A mother and daughter from rural Saskatchewan will be unveiling a new art exhibit, “Still...,” on September 29 at the Aerospace Museum of Calgary. The inspiration for the exhibit comes from the letters of a war time couple who lived in East Coulee.
    Heather van der Breggen, 55, and her daughter Ricki-Lee Webseter, 31, began work on their exhibit in March of this year after reading the correspondence of van der Breggen’s parents, Gordon Campbell and Florence Campbell (Lawrence), during World War II.
    Gordon grew up near Pine Lake, an only child on a farm, and Florence was born and raised in East Coulee. Florence became a teacher and met Gordon while teaching in Pine Lake.
    In 1942, Gordon, then 19, enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. During training and his time overseas, he and Florence wrote letters back and forth.
    “At the beginning of the letters they weren’t married. They got married while dad was in training. Then, she set up house back in East Coulee and was teaching,” said van der Breggen.
    They were love letters between two young people separated in a world full of conflict. The letters talked about the war, life after the war, and tender assurances to one another. Each letter ended with the phrase “I still do...”
    After the war, the two were together again and started a family. The two remained together for the rest of their lives.
    van der Breggen recalled how after her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, how strong their love truly was.
    “My dad became an amazing caretaker for mom. I had never seen him like that before in my life. Mom was struggling with Alzheimer’s, but it was like she was falling in love with dad all over again. She would sit and look at him like they had just fallen in love,” said van der Breggen.
    Florence passed away in February of this year. Gordon has preceded her by several years. After her mom died, van der Breggen and Webster looked through the letters.
    The letters inspired the two to paint. van der Breggen connected with the letters legacy through her memories of flight and with raising a child alone. Webster connected with the timeless romance between her grandparents.
    There was one letter in particular which inspired a huge 11 canvas work 12 feet by 8 feet in size.
    “When he went into the air force, he knew how to fly a bit. He describes doing a stall. How the tail drops down and there’s this moment of suspension where you’re not flying, but you’re not falling yet. Then the nose drops and goes into a spin and how, in a spin, it feels like the Earth is spinning around you. That struck me as being profound, because it speaks to our times now,” said van der Breggen. “We feel everything is spinning and we are standing still, but it is we who spin.”
    There are still a few vestiges of Florence’s family legacy in East Coulee today.
    “At the School Museum, my auntie’s wedding dress was there and for a family reunion on my mom’s side, we put together a quilt, which was on display for years,” said van der Breggen. She also recalled her grandfather was caretaker of the East Coulee School Museum for many years.
    The exhibit is being held at the Aerospace Museum in Calgary, which was where her father trained before heading off to war. The opening is at 7 p.m. on September 29.

    Aside from a little rough weather two weeks ago, the sun has been bathing the area this September. Residents have had the chance to enjoy what little of summer and the sun remains.
    Starland County is hoping to enjoy the sunshine, though in a different way. The county is working on a new initiative to help farmers in the area get hooked up to solar power.
    “We are excited that the alternative energy industry has had some major advancements that make it a smart and cost effective investment. We are working to help in every way we can so businesses, farms, and residents of our region can access and utilize the technology,” said Jordan Webber, Economic Development Officer for Starland County.
    A new initiative, though in its early stages of development, would involve creating solar packages for farmers, where the farmer could do some of work to set it up themselves. In other words, the equipment would be in a do-it-yourself solar kit.
    The project is in the works and the county is hoping to have it ready once funding is more forthcoming from the province.
    “Alberta Agriculture has a program, which is a little limited at this time. The province has a pot of cash, which is joint money from the provincial and federal governments, called Growing Forward. They cover up to 50 per cent of the cost of on farm solar,” said Starland County CAO Ross Rawlusyk.
    “We’re in the initial stages to gear it up, so when they come up with a new Growing Forward framework with more of an emphasis on alternate energy, we’re ready.”
    Solar power can be quite expensive. The aim of the project would be to cut costs to make it more affordable for farmers to use the alternate energy source.
    “What we’re looking at doing is to get it as cheap as we can. There would be a component where the farmers could do some of the installation themselves, like the racking,” said Rawlusyk.
    “The racking systems are essentially pre-made. So there could be savings in the racking and putting panels on, but you would still need someone to hook it up in the end.”
    The county is also working on a modelling program where those interested could enter their current power bills and the size of solar array they want, and they would get an estimate of the energy savings they could expect.
    Once harvest season is over, Starland County is inviting county residents to a meeting in Delia to outline the project and how to get hooked up to solar power.
    The Alternative Energy Symposium will feature alternative energy suppliers and experts. Area residents are invited to learn more about the options available in the area.
    “We’ve been collecting names of farmers who are interested,” said Rawlusyk. “We’re hoping to have a standard package so we can carry forward.”
    The meeting is scheduled for most of the day of November 1 in the Delia Community Hall.