walking track, curling rink, ice surfaces, ball fields, dance studios and more for the their daughter? (Kindersley’s first rink cost $12,500 in 1912)

What do you imagine Kindersley will look like in 3, 5, 10 and more years? Think of the changes we have experienced in the last couple of years with Brookhollow Estates, new hotels, new restaurants, and a new rink. What does Kindersley look like with a new pool? A new performing arts centre? Revitalized downtown? What haven’t we imagined? Just as our founders rolled up their sleeves and got to work, we have to continue the work of building Kindersley. At the end of the day, we’ll be surprised just like the founders whose names are still here: Baker, Ditson, Graham, Halpenny, Mitchell, Simpson, and more.

Please write or phone if you would like me to discuss a particular topic. If you have any questions or comments, drop me a line at the town office or email me at mayorenns-wind@kindersley.ca. You can also check out my blog at http://mayorjohn.blogspot.ca/. I appreciate your feedback.