Honour Roll archive

David Gordon Hutchison, son of William and Dora Hutchison, was born in the Rural Municipality of Wallace and received his elementary education at Montgomery School. Gordon married Eunice Mills on November 28, 1942, and together they raised three children, Russell, Lynn and Cheryl, on the family farm near Virden where the families continue to reside. In July, 1931, Gordon started his outstanding program with purebred Aberdeen Angus cattle by purchasing four older cows with their calves. This herd was not dispersed until 1981, a period of fifty years. His son Russell continues to manage the cattle operation on the home farm. The Avalawn Angus herd became a major force in the industry because of its prowess at shows throughout Western...

John Stanley Henry, the eldest son of Charles and Lillian Henry of Oak River, Manitoba, lived all of his life on the family farm. His elementary, junior high, and high school education was provided by the local school. In 1929, he enrolled in the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba. He received the Gold Medal for highest academic standing that year, but was unable to continue because of the financial problems of the 1930’s. He and his wife Jean (McCrindle) were married in 1943, and raised three children. In 1953 he built a seed cleaning plant, and his name and reputation for quality grew. He was awarded the designation “Elite” (later known as Select Seed Growers) in 1958,...

David C. Foster was born August 20, 1899, in the Lena District where he grew up, becoming a 4-H Club member. He became a school teacher and taught in local schools. Mr. Foster attended the University of Manitoba and graduated in 1925 as the Lieutenant-Governor Gold Medalist. He and his wife, Mary Perick, had a daughter and a son. His first involvement with the Department of Agriculture was at Lethbridge, Alberta, in poultry. During his 40 years of service to the Province of Manitoba (1926-66), he was primarily responsible for the development of the multi-million dollar poultry industry, developing the Manitoba Approved Flock. He was a Senior Coach to fifteen of the Manitoba Poultry Teams which took part in national...

Andrew (Andy) Forsythe, born in Peterborough, Ontario, was twenty-one when he moved to High Bluff and started a lumber and grain business. He and Maude (nee Clarke) raised a family of five children. His concerns on building and running 14 grain elevators were the centre of many new innovations. He was the first owner to put in up-to-date cleaning equipment in an elevator west of Winnipeg, and in 1902 he installed the first dryer west of the Lakehead. He introduced a new and fairer procedure to determine and allow for dockage. Even his action of paying farmers “spot” prices for wheat rather than “street” prices forced other elevators to follow this more just practice and added millions of dollars to...

Richard R. (Dick) Filteau was born in 1920 and raised on a farm near Dumas, Saskatchewan. He was educated at Model School and Kelvin Tech. High School. In 1942 he joined and served in the R.C.A.F. In 1945-49, he attended the University of Manitoba graduating with a BSA degree in Agriculture. He later attended Tucson University to improve his skills in extension and management. In 1943, he married Helen Hall and raised two sons, Glenn and Douglas, and one daughter, Brenda. Dick served as Ag. Rep. in Steinbach and Melita. He later served as Co-ordinator of Programs and Policies for Manitoba Agriculture. Dick has worked closely with farmers, 4-H clubs, farm groups and rural groups. He judged at many livestock...

Peter Fidler, born 1769 in Bolsover, Derbyshire, England, signed on as a labourer for the Hudson Bay Company in 1788. On his arrival in Canada he was trained by Philip Turner, the Company’s factor as a surveyor. Peter did his job with such accuracy that his maps are referred to in modern times. He used this same accuracy for detailed drawings and descriptions of the flora and fauna he found as he worked his way across the prairies. When he became Fort Master for the Company, he carried seeds wherever he went. He planted gardens at all the forts, and these gardens were grown as far north as York Factory. With many forts established, he turned his attention to the...

James Joseph Dunn of Russell was born in 1882 in the Minniska district and received his education in the local Minniska School. Mr. Dunn also attended the Manitoba Agricultural College during the winters of 1908 and 1909. Mr. Dunn was a long time member of the Manitoba Hereford Association, having started a pure-bred herd of Hereford cattle in 1927. He was very influential in the development of the Hereford breed, both in and out of the Province of Manitoba. Mr. Dunn showed livestock at the Brandon Winter Fair every year, where they sold to pure-bred breeders and commercial herds. Breeding stock were also sold to all parts of Canada and the United States with some exports to South Africa. Mr....

Remi DePape, born on a farm two miles west of Swan Lake, was the eldest son of Charles and Marie DePape. In 1936, Remi married Angele Lombaert. They farmed in the Mariapolis region, and in later years, moved to Somerset. Remi raised and showed Belgian Horses, as well as Shorthorn cattle. Public recognition of his experience and knowledge led to his being sought out as a judge for the local fairs. Poor health forced him off the farm, and he became an assistant grain buyer for the UGG. In 1951, he purchased and held, for seventeen years, a Massey-Harris franchise in Somerset. At the same time, he built a feed mill to provide balanced rations for the livestock of the...