Memories of the Queen’s visit to Kindersley
By Joan Janzen
September 8th, 2022, marked the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, who was the Head of State in our Canadian government. She was remembered for her service, dedication and guidance for over 70 years, and she was also remembered for her numerous visits to Canada.
One of those memorable visits took place in Kindersley on a chilly October day in 1987. Dave Burke remembers the occasion and the preparation that took place beforehand. “As the new Legion President, I was told it was going to be a simple year. Wrong!” Dave laughed. “It was a busy summer and fall.”
PHOTOS COURTESY OF KINDERSLEY & DISTRICT PLAINS MUSEUM AND THE DIEMERT FAMILY, click for larger images
The Monday following the June trade show, Dave was told about the Queen’s upcoming visit to Kindersley. “Only Bob Andrew and the Mayor knew about it at that time, and I couldn’t announce it to any of the members,” Dave recalled. Plans began to be formatted as he met with the Queen’s security and discussed her schedule. All Legion members and the RCMP were required to be present.
The Queen was transported from the airport to the ballpark, which was packed with people from all the surrounding communities. “She got out of the car and said hello to one of the veterans,” Dave remembers.
Lunch was served at the old arena, which was the only facility large enough to accommodate that many people. People from all over Saskatchewan were present.
“I was told Prince Phillip liked to have a beer for lunch,” Dave said. “He said to me, ‘I thought Saskatchewan made their own beer. Why can’t I have one of those?’” Dave assured him he could have a Saskatchewan-made beer and promptly ran down to the Seymore Hotel and picked up a case of beer so Prince Phillip could have his beer before lunch.
“As I look back, it was a pleasure to be part of it. I was one of the youngest presidents of the Legion to be involved in something that big. It was quite an honour,” Dave said.
After lunch, the tour continued to Westberry School. Joan Diemert was teaching Kindergarten in 1987, and her daughter Michele recounted the circumstances at that time.
“My mom was a huge royals fan. We would get up in the middle of the night to watch royal weddings and funerals,” she said. Her mom had just undergone fairly substantial surgery and was quite groggy when she received a visitor informing her that the Queen was coming to Westberry School.
“She said to my dad, ‘You’ll never guess what! The Queen’s coming to Westberry, but you can’t tell anybody!’ She was just thrilled!” Michele said. “My dad thought it was the drugs talking, but sure enough, it was true!”
It had rained the day before, with the Queen arriving on a cold and windy day. Nevertheless, to meet the Queen’s safety protocol, all students and staff had to be outside, along with many curious public spectators. “The kindergarten kids were cold, and they didn’t know who the Queen was,” Michele said. The Director of Education, Elda Clark, accompanied the Queen. The staff later discovered that a lot of the kids thought Elda Clark was the Queen.
“The Queen did speak to my mom and asked how old mom’s kids were. The Queen was very gracious,” Michele recalled. After the Queen and Prince Philip enjoyed a tour of the school, they visited the Grant Rennie farm west of Kindersley, near Flaxcombe.
“I was expanding my feedlot at that time, so the corrals were all freshly painted and clean; they looked really good,” Rennie said. “The Queen’s visit happened to fall on auction day, so we had a cattle liner in the yard, and she watched the boys unload cattle. She was quite knowledgeable about cattle.”
Grant also had a special surprise for his royal visitor. He told her that his grandfather had played the bagpipes at the coronation of King Edward VII, who was the Queen’s grandfather. “I had the bagpipes, which I showed her,” he said. “She was quite shocked to see them.”
Grant still has the bagpipes as a reminder of that special day. He also received a plaque from the government honouring her visit, which he installed at the end of his lane.