Manitoba 150
As Manitoba reflects on 150 years as a province and looks forward to a new year, it is an opportunity to come together in spirit, to share stories, and to build even stronger connections to each other and the land. Our anniversary continues to inspire us to explore our past and leave legacies for the future.
Manitoba 150 exists to shine a light on all that makes Manitoba amazing and unique – our beauty, people, cultures, and history. We encourage you to discover your Manitoba all over again and find a new reason to fall in love with our amazing province. The year 2020 marks 150 years since Manitoba became Canada’s fifth province, the only province to enter Confederation under Indigenous leadership. We hope that all Manitobans will continue to discover our beauty, meet our people, experience our cultures, and explore our history well beyond Manitoba 150.
Manitoba 150 exists to shine a light on all that makes Manitoba amazing and unique – our beauty, people, cultures, and history. We encourage you to discover your Manitoba all over again and find a new reason to fall in love with our amazing province. The year 2020 marks 150 years since Manitoba became Canada’s fifth province, the only province to enter Confederation under Indigenous leadership. We hope that all Manitobans will continue to discover our beauty, meet our people, experience our cultures, and explore our history well beyond Manitoba 150.
A HUGE THANK YOU FROM GERRY KOREMAN!
Thank you so much for all your supportive messages! I am really touched and humbled that people took time out of their busy day to send me a message. I would like to thank Manitoba 150 and the individual (I don’t know who the person is) who submitted my name, to Jim McCarthy for his well written supportive letter in order for me to qualify for the nomination and Karlee Benediktson for the beautiful write-up. Cooks Creek is such a beautiful and vibrant community and it has come a long way from being a poor Polish and Ukrainian farming community (with a little Dutch thrown in) with terrible gravel roads, telephone party lines and when indoor plumbing was a luxury, to being one of the most beautiful and progressive areas to live in Manitoba. Whether you lived here and moved elsewhere, a newcomer or a lifetime resident, thank you for being a part of the community. When I received the call from Manitoba 150, my thoughts reflected on the role models I looked up to and who should be included in the collage of people who made a difference to the Cooks Creek community, including Mom and Dad, Eugene and Carolyn Harasymec and the Knights who spearheaded the original project, Bob and Elaine Greg (20 years of Special O), Al and Jane Burpee, Liz and Ralph Hogue (Zora Community Centre, Cooks Creek Museum) and Meron Chabluk (400 club and Immaculate Conception). The Cooks Creek Community Centre expansion project was not completed by one individual but by a dedicated team to complete a purpose. This expansion could not have been possible without the dedication from Zoe and Brian Thompson who have performed many hours as volunteers and chief fundraisers for the project and were instrumental in getting the rink, play structure and most recently picnic shelter built. Pam and Humphrey Vernaus with the assistance of Jack Lavallee and Harold Golebioski in overseeing the completion of the project and the challenges in staying on budget and on time. Gerry Palidwor (Boomer) and Wayne Hlady for their leadership and coordination in arranging the great concerts at the Cooks Creek Grotto; a huge boost to our morale and fundraising efforts. To Shirley Halipchuk who accompanied me to the lawyer’s office in 2007 to sign the amalgamation papers of the Columbus Centre/Zora Community Centre to create one Cooks Creek Community Centre. And to Jon Thompson for taking over the role of President and guiding us to new heights. The picture of Cooks Creek is definitely not complete without including the two churches (St. Michaels and Immaculate Conception and Grotto) that are the cornerstone of the community along with Gerry Palidwor and Dorene Rosmus serving as the chairpersons and the Cooks Creek Museum chaired by Liz Hogue. Despite all this in place, Cooks Creek is not done yet, the best is yet to come! Stay tuned to the Cooks Creek Community Centre website and Facebook page and if you are in the area, stop by. Manitoba 150 along with Canada Life will be donating $500 to the Andrew Dunn Foundation Inc on my behalf. With the current situation there is no greater need for mental health assistance. Judy Dunn (from Cooks Creek!), thank you for your efforts in Mental Health assistance. Thank you again for your supportive comments and thank you Fern for your cooperation and understanding after all these years. Cooks Creek is my passion. Gerry Koreman To see Gerry’s write up with Honour 150, click here: |