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Lifelong horse enthusiast turns 100

Baljennie News
summer rural scene
Photo by Louise Lundberg

Belated birthday greetings to Vernon Custer of River Heights Lodge in North Battleford on his 100th birthday. Vernon is formerly from Baljennie. He and his wife Joyce raised a family of six children, five sons and one daughter. They worked together on the farm and operated some ranch rangeland and had cattle and horses. Vernon enjoyed his horses and rode most of his life for pleasure and herding cattle.

Vernon was David and Linda’s Custer’s second son born July 1, 1921. He attended the old Baljennie School for his schooling and helped his dad with the horses before he married and moved to his own farm. Vernon’s son Mark and his wife Kim and family now farm the land, still with cattle and horses.

I will always remember Vernon and his dad selling my dad, Jack Rowlands, a beautify strawberry roan mare for our school pony. I rode and drove that horse to school through all my school years. My sisters and brothers did the same.

More belated birthday greetings to Margery (Smith) Jenny of Edmonton, Alta. on the celebration of her 107th birthday June 5. Margery is formerly from Baljennie area. She and her husband William Smith ran a farm there. They raised a family of three sons and one daughter. Margery was a great gardener and had a beautiful yard of flowers and a big raspberry patch. She ran a greenhouse for a good number of years. She supplied many people with her plant. She was also an active hairdresser and gave hot curler perms to many ladies of the area.  The youngest son, Gordon and wife Jean Smith, still farm some of the land. A few years ago Gordon and Jean built a new house.

Get well wishes to Del Southgate of Battleford Bridge Road Condos. After a few health issues she is in Battlefords Union Hospital. Also to Gordon Smith formerly of Baljennie who recently had heart surgery.

A thank you to the Town of Battleford for the dust control on the avenue close to the Bridge Road Condos. It did help a lot, but they did not finish the job. It would be a good idea if they would come back and finish the road. They do come back to grade it often and that just riles up the dust. Some days you look out and just see clouds of dust going by. How do we keep our windows clean? They seem to be dusty minutes after being cleaned. There is a lot of traffic going by here day and night.