In talking to Drumheller-Stettler MLA about the year that has passed, it is an understatement to say the least that it has been eventful.
    Almost exactly a year ago, Rick Strankman left Edmonton after the sitting of the legislature closed, and within days, pundits were talking about the demise of the party.
    Fast-forward to today, his party has been realigned, revived, and is taking on the sitting government as an effective opposition.
    “It has been a whirlwind, I’ll even use the word surreal,” said Strankman. “Coming from the Wildrose/PC environment to now I would call the ideological environment of the NDP government.”
    Discontent following the dramatic floor crossing of nine Wildrose MLAs was vastly underestimated and many say played a part in the demise of the PC government.
    “I have always believed the Wildrose’s policies and principles were near and dear to the hearts of many Albertans. The communication of these policies and principles have been important but not always properly conveyed. The understanding is that it is Albertan's choice, and not someone from a higher elected position to improperly hear what those voices are saying.”
    “Going forward for Wildrose, our challenge is to improve the communication of our polices and ideals for Albertans and hopefully offset the communication of the NDPs policies and ideas.”
    Under the leadership of Brian Jean, the party has taken a focused approach to its role as official opposition, this was evident in their performance in the legislature debating climate change policy and Bill 6 particularly.
    “Certainly we made comments about the weakness of the legislation but Wildrose didn’t bring 1,200 out to Medicine Hat or 1,000 to Lethbridge…Albertans did,” he said. “When Albertans are rising up en masse like that, that is a serious infraction by the government of the day.”
    For the future, Strankman says communication is key.
    “I think the important thing is learning to communicate, but more - learning to listen, and learning to understand what Albertans want,” he said. “I feel vindicated by our policies and principles that we now have an MLA duly elected in Calgary Foothills…even coming from coming from the potentiality of a death kneel from those people who thought they had the skill set to walk away from their constituency.”

One great asset to the community turned 40 this year.
    Staff and users of the Drumheller Aquaplex gathered to mark the occasion on Tuesday, December 29. They celebrated the event with a ceremony and cake.
    While the community has enjoyed the Aquaplex for four decades, swimming the valley has been enjoyed by residents for more than twice that long, and it was largely thanks to service clubs.
    The Rotary Club set up its first chapter in the valley in 1924. By 1928, it became instrumental in building the first swimming pool in the valley, largely in response to the dangers faced by children swimming in the Red Deer River. This was in fact the third pool built in Alberta, only after Banff and Edmonton. With a price tag of 40,000- 1928 dollars, it was huge undertaking.
    Not only did the Rotary Club build the pool, they operated it for 26 years.  This pool was eventually replaced by the City of Drumheller, with the current outdoor pool
     In the early 1970s, there was a movement to build a new indoor pool. This time The Kinsmen, with members including Sandy Cunningham, Joe Cardamone and Bob Foulon took up the challenge. For such a sizable project, they enlisted service clubs in the valley including the Rotary, the Lions and the Knights of Columbus. The community was supportive as were surrounding ritual communities.
    They kicked fundraising into high gear, and some of these initiatives became part of the lore of Drumheller. This included auctioning a stick of gum and a bag of chips for top dollar at the Rotary Radio Auction.
    Another legendary fundraiser was the Kinsmen’s idea to build and raffle a brand new home. To get it done, 10 members had to sign a guarantee to the bank that they would repay $10,000 until enough tickets for the home were sold.
    They raised the funds and on December 6, 1975, the Aquaplex was officially opened.
    While it has seen a number of changes, renovations and additions most recently a new exciting waterslide, it remains a valued part of the community for families to have fun and keep fit.