Summer 2012 - Saskatchewan German Council

POSTILLION 

Der Rundbrief des Saskatchewan German Councils. 

Volume 27, Issue 2 

Summer 

2012 

1

SGC Member Organizations 

American Historical Society of Germans From Russia, Regina 

Austrian Canadian Edelweiss Club, Regina 

Austrian Edelweiss Dance Association, Regina 

Community Radio Society of Saskatoon Inc. 

Concordia Alpenrose Schuhplattler Verein 

Concordia Brass Band 

Das Schulhaus - Regina German Language School Inc. 

Department of Internation Language, U of R 

Estevan & District German Freundschaft Society 

Folkart Co-op Humboldt 

German Canadian Club Concordia, Saskatoon 

German Canadian Society Harmonie, Regina 

German Heritage Society of Humboldt & District Inc. 

German Junior Folk Dancers, Saskatoon 

German Language School Saskatoon Inc. 

German Language School of Regina 

German Russian Cultural Group, Leader 

German Students’ Association - U of S 

Hansel & Gretel Preschool Inc. 

Imhoff Heritage Society, St. Walburg 

Jagd- und Fischverein “Waidmann’s Lust”, Regina 

Karnevalsgesellschaft Harmonie, Regina 

Kochlöffel & Nudelholz: German-Canadian Koch- und Backstudio 

Lloydminster German Heritage Society Inc. 

Melville & District German Heritage Club 

Mennonite Heritag Village, Swift Current 

Parents Association of German Language Schools, Saskatoon 

Prince Albert German Canadian Club Waldhorn 

Regina German Film Club 

Saskatchewan Association of Teachers of German, Saskatoon 

Saskatchewan German Culture Assistance Fund Inc. 

Saskatoon German Days 

SKAT Club Saskatoon 

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Regina 

Village of Edenwold 

Volksliederchor Concordia, Saskatoon 

Volksliederchor Harmonie Inc., Regina 

Zichydorf Village Association, Regina

President 

Ilona Beck 

Rouleau 

2012-2013 

SGC Board of Directors 

Vice President 

Josephin Dick 

Saskatoon 

Past President 

Andrew Grzesina 

Regina 

Treasurer 

Ray Fichter 

Regina 

Secretary 

Darrell Dick 

Saskatoon 

Directors 

Franziska Davies, Saskatoon 

Rod Gellner, Regina 

Ulrike Hecker, Saskatoon 

Amanda Stehwien, Saskatoon 

Katharina Ulbrich, Estevan 

Michael Zimmermann, Regina 

Consultant 

Barbara Hoggard-Lulay, Saskatoon 

Staff 

Sabine Doebel-Atchison, M.A., Executive Director 

Andrea MacLeod, M.A., Office & Program Assistant 

Hannelies Kuehnle, Immigrant Settlement Advisor 

& Pension Advisor 

Vicky Maurus, Project Coordinator 

Contents 

Aus dem Büro/From the Office 4 

Grüße von der Präsidentin 5 

Greetings from the President 6 

Treffpunkt Weekend in Lloydminster 7 

Pictures from the Treffpunkt Weekend 8 

Rolling Calendar of Events 9 

SGC’S 2012/2013 Board of Directors 10 

History of the Germans from Russia, part 9 11 

Orhan Yilmaz, Recipient of the Scholarship 

in Memory of Dr. Brian McKinstry 12 

SGC’s Involvement in the Bicentennial 

Commemoration of the War of 1812 13 

SGC’s Beteiligung an der Zweihundertjahr 

Gedenkfeier des Krieges von 1812 13 

SGC Recipe Corner 

Kaltsaure Nudeln - Cold-Sour Noodles 15 

How and What in Canada? 16 

Walter Biberdorf from Estevan Club 

receives SGC Special Volunteer Award 17 

News from SGC Member Groups 18 

Austrian Canadian Edelweiss Club 18 

Community Radio Station Saskatoon 18 

Concordia Alpenrose Schuhplattler Verein 19 

Das Schulhaus - Regina German 

Language School Inc. 19 

Estevan & District German 

“Freundschaft” Society 20 

German-Canadian Society Harmonie 21 

German Cultural Centre 22 

German Heritage Society of Humboldt 

& District. Inc. 23 

German Junior Folk Dancers 23 

German Language School of Regina 26 

German Language School Saskatoon 27 

Hansel & Gretel Preschool Inc. 27 

Karnevalsgesellschaft Harmonie 28 

Kochlöffel & Nudelholz: German- 

Canadian Koch- und Backstudio 29 

Prince Albert German Canadian 

Club “Waldhorn” 30 

Regina Austrian Edelweiss Dancer 30 

Saskatoon German Days 31 

SKAT Club Saskatoon 32 

Volksliederchor Concordia 32 

Volksliederchor Harmonie 33 

Jugendseite 34 

Kinderseite 

inside cover 

Saskatchewan German Council Inc. 

510 Cynthia Street, Saskatoon, SK S7L 7K7 

phone: (306) 975-0845 fax: (306) 242-8007 

e-mail: office@saskgermancouncil.org 

webseite: www.saskgermancouncil.org 

3

From the Office 

Sabine Doebel-Atchison 

The SGC office had a busy spring, with a new addition 

to our staff, as reported in the last issue, a spring board 

meeting, the fiscal year-end preparations with an audit 

and, of course, our Treffpunkt Weekend in Lloydminster 

in the beginning of June. 

Just recently we hired, once again, a Cultural Development 

Assistant. Daniel Schwab joined our team for the 

summer. SGC is thankful for the funding it receives for 

the position from Service Canada. It enables us to hire 

a student every summer. Among other things, Daniel 

will catalogue books for our library, establish a digital 

archive and research opportunities for online language 

training and meetings. 

Even though we had more rain than usual over the last 

few weeks, many outdoor festivals and events are taking 

place in our province and the German community 

is part of it. Mosaic in Regina, Folkfest and the Commemorations 

for the War of 1812 in Saskatoon are only 

a few examples. 

I encourage everyone to take part in the summer events 

in our province, because, as we all know, winter will arrive 

faster than we expect. If you are looking for some 

interesting reading for the summer, please visit our library. 

Have a great summer! 

Aus dem Büro 


Im SGC Büro war im Frühling wieder sehr viel los. Wie 

bereits in der letzten Ausgabe berichtet, haben wir eine 

neue Kollegin, wir hatten eine Sitzung des Vorstandes, 

das Ende des Haushaltsjahres mit der Wirtschaftsprüfung, 

und selbstverständlich auch unser Treffpunkt 

Wochenende in Lloydminster Anfang Juni. 

Kürzlich haben wir auch, nun bereits zum wiederholten 

Mal, einen Cultural Development Assistant eingestellt. 

Daniel Schwab ist unserem Team für den Sommer 

beigetreten. SGC ist dankbar für die finanzielle Unterstützung, 

die wir für diese Position von Service Canada 

erhalten. Jedes Jahr haben wir dadurch die Möglichkeit 

einen Sommenstudenten einzustellen. Neben anderen 

Dingen wird sich Daniel um die Katalogisierung der 

Bibliotheksbücher und die Einrichtung eines digitalen 

Archives kümmern, sowie Möglichkeiten für online 

Sprachtraining und Sitzungen erarbeiten. 

Obwohl wir über die letzten Wochen viel Regen hatten, 

hat die Zeit der Freiluftveranstaltungen begonnen und 

die deutsche Gemeinde macht mit. Mosaic in Regina, 

Folkfest und die Gedenkfeierlichkeiten zum Krieg von 

1812 in Saskatoon sind nur einige Beispiele. 

Ich ermutige Sie alle dazu, an den Veranstaltungen in 

diesem Sommer teilzunehmen, denn, wie wir alle wissen, 

wird der Winter schneller kommen als uns lieb ist. 

Wenn Sie nach einem interessanten Buch für den Sommer 

suchen, dann schauen Sie doch einfach mal in unserer 

Bibliothek vorbei. 

Ich wünschen Ihnen einen tollen Sommer! 

Do you know someone who has been in 

Canada for 3 years or longer and would benefit 

from becoming more involved in the community? 

Or families who feel as though they would 

like to learn more about how to become connected 

to others in Saskatoon? Family service 

Saskatoon, in partnership with Family Resource 

programs Canada, is hoping to work with such 

individuals and families to find resources within 

the city to foster a stronger sense of belonging. 

For more information about this project, including 

how to volunteer with individuals and families, 

please contact Bernie Holzer at 244-0127. 

Scherenschnitt illustrations in this issue 

are taken from the originals by 

Waltraude Stehwien, courtesy of the 

artist. 

Repoduction without permission is 

strictly prohibited. 

W. Stehwien 

4

Grüße von der Präsidentin 

Ilona Beck 

Was fuer ein Wochenende! Nach 

wochenlanger Vorbereitung war es 

endlich soweit. Der Council und 

seine Mitgliedsgruppen feierten 

“Treffpunkt” in Lloydminster. Treffpunkt 

bedeutet dass man sich an 

einem Punkt trifft. Das gilt woertlich 

oder auch im uebertragenen 

Sinne. Ueber 80 Menschen aus 18 

Mitgliedsgruppen der deutsche Gemeinde 

von Saskatchewan hatten 

sich in Lloydminster getroffen, wo 

viele Beruehrungspunkte auf ein 

harmonisches Zusammenkommen 

wiesen. Gemeinsam mit Ehrengaesten 

Frau Barabara Hoggard- 

Lulay und 2. Buergermeister Herr 

Ron Saunders aus Lloydminster 

genossen wir typisch deutsches 

Essen und deutsche Lieder, vorgetragen 

von Cis Nakonechny & 

Verna McFarlane. Fuer weiter Unterhaltung 

sorgte die “Little German 

Band” aus Humboldt, die mit 

traditionellen Taenzen und auch 

Bavarianrock die Tanzflaeche bis 

tief in den Abend fuellte. Die Stimmung 

war gut und jeder schien 

sich in der herzlichen Atmosphere 

wohl zu fuehlen. Die allgemeine 

Stimmung trug dazu bei, ungezwungen 

Kontakt aufzunehmen und 

sich gegenseitig auszutauschen. 

Man spuerte die positive Energie, 

die derartige Zusammenkommen 

ausloesen und die uns als deutsche 

Gruppe verbindet und weiterfuehrt. 

Unsere Sprache und die Absicht, 

deutsche Kultur und Traditionen zu 

erhalten und weiterzugeben, verbindet 

uns alle als Voluntaere fuer die 

deutsche Kultur. Ich bedanke mich 

bei der Lloydminster German Heritage 

Society fuer die herzliche Aufnahme 

und Gastfreundschaft. 

Der Council zeichnet jaehrlich verschiedene 

Mitglieder mit dem SGC 

Special Volunteer Award aus. Die 

gemeinnuetzige und freiwillige 

Arbeit so vieler Mitglieder tragen 

unsere Vereine und Gruppen. Herzlichen 

Glueckwunsch den Preistraegern 

Irmgard und Alex Telidetzki, 

Gordon McWilliam und Walter 

Biberdorf! 

SGC Generalversammlung fand am 

10. Juni statt. 44 Deligierte aus 18 

Mitgliedsgruppen waren vertreten. 

Als neue Direktorin wurde Katharina 

Ulbrich aus Estevan in den SGC 

Vorsitz gewaehlt, Ulrike Hecker 

und Amanda Stehwein wurden im 

Amt bestaetigt. Ich verabschiede 

mich von Les Lauter, der sich nicht 

mehr zur Wahl stellte. Verblieben 

am SGC Vorstand sind Ray Fichter, 

Andrew Grzesina, 

Josephin Dick, Darrel Dick, Franziska 

Davies, Michael Zimmermann 

und Rod Gellner. Die allgemeine 

Mitgliedschaft hatte meine Position 

als Praesidentin fuer einen dritten 

Turnus bestaetigt. Ich bin gerne 

bereit die Praesidentschaft des SGC 

und damit auch die Verantwortung 

fuer weitere zwei Jahre zu uebernehmen. 

Zu Beginn meiner Praesidentschaft 

2008 hatte ich eine Vision, die sich 

kaum geaendert hatte. Auf Altes und 

Vertrautes bauen, aber gleichzeitig 

die Reichweite des Council auf neue 

Gebiete und Ebenen auszuweiten. 

Basierend auf dieser Grundlage soll 

sich der SGC zu einer Organisation 

entwickeln, die zeitgerecht und 

relevant ist und alle Menschen in 

Saskatchewan anspricht. Wenn man 

auf die letzten vier Jahre zurueckblickt, 

wird ersichtlich, dass sich 

der Council in vielen Bereichen 

weiterentwickelt hat: SGC hat seine 

Basis erweitert, Dienst-leistungen 

fuer die Mitgliedschaft verbessert, 

finanzielle Unterstuetzung erhoeht 

und neue Programme und Projekte 

entwickelt. Der Council ist mehr 

als eine wohltaetige Organisation: 

SGC ist ein Forum fuer Information, 

Programme und Projekte zur 

Foerderung der deutschen Kultur 

und Sprache. In den kommenden 

Jahren werden wir folgende Schwerpunke 

legen: Wir werden zeitgerechte 

Programme und Gruppen 

vermehrt integrieren. Weiterhin 

versuchen wir Sprachschulen und 

Bereiche zur Sprachvermittlung 

gezielt zu foerdern, denn Zugang 

zur Sprache oeffnet den Zugang zur 

deutschen Kultur und legt den Weg 

frei fuer juengere Generationen zur 

deutschen Gemeinde. Die Vernetzung 

aller deutschen kulturellen 

Gruppen in Saskatchewan durch das 

SGC Buero ist ein Projekt, das uns 

alle in Saskatchewan verbinden soll. 

Weiterhin ist es wichtig, dass SGC 

sein neues Gesicht nicht nur innerhalb 

der deutschen Gemeinschaft in 

Saskatchewan zeigt, sondern sich in 

seiner Rolle innerhalb des multikulturellen 

Potpourries bewusst wird. 

Der Council wird zum Foerderzentrum 

fuer Sprache und Kultur, die 

sowohl traditionell Werte als auch 

den Zeitgeist reflektiert. 

5

Greetings from the President 

Ilona Beck 

What an amazing weekend it has 

been! After weeks of preparation 

the Council and its member groups 

celebrated Treffpunkt in Lloyminster. 

Treffpunkt means “meeting 

place” and that’s what we did: we 

met. Over 80 people of 18 different 

member groups gathered on June 9 

and 10th for the annual SGC Treffpunkt 

and AGM. With honored 

guests Mrs. Barbara Hoggard-Lulay 

and Deputy Major Rob Saunders 

we dined on delicious German food 

and listened to German songs and 

music provided by Cis Nakonechny 

& Verna McFarlane and the Little 

German Band. It turned out to be an 

amazing evening filled with laughter, 

fun and dancing until late into 

the night where everybody felt the 

warm and welcoming atmosphere. 

Member delegates had the chance 

to mingle and to connect with each 

other in a most positive and relaxed 

way. The common spirit and the 

energy which radiated throughout 

the evening had been felt in many 

ways. It melts us together as German 

cultural community, who share 

the same language, culture and 

dedicate many volunteer hours to 

practice and further German culture 

in Saskatchewan. Successful 

conventions such as Treffpunkt help 

us going as a cultural German community. 

Thanks again to the Lloydminster 

German Heritage Society 

for the warm welcome and heartfelt 

hospitality. 

SGC presented three volunteers 

with the SGC special volunteer 

award: Irmgard and Alex Telidetzki, 

Gordon McWilliams and Walter 

Biberdorf. Congratulations again to 

those special volunteers who represent 

this invisible force that keeps 

so many cultural organizations in 

Saskatchewan alive and running. 

The Annual General Meeting was 

held on June 10th with 44 delegates 

attending. I am very pleased to present 

a renewed board of directors: I 

welcome newly elected Katharina 

Ulbrich from Estevan to the SGC 

board as new director and welcome 

back Ulrike Hecker and Amanda 

Stehwien for their second term. 

A fare well goes out to Les Lauter 

who decided to resign. Remaining 

directors are Ray Fichter, Andrew 

Grzesina, Josephin Dick, Darrel 

Dick, Franziska Davies, Michael 

Zimmermann and Rod Gellner. The 

general membership confirmed my 

position as president of the SGC. I 

am honored and privileged to take 

on the responsibility and role of 

president for a third term. 

In 2008, when I became President, 

I had a vision that has not changed: 

to build on the solid foundation of 

the Council but extend its reach to 

become a relevant and contemporary 

provincial organization for all 

people of Saskatchewan. During 

the last four years of my presidency 

SGC has moved forward in many 

ways: we built capacities, extended 

services, increased funding and 

implemented new programs. SGC 

is more than a funding organization 

for its member groups. SGC became 

a forum for resources, information, 

education and projects. For the next 

two years my focus will continue 

to include more contemporary programs 

and projects and attract new 

groups who focus on this area. We 

will work towards an increase of 

funding for language acquisition 

which is, in my opinion, the foundation 

and the key to rejuvenation and 

access to culture. Further, my idea is 

to network the entire German community 

in Saskatchewan to share resources, 

ideas and projects through 

the office of the SGC. At the same 

time SGC needs to present its image 

in a renewed way and become more 

visible, not only within the German 

community but also in all Saskatchewan 

to demonstrate that we play an 

important role within the multicultural 

picture of the province. SGC 

needs to be seen as a centre for German 

language, culture and traditions 

which reflects traditional values the 

same as Zeitgeist. 

POSTILLION 

Fall 2012 

DEADLINE: 

21 September, 

2012 

articles 

pictures 

recipes 

etc. 

postillion@saskgermancouncil.org 

6

2012 Treffpunkt Weekend in Lloydminster 


This year’s Treffpunkt Weekend on 

June 9 and 10 took place in Lloydminster. 

The local German Heritage 

Society was host to Saskatchewan’s 

German community and did a wonderful 

job. They may be one of 

SGC’s smaller member groups, but 

their enthusiasm was remarkable 

and everyone felt very welcome. 

The weekend started off with some 

workshops and a tour of the local 

museum, which hosts paintings by 

Berthold Imhoff. Over Kaffee und 

Kuchen, Treffpunkt delegates had 

the opportunity to get to know each 

other or to catch up about all the 

interesting things that happened in 

their clubs and groups since the last 

Treffpunkt. 

As every year, the highlight was the 

Special Volunteer Awards Banquet. 

With just over 80 delegates and 

friends of SGC it was very well attended. 

The chef had prepared a delicious 

dinner with Schnitzel, mushroom 

sauce, red cabbage, Spätzle, 

mashed potatoes and salad. For 

dessert everyone enjoyed a piece 

(or possibly two) of delicious Black 

Forest cake. 

This year’s volunteer award recipients 

were Walter Biberdorf of the 

Estevan and District German Heritage 

Society, Gordon McWilliams 

of the Austrian Canadian Edelweiss 

Club of Regina and Irmgard and 

Alex Telidezki of the Lloydminster 

German Heritage Society. All 

award recipients were volunteers 

for their local clubs for many years 

and contributed to the preservations 

and promotion of German and 

Austrian culture in Saskatchewan. 

Gordon McWilliams was unable to 

attend the banquet and will receive 

his award and gift basket at a later 

date. Katharina Ulbrich accepted 

the award on behalf of Walter Biberdorf. 

Present at the award ceremony 

and accompanied by many 

family members, were Irmgard and 

Alex Telidezki, who were nominated 

by the Lloydminster German 

Heritage Society. Congratulations 

to all award recipients. 

Alvin Knoll made a special presentation 

on behalf of the German- 

Canadian Society Harmonie to Saskatoon’s 

German Cultural Centre. 

Representing the Board of the Saskatoon 

Club, Darrell Dick accepted 

a beautifully wood-carved scissor 

cut by Waltraude Stehwien. This 

piece of art will be a wonderful addition 

to the new club house in Saskatoon. 

In past years the Council’s Board 

had noticed that members from the 

same group always sat together at 

the SGC banquet. To encourage 

more interaction, SGC President 

Ilona Beck decided to mix up the 

seating arrangements. All tables 

were mixed and most also included 

a Board member. This allowed for 

delegates to exchanges ideas, get to 

know each other and possibly even 

discuss future joint ventures. The 

idea was very well received and will 

likely be repeated next year. 

The Lloydminster club had arranged 

for great entertainment by 

Cis Nakonechny and Verna McFarlane, 

as well as Humboldt’s Little 

German Band, who played well into 

the evening. 

After a fun Saturday, it was back to 

business on Sunday morning with 

SGC’s Annual General Meeting. In 

total 18 member clubs were represented 

at the meeting. 

Before everyone left for their home 

communities again, a delicious 

lunch was served. Thank you to the 

Lloydminster German Heritage Society! 

Until next year! 

German Cultural Tradition Books, Pins & Lanyards 

Each books costs $10 or buy all four for $35. 

The set is already in its second edition and sells fast. 

Don’t miss this opportunity. 

Pins are $2.50 and lanyards are $3.50. 

Shipping and handling start at $3.00, depending on location and weight. 

7

Pictures from the Treffpunkt Weekend 

Taken by Sabine Doebel-Atchison, Andreas Denz & Andrea MacLeod 

8

July 

September 

Rolling Calendar of Events 

18-22: Bismark/North Dakota, Black Sea 

Germans convention 

28: Concordia Brass Band will play in the 

Rostern Parade 

Wed.: Skat at the German Cultural Centre in 

Saskatoon at 7 p.m. 

Student Stammtisch at Amigos, 

starting at 7 p.m. 

Fri.: Classical Connection on CFCR 90.5 

FM from 1-2 p.m. with Sigrid Kirmse 

Sun.: Treffpunkt Deutschland on CFCR 

90.5 FM from 1 to 3 p.m. 

Sunday Brunch, German Culrual 

Centre/Saskatoon, 1 a.m.-2 p.m. 

German Supper Buffet 5:30-9 p.m. 

August 

16-18: Saskatoon Folkfest - visit the German 

Pavillion 

25: Concordia Brass Band will play at the 

Barn Play house, North of Saskatoon 





Fri.: Classical Panorama on CFCR 90.5 

FM from 1-2 p.m. with Sigrid Kirmse 


90.5 FM from 1 to 3 p.m. 

Sunday Brunch at the German Culrual 

Centre in Saskatoon from 11 a.m. to 

2 p.m. and German Buffet from 5:30 

to 9 p.m. 

4: Kochlöffel & Nudelholz Cooking/ 

Baking Class 

11: Volksliederchor Harmonie choir 

practise starts again 

24: Volksliederchor Concorida choir 

practise starts again 

Mon.: The Classical Connection on CFCR 

90.5 fm from 3 to 4 p.m. with 

Sigrid Kirmse 



Fri.: 



Classical Panorama on CFCR 90.5 fm 

from 1 to 2 p.m. with Sigrid Kirmse 

Chef’s Special at the German Cultural 

Centre from 5:30 to 9 p.m. 


90.5 fm from 1 to 3 p.m. 

Sunday Brunch at the German Culrual 

Centre in Saskatoon from 11 a.m. to 

2 p.m. and German Buffet from 5:30 

to 9 p.m. 

Please refer to the SGC Events Calendar at 

www.saskgermancouncil.org for more 

events. 

9

SGC’s 2012/2013 Board of Directors 


At the SGC’s 2012 Annual General Meeting on June 

10 in Lloydminster Ilona Beck was acclaimed President 

for a third term. SGC Treasurer Ray Fichter was 

also acclaimed for a further term to his position. Board 

member Les Lautner had decided not to let his name 

stand for another term. The Council is thankful for 

the service that Les has provided to the Board and the 

Council over the past four years. Katharina Ulbrich of 

the Estevan and District Heritage Society was newly 

elected to the Board by the SGC membership. Directors 

Ulrike Hecker and Amanda Stehwien, who both previously 

served a one-year term on the SGC Board, were 

elected for a two-year term. 

The SGC Board now consists of the following 

individuals: 

Ilona Beck, President 

Andrew Grzesina, Past President 

Josephin Dick, Vice President 

Ray Fichter, Treasurer 

Darrell Dick, Secretary 

Directors: 

Franziska Davies 

Rod Gellner 

Ulrike Hecker 

Amanda Stehwien 

Katharina Ulbrich 

Dr. Michael Zimmermann 

Back row, from left to right: 

Andrew Grzesina, Darrell Dick, Franziska Davies, Ulrike Hecker, Josephin Dick 

Front row, from left to right: 

Barbara Hoggard-Lulay, Katharina Ulbrich, Ilona Beck, Amanada Stehwien. 

10

History of the Germans from Russia, part 9 

Alvin Knoll 

In the last issue I touched on the 

Hauses Gebrüder Schmidt. This 

family had established themselves 

in the grain and flour markets. Towards 

the late 1800’s, they had 

grown so large that they had warehouses 

in many Russian cities and 

were well known as far west as 

Finland. The farmers had not only 

learned how to grow their product 

but they had also learned how 

to market it and the fact that it was 

more profitable to market their 

grains in the form of a refined flour 

than the actual grain. The by-product, 

bran, remained at home with 

the farmers and was used as animal 

fodder. Although they mainly traded 

in grains, they also were a major 

manufacturer and distributor of sarpinka, 

a special gingham cloth. By 

the end of the century the Schmidt 

enterprise had grown so large that it 

now operated cotton plantations in 

Central Asia. It would seem that the 

floodgates had been opened and the 

settlers now found markets for their 

crops and crafts. 

Although they did not invent gristmills 

they improved on them and 

they adapted the Holland type windmill 

for their needs – I imagine it 

would seem odd to see a windmill 

on the Steppes, but they were quite 

common. Each colony had one or 

more mills and these varied from the 

windmill style to the conventional 

stream powered mills. They also 

built and exported Fanning Mills 

another important part of the grain 

harvesting sector. One of their major 

accomplishments was the manufacture 

of wagons. The German settlers 

had introduced wheels with metal 

lined hubs riding on iron sleeved 

axles. Their superior workmanship 

and quality made them a desired 

item and they were shipped to customers 

from the Ural Mountains to 

Moscow. The lumber industry was 

also expanding. The firm Seelman 

Schilling and Laube found no lumber 

on the lower Volga but were 

able to establish themselves in the 

north. They floated trees down the 

Volga to their river port sawmills. 

The lumber business was alive and 

providing the much needed lumber 

to the expanding colonists. 

It must also be mentioned that it 

was not all big business. On a smaller 

scale, but just as important, was 

the family home. Each colonist’s 

home had either a spinning wheel 

or a loom. The wool gathered from 

the sheep was spun into yarn and 

the flax and hemp were spun into 

a linen type material. Each home 

was self-reliant in this matter. Also 

of mention must be the large flocks 

of geese that each settler owned. 

A housewife’s affluence and status 

were enhanced by the number 

of fluffy goose feather pillows displayed 

or by the number of feather 

ticks she owned! 

Now, as the settlers were becoming 

wealthier and as the families grew 

larger, more land came under cultivation 

and this created an unforeseen 

problem, how to heat their homes. 

The wood lots, what there were of 

them, were disappearing. The villages 

that had access to wooded 

lots decided that some trees must be 

retained for the carriage and sleigh 

makers, the wheelwrights and the 

cabinetmakers. What to do? Well a 

settler by the name of Risch from 

the village of Messer came up with 

an idea – an idea that worked and 

spread throughout the entire Volga 

area and down to the tree strapped 

Black Sea Colonies. His solution 

was Mistholz or manure wood. Every 

settler had an abundance in his 

or her own yards. This Mistholz was 

collected in the spring, dried and 

cut into small bricks. The Mistholz 

bricks were stacked like firewood 

and put into use during the winter 

months. They were odorless, slow 

burning and gave off tremendous 

heat, exactly what the settlers needed 

and they were used extensively 

in their cook stoves and heating 

stoves. These bricks were used into 

the twentieth century right up to the 

Bolshevik revolution. Unfortunately, 

storm clouds were on the horizon 

and it would seem that the good 

times of the 19th Century were 

coming to an end. The Revolution 

would create many problems; even 

the lowly Mistholz would be affected. 

More of this in a future article. 

Till next time, 

Alvin 

Office of the Honorary 

Consul of Germany for 

Saskatchewan 

Barbara Hoggard-Lulay 

823 Brookhurst Bay 

Saskatoon, SK S7V 1G1 

Phone: (306) 979-4911 

Fax: (306) 979-4912 

E-mail: hksask@shaw.ca 

Office hours: 

Tuesdays & Thursdays 

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

11

Orhan Yilmaz, Recipient of 2012 Saskatchewan German Council 

Scholarship in Memory of Dr. Brian McKinstry 

Orhan Yilmaz 

As an undergraduate student at the 

University of Saskatchewan, I am 

pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree 

in Physiology and Pharmacology 

with a minor in German. I am 

excited and grateful to be this year’s 

recipient of Saskatchewan German 

Council Scholarship in Memory of 

Dr. Brian McKinstry. 

At the age of 8, in 2002, I ranked 

23rd among approximately 2000 

candidates in the entrance exam 

and entered Darussafaka Primary 

School in Istanbul (a public school 

in Turkey that was established by 

Sultan Abdulaziz, an Ottoman Sultan, 

in 1873). Each admitted student 

directly receives a scholarship that 

covers full room and board, which 

is approximately $10,000 per year. 

After receiving the scholarship, I 

went to Istanbul, the 3rd largest 

metropolitan area in Europe that has 

almost 15 million residents. I lived 

in Istanbul by myself in a dormitory 

for 5 years away from my family. 

12 

As part of my elementary school 

curriculum in Istanbul, I was required 

to take German courses (one 

hour every week). I was exposed to 

the German language; however every 

other subject was taught in Turkish. 

The instruction of the German 

classes was solely based on memorization. 

During my high school 

grades 9-11 in Eskisehir, Turkey, 

the majority of my courses were 

science-based. During those three 

years, I did not have a chance to 

practice my skills in German. When 

I came to Canada in 2010 to finish 

the last year of high school in Ontario, 

the only language I was learning 

and using was English. I began 

to quickly forget not only German, 

but also my native language, Turkish. 

In 2009, I was elected as the First 

President of the Comenius Group 

in my high school in Eskisehir, 

Turkey and had the opportunity to 

travel to Lithuania and Latvia with 

the Comenius Project “Otium? Negotium? 

Faulenzen oder Handeln? 

Schüleralltag in Europa erfolgreich 

meistern!” on government duty. The 

official language of the project was 

German. (Comenius is a European 

Union project which promotes the 

intercultural education initiatives 

and encourages the language learning 

by establishing the cultural dialogue). 

My duties were to coordinate 

the Comenius group, provide 

assistance to co-workers, and to 

accomplish all the tasks in relation 

to the project, which consisted of 

seven high schools from six European 

countries. 

When I came to the university in 

Saskatchewan I decided to take 

German courses to thoroughly learn 

the language. I noted how wellstructured 

the curriculum for German 

courses at the University of 

Saskatchewan were in comparison 

to my experience in the elementary 

school. I have always been interested 

in learning German, but the actual 

reason why I am learning the language 

is because of my future goals. 

I want to become a successful physician 

in the future. I am currently 

pursuing a major in Physiology and 

Pharmacology, a minor in German 

and taking prerequisite courses at 

the University of Saskatchewan 

in order to apply for the medical 

school in Saskatchewan. However, 

I am aware of the outstanding quality 

of medicine education and health 

care system in Germany. In the near 

future, I am planning to apply for 

some medical schools in Germany 

(e.g. Universitätsmedizin Berlin). 

All of the medical programs in Germany 

are only offered in German, 

and foreign students are required to 

provide proof of proficiency in German. 

I am aware that I will need to 

take more courses to become more 

proficient in the language. Thus I 

am planning to take more German 

courses at the University of Saskatchewan. 

This scholarship has enhanced 

my enthusiasm towards the 

German language and culture, and 

will help me to cover the costs associated 

with the tuition and course 

materials. I believe that the fund 

will provide opportunities for my 

future in the study of German and 

other subjects. 

Orhan at the Trakai Island Castle, 

Trakai, Lithuania.

SGC’s Involvement in the Bicentennial Commemoration of the 

War of 1812 

Viktoria Maurus 

The Saskatchewan German Council 

Inc. participated at the War of 1812 

Commemoration led by the Whitecap 

Dakota First Nation in Saskatoon 

on Sunday June 17, 2012. 

The War of 1812 is an important 

milestone of Canada’s Confederation. 

Our historical research showed that 

the very first beginnings were in 

Europe, in 1793 when Great Britain 

was forced into a war with revolutionary 

France. The Napoleonic 

Wars also played a key role in the 

independence of the American colonies 

from their European motherlands, 

especially after the Battle of 

Trafalgar (1805) when the British 

Royal Navy dominated the seas and 

enforced a blockade of Europe. 

On June 18, 1812 U.S President J. 

Madison declared war against the 

British and the battle lasted until the 

ratification of the Treaty of Ghent 

(1814-1815). 

First Nations members of the Saulteaux, 

Odawa, Potawatomi, Algonquins, 

Sauk, Fox, Hochunk, Hurons 

and Dakota fought on the British 

side. 

In addition Metis, Francophone and 

foreign troops on “contract”, like 

the De Meuron’s Swiss Regiment 

(formed 1781) and the De Watteville’s 

Swiss Regiment (formed 

1801), were sent to North America 

in October 1813 to service for the 

British army. The Swiss regiments 

included also Germans, Italians, 

Dutch, Belgians, Greeks, French, 

Polish, Hungarians and Russians. In 

1816, their contract expired and the 

regiments were disbanded. The soldiers 

were given either land grants 

in Canada or transportation back to 

Europe. Many veterans from both 

regiments settled in Canada after 

the war. 

The Commemoration event moved 

from River Landing to the Nutana 

School Gym due to continues rain, 

and the program as able to go ahead 

as planned. After the Opening Ceremonies 

with an opening prayer, flag 

ceremony and a moment of silence, 

representatives from the federal 

and provincial government, from 

the city of Saskatoon, and from the 

Whitecap Dakota First Nation held 

their speeches. 

Most of the event focused on aboriginal 

accomplishments but also 

other participating nationalities 

commemorated their contributions 

with cultural performances. The 

SGC Executive Director Sabine 

Doebel-Atchison brought greetings 

from the SGC President Ms. Ilona 

Beck and the German Junior Folk 

Dancers performed a variety of 

their dances. The SGC assembled a 

cultural display to promote its service 

and member groups activities. 

Volunteers looked after the information 

booth and visitors to the booth 

could take part in a SGC quiz to win 

book prizes. 

Sabine Doebel-Atchison had the 

honour to welcome the Consul General 

of the Federal Republic of Germany 

in Vancouver Mr. Hermann 

Sitz with his wife and the Honorary 

Consul of Germany for Saskatchewan 

Ms. Barbara Hoggard-Lulay 

at the SGC booth. 

The event ended with music performance 

from the Saskatoon Symphony 

Orchestra and fireworks. 

13

SGC’s Beteiligung an der Zweihundertjahr-Gedenkfeier des 

Krieges von 1812 


Am Sonntag den 17. Juni 2012 

nahm das Saskatchewan German 

Council Inc. an der Gedenkveranstaltung 

zum Krieg von 1812 teil. 

Die Gedächtnisfeier wurde von 

den Whitecap Dakota First Nations 

durchgeführt. 

Der Krieg von 1812 ist ein wichtiger 

Meilenstein zum kanadischen 

Bündnis. 

Unsere geschichtlichen Nachforschungen 

zeigten, dass die Anfänge 

der kriegerischen Auseinandersetzung 

in Europa lagen. Im Jahr 1793 

wurde England in einen Krieg mit 

dem revolutionären Frankreich 

gezwungen. Die Napoleonischen 

Kriege spielten eine Schlüsselrolle 

zur Unabhängigkeit der Kolonien 

in Amerika von deren europäischen 

Mutterländer, insbesondere nach 

der Schlacht von Trafalgar (1805) 

als die Britischen Seestreitkräfte 

die Meere beherrschten und Europa 

eine Seeblockade auferlegten. 

Am 18. Juni 1812 erklärte der damalige 

U.S. Präsident J. Madison 

Krieg gegen die Briten und die Auseinandersetzung 

dauerte bis zur 

Ratifizierung des Ghenter Vertrages 

(1814-1815). 

Auf der britischen Seite kämpften 

Indianer verschiedener Stammeszugehörigkeit 

wie zum Beispiel 

der 

Saulteaux, Odawa, Potawatomi, Algonquins, 

Sauk, Fox, Hochunk, Hurons 

and Dakotas. 

Zusätzlich waren Metis, Frankophone 

und ausländische Truppen 

wie das De Meuron’s Swiss Regiment 

(gegründet 1781) und das 

De Watteville’s Swiss Regiment 

(gegründet 1801) unter Vertrag um 

die Britische Armee zu unterstützen. 

Den Schweizer Regimentern 

gehörten auch Deutsche, Italiener, 

Holländer, Belgier, Griechen, Franzosen, 

Polen, Ungarn und Russen 

an. Im Jahre 1816 endeten die Verträge 

und die Regimente wurden 

entlassen. Die Soldaten konnten 

wählen zwischen einer Landschenkung 

in Kanada oder Rückführung 

nach Europa. Viele Veteranen beider 

Regimenter ließen sich in Kanada 

nieder. 

Die Feierlichkeiten wurden wegen 

Dauerregens von den River Landings 

in die Nutana Schulturnhalle 

verlegt, trotzdem konnte der Programmablauf 

weitgehend eingehalten 

werden. Nach dem Eröffnungsakt 

mit einem Gebet, eine 

Flaggenzeremonie und einer Schweigeminute 

hielten dann die Vertreter 

von Regierung, Provinz, Stadt 

und den Whitecap Dakota First Nations 

ihre Grußworte und Reden. 

Die Festlichkeit richtete sich verstärkt 

auf die Leistungen der Einheimischen 

aber auch andere Teilnehmer 

unterschiedlicher Herkunft 

leisteten ihren Beitrag mit einem 

kulturellem Auftritt zu dieser 

Gedenkfeier. SGC Executive Director 

Sabine Doebel-Atchison überbrachte 

Grußworte von der SGC 

Präsidentin Frau Ilona Beck und die 

German Junior Folk Dancers führten 

verschiedene Tänze aus ihrem 

Repertoire auf. Mit einer kleinen 

Ausstellung warb das SGC für seine 

Dienste und informierte über Aktivitäten 

seiner Mitgliedsgruppen. 

Freiwillige Helfer betreuten den Informationsstand 

und Besucher des 

Standes konnten eine Quiz ausfüllen 

um Buchpreise zu gewinnen. 

Sabine Doebel-Atchison hatte die 

Ehre den Deutschen Generalkonsul 

in Vancouver Herrn Hermann Sitz 

mit seiner Gattin und die Deutsche 

Honorarkonsulin für Saskatchewan 

Frau Barbara Hoggard-Lulay am 

SGC Informationsstand begrüßen 

zu dürfen. 

Die Feierlichkeiten gingen mit einer 

Musikdarbietung des Saskatoon 

Symphony Orchestra und einem 

Feuerwerk zu Ende. 

14

SGC Recipe Corner 

With the help of the Kochlöffel & 

Nudelholz Club, located in Saskatoon, 

we bring new, fresh, German, 

Swiss and Austrian recipes to you. 

This year we will focus and various 

salads. 

Kaltsaure Nudeln - Cold-Sour Noodles 

Vicky Maurus 

Eine kulinarische Kindheitserinnerung 

sind die Kaltsaure Nudeln 

die es an heißen Sommertagen zum 

Mittagessen gegeben hat. Meine 

Mutter hat die Nudeln immer selber 

gemacht aber man kann auch fertige 

Nudeln dazu verwenden. 

Zutaten Teig: 

- 200g Mehl 

- 1 Ei 

- etwas Salz 

- 1 EL Wasser 

Zubereitung: 

Aus Mehl, Ei, Salz und Wasser einen 

Nudelteig bereiten. Dann dünn 

ausrollen und den Teig in Streifen 

(8 – 10 cm lang und ca. 3mm breit) 

schneiden. Wenn Sie eine Nudelmaschine 

haben, dann benutzen sie 

diese um den Teig gleichmäßig auszurollen. 

Wahlweise kann man auch 

gekaufte Nudeln nehmen. 

Die selbstgemachten Nudeln 

werden im Salzwasser für ca. 10 – 

15 Minuten gekocht, fertige Nudeln 

nach Packungsangabe zubereiten. 

Unter kaltem Wasser abspühlen. 

Zutaten Marinade: 

- würziger Weinessig 

- etwas Öl 

- Salz und Pfeffer 

- Schnittlauch 

The last edition of the Postillion 

had a Swiss Sausage Salad printed 

for you. We hope you enjoyed it. 

We will continue with a Cold-Sour 

Noodle Salad, for those hot days 

during the summer. 

Zubereitung: 

Essig, Öl, Salz und Peffer mischen 

und etwas ziehen lassen. Dann die 

kalten Nudeln hinzu geben, gut vermischen 

und mit Schnittlauch bestreuen. 

A culinary memory from my childhood 

is the Cold Sour Noodles Dish 

we had on hot summer days. My 

mother always made it with homemade 

noodles but you can also use 

purchased pasta products. 

Ingredients dough: 

- 200 gram flour 

- little bit salt 

- 1 egg 

- 1 tablespoon water 

Preparation: 

Prepare a pasta dough, roll it out 

and cut it in stripes (8 – 10 cm long 

and 3mm width). If you have a pasta 

machine, use it to make an even 

rolled out dough. You can also use 

store bought pasta. 

Cook the homemade pasta in saltwater 

for about 10 – 15 minutes. 

Prepare store bought pasta according 

to package instructions. Strain 

under cold water. 

If you would like to submit a recipe 

for the Postillion or SGC website, 

please send an email with the 

recipe and picture (if possible) to 

office@saskgermancouncil.org. 

Ingredients marinade: 

- aromatic vinegar 

- oil 

- salt and pepper 

- chopped chives 

Preparation: 

Mix vinegar, oil, salt and pepper 

and let it sit for a bit. Then add the 

cold noodles and combine well and 

sprinkle with chopped chives. 

15

How and What in Canada? 

Hannelies Kuehnle 

Permanent Resident Card directmail-out 

project 

Citizenship and Immigration (CIC) 

is launching the following pilot 

project that will be evaluated after 

one year: 

Since April 30th, 2012 most of the 

permanent residents who apply for 

Permanent Resident Cards will receive 

the cards by mail. In former 

times applicants had to visit a CIC 

office. Only a select number of PR 

Cards will still need to be picked up 

at local CIC offices. Newly landed 

permanent residents will get their 

PR Cards by mail automatically so 

that they don’t need to apply for PR 

Cards any longer. 

Permanent Resident Cards still have 

to be renewed every 5 years. 

Source: www.cic.gc.ca/english/ 

department/media/notices/noticeprcard-mail.asp 

SIN cards are going to be a thing 

of the past 

Starting in 2014 individuals still 

will get a Social Insurance Number 

but they won’t be getting a 

card anymore. This procedure will 

save the federal government a large 

amount of money annually because 

the production of the SIN Cards is 

very expensive. 

Hint: Individuals shouldn’t have 

their SIN Cards with them. There is 

a significant risk of the card being 

lost or stolen. A SIN Card should 

always be kept private; otherwise it 

could be a source of identity theft 

or fraud. 

Source: http://ca.news.yahoo. 

com/sin-cards-headed-scrapheap-211605868.html 

Visa Office Closures 

As of June 1st, 2012 a total of 19 

Citizenship and Immigration Canada 

(CIC) local offices are closed 

Furthermore front counter services 

will disappear at the remaining open 

offices. In Saskatchewan the CIC 

office in Regina has been closed. 

New applications in regards of 

PR Cards, Investigation Referrals, 

CPC-V Referral Files and Citizenship 

Files will be transferred to the 

CIC office in Saskatoon. 

To receive services from the remaining 

open offices individuals have to 

book appointments. Individuals can 

also access CIC services by contacting 

CIC’s call center (1-888-242- 

2100) or through the CIC website 

(www.cic.gc.ca). 

Source: www.canadavisa.com/ 

news/entry/additional-visa-office 

Minimum language requirements 

for immigrants under the Provincial 

Nominee Program 

“As of July 1st, 2012 most Provincial 

Nominee Program (PNP) applicants 

for semi-and low-skilled occupations 

that fall under the National 

Occupational Classification (NOC) 

Skill Levels C and D will have to 

undergo mandatory language testing 

and achieve a minimum standard 

of Canadian Language Benchmark 

(CLB) 4 in English or Niveaux 

de competence linguistique canadiens 

(NCLC) level 4 in French 

across all four categories (listening, 

speaking, reading and writing).” 

Source: www.cic.gc.ca/english/ 

department/media/backgrounders/2012 

For further information please get in 

contact with the Immigrant Settlement 

Advisor Hannelies Kuehnle by 

phone: (306) 974-1087 or by e-mail: 

immigration@saskgermancouncil.org 

Advertise in the Postillion 

full page (18.8 x 24.8 cm) 

$130 

1/2 page horiz. (18.8 x 12.4 cm) 

$ 90 

1 column (6- 24.8 cm) 

$ 70 

1/2 column (6 x 12.4 cm) 

$ 40 

1/4 column (6 x 6.2 cm) 

$ 20 

SGC member receive a 15% 

discount. 

postillion@saskgermancouncil.org 

(306) 975-0845 

16

Walter Biberdorf from Estevan Club received SGC Special 

Volunteer Award 

Katharina Ulbrich 

Past President and long time member 

of the Estevan & Distract German 

“Freundschaft” Society Walter 

Biberdorf of Frobisher was presented 

with the Saskatchewan German 

Council Special Volunteer Award 

honouring his giving spirit, talents, 

gifts and his readiness to help out 

whenever needed. 

The Award was handed out at the 

Special Volunteer Awards Banquet 

during the annual Treffpunkt weekend 

in Lloydminster on June 9, 

2012. Since it was not possible for 

Walter to travel across the Province 

to receive the Award in person the 

President of the Club, Katharina Ulbrich, 

accepted the Award on his behalf. 

On June 21, 2012 the Estevan 

German Club held their last meeting 

before the summer break and at 

presence of most of the members of 

the Club the Award and gift basket 

was presented to Walter Biberdorf. 

Walter has served the Estevan German 

Club for over 19 years, holding 

various executive positions including 

presidency from 2008 to 2012. 

As current Past President and Coir 

Conductor he is still actively involved 

in the Club’s activities. 

Known as a very generous and warm 

hearted person Walter continuously 

shares his gifts and talent with others. 

He not only dedicates his time 

and knowledge to the German Club 

he also is active in his community 

as well as the St. John’s Lutheran 

Church of Frobisher. With the 

words of Reverend Schultz: “Walter 

exemplifies the qualities of an outstanding 

and devoted volunteer who 

possesses personal integrity and the 

respect of all his peers”. For many 

years Walter and his family served 

as missionary and humanitarian aid 

workers in Papa New Guinea. 

The SGC Special Volunteer Awards 

have been presented to outstanding 

volunteers in Saskatchewan’s 

German-Canadian community 

since 2000. The Estevan German 

Club proudly celebrates another 

club member to be recognized for 

his dedication and great volunteer 

work. 

Walter Biberdorf with the SGC basket. 

17

The Austrian Canadian Edelweiss 

Club in Regina was one of 19 pavilions 

that took part in Mosaic 2012. 

This year marked the 45th year 

that Regina Multicultural Council 

has been involved in Mosaic. The 

Austrian Club has been a part of 

this event for the past 34 years as 

we proudly showcase our Austrian 

heritage. Visitors to the Austrian pavilion 

had the opportunity to taste 

Wiener Schnitzel, Bratwurst, potato 

salad, homemade applestrudel and 

cream puffs while being entertained. 

The Austrian Club was alive with 

the sounds of music. The Alpine 

Express Band from Brandon, Manitoba 

played traditional Austrian 

tunes and Adi from Kimberley, British 

Columbia welcomed all with his 

yodeling, accordion playing and 

his famous cow bells. A new display 

was created to showcase the 

four famous Austrian composers: 

Community Radio Saskatoon, better 

known under its call letters 

CFCR, is very much involved in 

community events. Besides broadcasting 

programs, which are loved 

by young and old, the more than 100 

volunteers take pride to take part in 

festivals, which are sponsored by 

the radio station. There was the Jazz 

Festival in late June and the Ness 

Creek Festival July 19th to 22nd. 

18 

News from SGC Member Groups 

Regina Austrian Canadian Edelweiss Club participates in RMC 

45th Mosaic 

Janet Jost 

CFCR Report 

Sigird Kirmse 

Austrian Canadian Edelweiss Club 

Mozart, Haydn, Strauss and 

Schubert. 

The Austrian Edelweiss Dancers 

lead the entertainment by performing 

traditional folk dances as well as 

schuhplattering. Our youngest dancers, 

starting at the age of five, stole 

the show looking adorable in their 

custom clothing. The intermediate 

dancers performed nightly bringing 

their dance skills to the stage. Our 

very talented senior dance group 

had the crowds’ attention as they 

performed specialty Schuhplattler 

dances and dance selections that required 

audience participation. 

It is evident that those attending our 

pavilion enjoy our entertainment 

and displays as we had an increase 

in attendance and in revenue this 

year. As well as a wonderful opportunity 

to share our culture with others, 

Mosaic is also a very successful 

fundraiser for the Austrian Club. 

Community Radio Station Saskatoon 

For the second time the station 

sponsors the Sled-Island Festival in 

Calgary. Four Bands from Saskatoon 

will take part in this event. 

The annual FM-PHASIS will be 

held from September 15th -28th. 

All hosts have to ask their listeners 

for pledges. The money will be used 

for the continuation of the programs 

and the upgrading of the equipment. 

Membership to CFCR is important 

Thanks to our dedicated volunteers, 

people from Regina and area had 

the opportunity to be immersed in 

Austrian traditions while attending 

our pavilion. 

und also rewarding. As a member 

you are eligible to win prizes and to 

get a discount at selected businesses 

in Saskatoon. 

The German program is one of about 

17 ethnic programs which are aired 

every Saturday and Sunday. Add 

three classical programs, old-timers 

and lots of music for the young listeners 

and those young at heart and 

you have alternative programming.

The German program Treffpunkt 

Deutschland can be heard every 

Sunday from 1-3 p.m. Hosts Sigrid 

Kirmse, who has taken some 

time off, Andrea MacLeod with 

music for the younger generation, 

and Helge Struthers, our helper in 

need, are busy in finding something 

good and interesting for their listen- 

ers. For the Austrian listeners, Ein 

Gruss aus Wien is broadcast during 

the last Sunday of the month at 2 

p.m. Right now we are looking for 

a person who would take over Sigrid’s 

program for some time. CD’s 

and cassettes are available. 

Community Radio is broadcast on 

the FM 90.5 scale. It can also be 

received via the internet at 

www.cfcr.ca and on the TV radio 

channel. The address is 267- 

3rd Ave. South, Saskatoon, phone 

306-664-6678. 

Community Radio thanks the Saskatchewan 

German Council for its 

ongoing financial support. 

News from the Verein 

Amanda Marien 

We recently celebrated our 30th anniversary 

at the 6th Western Canadian 

Schuhplattlers Workshop and 

Dance held at the German Cultural 

Centre in Saskatoon. Many of our 

club members, as well as our friends 

from the Calgary, Edmonton and 

Regina dance groups attended the 

event. It was wonderful to see all of 

the different costumes and to have 

each group perform. The highlight 

of the night was when the dancers 

from each group performed a Gruppenplattler 

together. Everybody had 

a great time. 

We have entered three teams of 

dancers in our club golf tournament 

on July 29th. We look forward to 

a day of fun in the sun and a great 

steak supper, following the day’s 

activities. 

Concordia Alpenrose Schuhplattler Verein 

Our outdoor stage is due for an upgrade 

and we are pleased that our 

club has agreed to take this project 

on before Folkfest. The dancers will 

be doing the majority of the work, 

along with other club members who 

are willing to help out. 

We are looking forward to two weddings 

and a fiftieth birthday celebration 

in our dance group over the 

next few months. Congratulations 

to Joan and Bryan on their upcoming 

nuptials. 

If you or someone you know is interested 

in learning how to German 

dance please contact us. We practice 

weekly at the GCC, there are no 

fees and no experience is necessary. 

Call Amanda for further details: 

249-0108 

Das Schulhaus - Regina German Language School Inc. 

Was gibt es Neues im Schulhaus? 

Sabine Zagoricnik-Wecker/Linda Froh 

Der Sommer ist inzwischen da und 

die Sommerferien stehen vor der 

Türe. Da finden die letzten Klassen 

statt, Zeugnisse werden verteilt 

und Pläne für das neue Schuljahr 

geschmiedet, der Grill wird angefeuert 

und man kann sich in guter 

Gesellschaft entspannen und das 

Schuljahr beschliessen. 

Was also hat sich in den letzten 

Monaten im Schulhaus ereignet? 

Summer has come and summer 

holidays are around the corner. 

The last few classes have finished, 

report cards are being handed out, 

and plans for the new school year 

are being forged. The BBQ/grill 

will be lit and we will find ourselves 

relaxing among good company to 

celebrate the end of the school year. 

So, what happend over the last 

months at the Schulhaus? 

19

Spring came and we welcomed Easter. 

Traditions around Easter came 

alive in the classroom. The Play and 

Learn Circle (Spiel- und Lernkreis) 

decorated an Easter Table including 

Osterstrauch, Ostereier, Osternester, 

Osterfladen and participated 

in an Easter egg hunt. 

The Spiel- und Lernkreis / Play and 

Learn Circle, together with the teen 

beginner class, enjoyed some Easter 

crafts. 

Before the Easter holidays Das 

Schulhaus offered our more advanced 

students as well as other 

German students from Regina the 

opportunity to participate in SATG’s 

Sprachwettbewerb (language competition). 

The advanced teenage class also 

finished the German Language Diploma 

A2 (Deutsches Sprachdiplom) 

in April! All 4 students passed! 

Herzlichen Glückwunsch! 

Thanks go to the teacher, Travis 

Ziegler, who did an excellent job 

preparing them! 

At the beginning of May, Das Schulhaus 

drove two students, invited as 

finalists to the second round (speaking 

and listening comprehension) 

of the SATG’s Sprachwettbewerb, 

to the Aden Bowman Collegiate in 

Saskatoon! 

Both students from Regina, Marina 

Martin (Das Schulhaus) and Jesse 

Lyon, won the first prize. Marina in 

the German background and Jesse 

in the non-German background category. 

Congratulations again! 

The adult class had their last class 

May 9th! A big thank you goes to 

our teacher Ulrike Veith! The teen 

classes finished May 30th. Another 

big thank you to Andrea Nillson and 

Travis Ziegler! 

Our booth at the annual Mosaic 

Festival at the German Pavillion 

was a successful event! We advertised 

ourselves using a ‘Schulhaus’- 

display, ‘Schulhaus’- buttons and 

‘Schulhaus’ T-shirts. We also offered 

German books and Märchenguckerl 

(fairytale picture toy) as a 

fundraiser. 

The Teenage classes presented a 

lovely skit for this event! 

The Spiel- und Lernkreis’ last day 

was June 13th with a nice summer 

topic and an abundance of children! 

The Sommerfest or year-end picnic 

took place on Saturday, June 16th at 

the South Kinsmen Park to celebrate 

the end of our first school year (with 

Bratwurst, Kartoffelsalat, other salads 

and Kuchen) and a variety of 

well known summer games, like 

Sackhüpfen, Tauziehen etc. Report 

cards and certificates were handed 

out that day as well! 

Das Schulhaus - Regina German 

Language School will continue its 

vision of a respectful, transparent 

and collaborative school culture 

with quality education based on a 

fresh and lively approach, to teach 

and promote the German language 

and culture in a contemporary, efficient 

and non-political environment. 

Thank you directors and teachers 

for your hard work and dedication! 

For registrations please contact 

DasSchulhaus@gmail.com 

Das Schulhaus contribution to the celebration 

of 60 years of German Language 

Instruction in Regina. 

Estevan & District German “Freundschaft” Society 

Estevan German Club Trip to Regina 

Michael Bartolf 

On Sunday May 6, 2012, 11 members 

of the Estevan & District German 

“Freundschaft” Society took 

an enjoyable trip to Regina. 

Under the leadership of our President 

and driver Katharina Ulbrich, 

members of the Estevan German 

Club and friends enjoyed a pleas- 

20 

ant outing to the Volksliederchor 

Harmonie in Regina for their spring 

concert. Those accompanying Katharina 

were: Ewald & Phylllis Arndt, 

Otto & Christiane Michaelsen, 

Mike & Ruth Bartolf, Isabel Baril 

and Ann Welch, Mary Martin and 

Doreen Dirks. 

We gathered at the Estevan Art Gallery 

& Museum, where we boarded 

the “Rent-a-Van” and shortly after 

11 AM we, with Katharina at the 

wheel, struck out for Regina. Having 

dinner at the Weyburn Tim Horton’s 

and a short break, we continued 

on to Regina.

Through our visiting along the way 

and not having the need to drive ourselves, 

it seemed that in a short time 

the Regina skyline was seen on the 

horizon. We were so amazed at how 

Katharina knew her way through the 

streets of Regina and shortly thereafter 

we arrived at the German Club. 

We got off the van and she found a 

parking place for it. Meeting us inside 

the Club members were able to 

have a short rest break, she then directed 

us to different tables to visit 

with members from other German 

Clubs across Saskatchewan. Introducing 

ourselves and where “home” 

was, along with the part of German 

Europe we were from, it didn’t 

take long until we were carrying on 

conversations with our new found 

friends. 

Our visiting came to an end as the 

entertainers in full costume and big 

smiling faces walked out on the 

stage, introducing themselves and 

then the entertainment began. It 

truly was a great afternoon of great 

entertainment of both old and new 

German songs. 

At the close of the entertainment 

we had Kaffee & Kuchen along 

with more visiting and also with 

the choir members who circulated 

around the tables. With the entertainment 

having drawn to a close, 

two gift baskets were raffled off and 

to our happy surprise our Katharina 

was one of the winners. We Estevan 

members felt that it was fitting for 

Katharina to win it, as she had done 

so much, to make this event such a 

wonderful and entertaining afternoon 

for us. 

As all good things must come to an 

end, in a short time we were back 

to Estevan, thankful that Katharina 

had done so much to make this a 

wonderful and entertaining day for 

us and saying that we need to do 

this more often. With smiling faces 

and many memories we happily returned 

to our homes. 

German Canadian Society Harmonie 

News from the Club 

Kerri Van Loosen 

In the ‘Spring Edition’ I advised 

all of our readers that Spargelfest 

was approaching and they should 

purchase their tickets right away 

to ensure a spot. That proved to be 

an understatement. We had a record 

attendance of 80 guests and 

turned away enough people that we 

are considering hosting a two night 

event next year. Amongst the several 

new faces that enjoyed our 4 

course meal was our guest of honor, 

CJ Katz. CJ is known in Regina 

for her culinary TV show, Wheatland 

Cafe, her online review, Savor 

Life, and newspaper articles in The 

Leader Post. Not only did she attend 

and enjoy the festival with us, 

she also wrote up a fantastic review 

and posted some great photos in her 

online article. Next year can only 

promise greater things. 

It’s hard to believe that Regina’s 

multicultural event, Mosaic, has 

come and gone already. Our committee 

started planning in January 

for the festival that began on May 

31 which delivered another record 

breaking weekend. Our guest performer, 

Devyn Neufeld, came in 

from Winnipeg, Manitoba again 

to sing and entertain for the entire 

weekend. Whether you were singing 

along with the choir, clapping 

along to the dance performances, 

enjoying homemade Torten in the 

Kaffeestube or trying some of our 

new menu items, everyone seemed 

to indulge in a piece of German 

culture. On Friday night we had an 

unexpected 2 hour power outage. 

Most people expected us to close 

down our pavilion, but they got a 

pleasant surprise. Our volunteers 

stepped up and carried on the experience 

as best they could outside 

in the courtyard and beer tent. The 

Corner Stone Band had the crowd 

dancing the polka, our pig roaster, 

bratshack workers, pretzel sellers 

and Jägermeister shooter girls kept 

all attendees very happy. Luckily 

there was no damage to our building 

and SaskPower resolved the 

situation as fast as they could. Once 

the power came back on, everyone 

went back inside and the program 

continued as if it never stopped. A 

HUGE thank you to everyone who 

helped achieve another successful 

year! 

May marked the end of this year’s 

German Movie afternoons. Starting 

up again in September through 

May will be the Kaffee and a Movie. 

During the afternoon of every 

second and fourth Wednesday of 

the month Alvin and Berbel Knoll 

show a German speaking movie in 

the German Club’s basement. Sipping 

on hot Kaffee and nibbling on 

scrumptious treats while watching 

21

an entertaining movie is a great way 

to spend a chilly afternoon. Once 

September arrives, please feel free 

to call the German Club to confirm 

dates, times and movie titles. 

Lassen Sie sich Zeit, den Sommer zu 

genießen. 

Please check out the Club’s updated 

website: www.reginagermanclub.ca 

or become a fan on our Facebook 

page: Regina German Club. 

Es tut sich Einiges! Die freiwilligen 

Helfer sind sehr fleissig. 

Die Landeswappen (crests) of all 

16 Länder (federal states/province) 

of Germany are done and can be 

admired at the outside wall of the 

lounge. We also made a map with 

the explanation of the crests with 

the capital cities, population and 

size of each country. The windows 

received a bit of decoration and 

other donated items can be found 

in the front rooms. The dining room 

had to have an extra wall installed 

so the food for the Culture room 

does not have to be carried through 

the dining room. All are regulations 

by Saskatchewan Health. Now 

we can go ahead with more beautifying 

of the Culture room. Several 

prints of old cities of Germany 

have been donated, we just have 

to find the right frames for them. 

Our manager Jon Tyson and his 

22 

German Cultural Centre 

Neues vom German Cultural Centre in Saskatoon 

Sigrid Kirmse 

crew are busy with the two front 

rooms which are open Tuesday to 

Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., 

on Sundays for brunch from 11 

a.m. to 2 p.m. Every Friday a special 

buffet will surprise the guests. 

Mothers’ Day was a sell-out success. 

Some grown-up children 

had come from other provinces 

to take their mother to the Centre 

for a delicious Brunch. The next 

event is a Golf Tournament scheduled 

for July 29th. More information 

and registration are available 

at the Centre at 244-6869. 

Preparations for Folkfest – August 

16.-18. are in high gear. The theme 

this year for the display are three 

more federal states/provinces of 

Germany – Berlin, Brandenburg 

and Saxony, as well as needlework. 

Volunteers are needed for all three 

days. Who knows that this year two 

great events are celebrated in Germany? 

300 years after the birth of 

Frederick the Great and 800 years 

after the founding of the Thomanerchor 

in Leipzig. Both events will be 

featured at the display at Folkfest. 

We hope to see you there, even if it 

rains! 

Alvin Knoll from the German Canadian 

Society Harmonie presented a wood 

carving to Darrell Dick from the German 

Cultural Centre. Original scissor 

cut by Waltraude Stehwien.

Was ist los in Humboldt? 

Ruth Wilson 

German Heritage Society of Humboldt & District 

A small group of us attended the 

200th anniversary celebration of the 

1812 war in Saskatoon on June 17, 

2012. It was great to see aboriginal 

nations celebrating with Swiss, German, 

and Dutch nationalities and 

honouring the multicultural group 

of soldiers who fought to keep 

Canada a free land. Speeches were 

many and meaningful and the entertainment 

spectacular. Only Mother 

Nature failed to co-operate so the 

River Landing venue was moved to 

Nutuana High School Gym. 

Our multicultural mural project is 

complete and the ribbon-cutting ceremony 

took place on June 5, 2012. 

There again the venue for the BBQ 

and entertainment was moved from 

Civic Park to the Library building 

where the mural is displayed 

on the north wall for all to see. The 

GHS Annual General Meeting was 

held on June 12, 2012, attended by 

45 members, was held at the Bella 

Vista Inn. Everyone enjoyed a German 

meal and President John Saxinger 

welcomed all and thanked 

them for attending. He thanked the 

executive and board of directors for 

their dedication to the club. Furthermore, 

he mentioned that an article 

will appear in the Humboldt Journal 

written by Katie Knorr, a member, 

expressing the importance of preserving 

the our heritage, appealing 

to younger people to come forward 

and get involved. 

Kaffeestunde was again a success 

this year. A tastefully decorated hall 

invited the crowd to participate in 

the good food provided. Two members 

of the German Heritage Society 

and two from the Folkart Co-op 

attended Treffpunkt at Lloydminster. 

Although the weekend was met 

with rain, Lloydminster put on a terrific 

weekend with their small group 

of 35 members. The food was incredible 

with a large assortment of 

scrumptious cakes and tortes. The 

meeting was well attended and very 

informative. Well Done!! 

Until the next edition of the Postillion!!! 

German Junior Folk Dancers 

The Best, the Most, and the Not-so-great 

Barbara Stehwien 

Best Minifest ever – this was a 

common reaction from the groups 

involved. 

Most dancers - the event attracted 

more dancers than ever, even with 

one group having to cancel. 

Best teach and learn sessions – 

even our radio personality MC was 

drawn into the dancing fun! 

Best prizes – our prizes were bigger 

and better, thanks to our generous 

sponsors. 

Best time of year – seems that we 

have finally found a date that works 

for many? 

Most displays – more groups than 

before brought items for display, the 

photowall was also fun to look at. 

Best facility - the bright, friendly 

and large Terrace Room at Prairieland 

Park was very popular. 

Best parking – free parking and 

lots of room for more. 

Most sponsors – the event is starting 

to get more support from well 

known sponsors. 

Most advertising – even though it 

brought relatively few ‘walk-ins’ 

Minifest was advertised through the 

Prairieland Park event package. 

Most expensive – tough on the budget, 

but worth it to see ‘our name in 

lights’? 

Not-so-great food – the downside 

to this great facility was the food 

service, no outside food allowed and 

only an expensive menu to choose 

from. We ended up with only simple 

donated snacks and drinks. 

Not-so-great T-shirts – due to time 

constraints and poor communication, 

the T-shirts were printed with 

the wrong color. 

23

German Language School of Regina 

News from the School 

Sandra Morin 

The 2011/2012 school year marked a 

significant milestone for the school, 

given that the school was founded 

in 1951, so the celebrations of 60 

years of German language education 

and activities by the German 

Language School of Regina continued 

until the end of the school year! 

In February we celebrated our Faschingsfeier 

and of course, indulged 

in some delicious Berliner Faschingskrapfen! 

The costumes that the 

students and teachers wore were 

fantastic and everyone enjoyed the 

games and activities. 

The Level 5 class began extra evening 

classes after the first semester 

exams were completed for regular 

school, to prepare themselves for 

the ZDP-A2 Sprachdiplom (German 

language proficiency exam) offered 

through the German government. 

Congratulations to the four students 

who participated in the exam! 

The Osterfest celebration was a 

very colorful event with the wonderful 

eggs and crafts that the students 

and some family members 

decorated and created. There were 

many smiles as the students left the 

school with their Easter bags filled 

with the chocolate eggs that they 

found in the egg hunt as well as the 

items they had created. 

In celebration of the 60th Anniversary 

of the German Language 

School of Regina, we decided to 

mark the occasion with an activity 

that the school hosted in the past. 

We organized a Lantern Parade 

at Wascana Lake and invited anyone 

in the community at large to 

participate. Although the weather 

was not overly cooperative due to 

rain, the 50 people who came were 

hearty and enthusiastic and wanted 

to forge ahead! We walked with our 

lanterns through the rain while cars 

honked or stopped to ask what we 

were celebrating! Everyone was 

happy when we arrived back at the 

Legislature to the welcoming steam 

of hot chocolate and cookies! 

We also hosted our annual Open 

House where we displayed older 

books from our school resources, 

from which people could take what 

they liked and make a donation, if 

they so chose. Students in all the 

grade levels prepared wonderful 

posters using German words or 

phrases, to put on display for the 

visitors and parents that joined us 

on that day. Our guests were impressed 

by the fact that we were celebrating 

the 60th anniversary of the 

school providing German language 

instruction! 

To bring the school year to a close, 

we again hosted our annual Sommerfest 

and feasted on bratwurst 

and buns from Oskar’s Sausage 

House as well as a variety of salads 

and desserts donated by all of 

the families in attendance. This year 

we also had a special cake made to 

mark the occasion of the 60th anniversary 

school year! Students participated 

in numerous activities but 

the most popular activity was the 

‘fishing pond’! There were presentations 

to the teachers and Julia Lacey, 

the school Registrar/Secretary, 

for their volunteer work and team 

work. Special presentations were 

made to Ingeborg Schlichtmann 

and Linda Daver for their unprecedented 

dedication and service to the 

school’s success given that both of 

them served the German language 

community for well over a quarter 

century each! 

The Mosaic festival provided us 

with the opportunity to showcase 

the 60th anniversary of the German 

Language School of Regina as well 

as to connect with many individuals 

who attended the school at some 

point over the 60 years! Many of our 

students’ posters were on display as 

well as pictures of the school activities. 

Although the school year has come 

to a close, planning is already underway 

for the next year. We are in 

the process of ordering new textbooks 

and workbooks for the fall as 

well as investigating some options 

of incorporating laptops and projectors 

for classroom instruction. Our 

Level 5 class has already exchanged 

correspondence with German summer 

immersion programs for 2013 

and is initiating their fundraising efforts. 

We are so grateful for any and all 

support that we receive, be it monetary, 

labour, good ‘word-of-mouth’, 

etc. and we want to thank all of 

those individuals and organizations 

for making a difference through 

their kindness. 

26

German Language School Saskatoon Inc. 

An Update from the School 

Gabi Harrison 

Our school year has come to an 

end and we can look back at lots 

of language learning, working with 

fairy tale themes in class, celebrating 

several cultural events, the adult 

classes having a nice Christmas dinner 

as well as a beer tasting evening 

(beginners). Congratulations to all 

students for attending and finishing 

a year of German language courses! 

In spring, we offered a class for the 

linguistic qualification level A2 followed 

by the German Language 

Exam level A2. This is a first step 

towards the DSD I (Deutsches 

Sprachdiplom I) which qualifies for 

studying in German. The class focused 

on reading comprehension, 

listening comprehension, written 

communication and oral communication. 

All four students did very 

well and passed the exam! 

We also had some of our language 

students participate in SATG’s Provincial 

Language Contest in May. 

Every year, high school students 

in Saskatchewan who study German 

are able to compete in two categories 

(German background / non- 

German background) for different 

prizes. Students first participate in a 

written exam. The best students are 

then being invited to take part in an 

oral exam. Congratulations to the 

following students of our school for 

taking home some prizes: 

Prakriti Pratijit, German 20: 

2nd prize, category non-German 

background 

Florian Goetz, German 30: 

2nd prize, category German Background 

Thalya Joorisity, adult advanced: 

3rd prize, category German Background 

On May 10th was the last day of 

school for our children’s classes. 

That night we held our Immersion 

Evening Camp – Theme Fairy Tales. 

The evening started with pizza supper 

and was followed by some wonderful 

homemade desserts baked by 

our teacher Andrea. The different 

classes worked on crafts, projects, 

and activities regarding Die Bremer 

Stadtmusikanten or Der Froschkönig. 

They also had a camp booklet 

to work on which included German 

writing, reading as well as drawing 

and coloring. At the end of the evening, 

the parents joined in and were 

able to share the result of the camp 

in form of performances. The small 

children recited a poem Die Bremer 

Stadtmusikanten and did a beautiful 

dance. Level 2 acted out a play 

with self-made masks about the 

story of Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten. 

Level 3 told Grimm’s fairy tale 

Der Froschkönig in form of a puppet 

play with crafted paper puppets. 

And the credit class recited a poem 

about Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten 

as well. What a great way to end the 

school year by seeing the students 

perform on stage! 

If you are interested in learning 

German, refreshing your language 

skills or work towards a linguistic 

certification, please contact Gabi 

Harrison, p.382-8158 or email 

germanschoolsaskatoon@sasktel.net 

Hansel & Gretel Preschool Inc. 

Another Year has Passed 

Ulrike Hecker 

It is hard to believe another year of 

preschool has passed by and time 

seems to fly! 

Raising awareness through various 

activities and advertising has helped 

our Hansel & Gretel Preschool 

grow; we are proud and happy to 

announce that we are looking at 

the highest number of enrolment in 

the history of our German-English 

Bilingual Preschool. Children and 

their families are becoming more 

and more excited about the unique 

chance to learn about the German 

language and culture. We had a 

number of new students joining our 

program during the last few months. 

Some of them have emigrated from 

Europe (England, Germany) and 

have chosen our preschool to make 

the transition into a new country 

easier for their children. 

Like every year, the Easter Bunny 

(Osterhase) made its way to our 

school and left some Ostereier 

(Easter eggs) for our little ones. We 

served typical German Easter baking, 

made of yeast dough. 

In March we introduced our children 

to some famous German fairy 

tales, such as Rotkäppchen (Little 

Red Riding Hood), Schneewittchen 

(Snow White) etc. The story of 

27

Hänsel and Gretel was another classic 

fairytale on our ‘top ten list’. The 

children really enjoyed acting out 

the stories, using our hand puppets 

and other props that were had provided 

for them. In addition to our 

fairy tales we learned many classic 

English nursery rhymes. 

In June we took our children to a 

day camp at the zoo. The year-end 

field trip was the highlight for many 

of our students. Riding on the big 

yellow school bus was an adventure 

in itself! As we were riding on the 

little train through the zoo we taught 

our students all the names of the animals 

in German. Our students were 

surprised how many animals have 

similar names, sometimes even the 

same pronunciation in German e.g. 

Bear – Bär, Fish – Fisch, Bison – 

Bison, Tiger – Tiger, Owl – Eule, 

etc. On our bus ride home we sang 

Der Bär in dem Bus ruft ARGH 

ARGH ARGH! in the same melody 

as ‘The wheels on the bus go round 

and round’. 

One of the most rewarding experiences 

of being a preschool teacher 

at Hansel and Gretel Preschool is 

to see how quickly children pick 

up new German words. Not only 

have children learned German this 

year, but by the end of the year all 

our parents knew our German good 

bye song and joined in for 1-2-3, die 

Schule ist vorbei. 

Many of our children will be graduating 

this year and we hope that 

they will continue to be involved 

with German language and culture, 

either through the Language School 

in Saskatoon or our German Junior 

Folk Dancers. 

We greatly appreciate all the support 

that our Preschool has received 

from the Saskatchewan German 

Council and SaskLotteries this year 

and wish all of you a wonderful 

summer! 

Schönen Sommer! 

Greeting from the Karnevalsgesellschaft Harmonie 

Angelica Barth 

28 

Karnevalsgesellschaft Harmonie 

Our Karneval group has been a bee 

hive of activity of celebrations, 

dance performances and fund raising 

activities while planning ahead 

for upcoming events. Elected into 

the Elferat are a few new members 

among many familiar and long 

standing dedicated members including 

Erika DuMont, President; Dyan 

DuMont, Secretary; Les Francis, 

VP Karneval; Darlene Rubrecht, 

Treasurer; Leslie Ottenbreit, Social/ 

Events Coordinator; Jean Schlecter 

and Annette Clute, Phone Committee; 

Sheila and Cheryl Aldous, 

Dance Instructors. Other Elferat 

members include Rod Eberle, Angelica 

Barth, Deidre Drews, and 

Karen Francis. The Elferat held its 

first meeting May 1 with much to do 

as this year will prove to be bursting 

with excitement and activity as any 

other year. 

Spring Free from Racism took place 

on March 25th and went well, giving 

our dancers great exposure at 

this as always well attended event, 

sparking a return to regular dance 

practices in preparation for both 

“Bring a Little Mosaic to You” and 

“Mosaic.” “Bring a Little Mosaic 

to You” opened at Cornwall Center 

on April 29th, continued at various 

locations throughout May and 

will have its last performance at the 

Wascana Rehabilitation Centre on 

June 28th - ending a series of many 

dance performances for citizens and 

seniors that find it difficult to travel 

to “Mosaic” venues. 

May ended and June began with 

Mosaic which was once again a 

resounding success. Record numbers 

of visitors attended our venue. 

Demonstrated by the consistently 

full seating indoors, busy displays 

as well as capacity crowds outdoors 

coupled by fantastic sales of menu 

food items, tortes, pretzels, souvenirs, 

beer and shooters. Our visitors 

continued to enjoy our venue despite 

a power outage that lasted over 

two hours, beginning early Friday 

evening. This success is a testament 

to a job well done by the musicians 

and our many volunteers who kept 

our visitors entertained in wall-towall 

standing room only beer gardens, 

during the power pole repair 

that had sparked the power outage. 

Just as though nothing out of the 

ordinary had happened the previously 

planned Mosaic dance performances 

by the Karneval groups 

once again resumed indoors. A huge 

thank you goes out to all the volunteers, 

dancers and singers. Without 

you Mosaic could not be successful. 

A special thank you goes out to Darlene 

and Eckard Rubrecht who were 

our German Club’s Ambassadors. 

Upcoming events include the annual 

summer picnic – details pending. 

And of course one cannot forget 

Crowning. Prince Jason Kelln

and Princess Lia Husli-Kelln will 

be crowned at Karneval celebrations 

on Friday, November 9, 2012. 

Rockapulco will be providing music 

following the main program. Mardi 

Gras will be taking place January 

25, 26, 27, 2013 in Edmonton – further 

details will follow as planning 

proceeds. 

When our many Karneval members 

are not dancing or planning events 

you will find them participating in 

various fundraising activities. Upcoming 

are football games throughout 

the summer and fall, a Hot Dog 

Sale fundraiser July 7, 2012, and 

50/50’s at the Big Valley Jamboree. 

There has also been a Dirndl sale 

earlier this month. If you missed this 

sale contact our high energy dance 

instructors Sheila and Cheryl. The 

Karneval groups’ much anticipated 

Dirndls ordered from Germany may 

yet arrive – hopefully soon! 

Kochlöffel & Nudelholz: German-Canadian Koch- und Backstudio 

First Steps are taken 


Die ersten Schritte sind getan. Kurz 

vor unserem ersten Kochkurs fanden 

wir für unseren Zweck eine 

Küche zum Mieten und dann stand 

auch schon unser erster Kochabend 

vor der Tür. Der Jahreszeit entsprechend 

unser erstes Thema: Rund 

um das Osterfest. Die Teilnehmer 

bekamen ein vorbereitetes Rezept 

und allein oder zu zweit wurde 

dann gekocht und gebacken. Das 

Ergebnis konnte sich sehen lassen 

und wurde anschließend von den 

Hobbyköchen genussvoll verspeist. 

Unser zweiter geplanter Kochkurs 

für Kinder zum Muttertag musste 

mangels Teilnehmer leider abgesagt 

werden. 

Für den Kochkurs Anfang Juni 

mit dem Thema Sommerfrische 

drehte sich dann alles um Salate. 

Der lauwarme Kartoffelsalat fand 

genauso viel Zuspruch wie der 

Obstsalat, als sich die Teilnehmer 

das Essen schmecken ließen. 

Nach der Sommerpause soll im 

September das Thema Kuchen und 

Torten einen Abend füllen. Nähere 

Hinweise finden sie ab Mitte August 

auf unserem Werbeposter auf 

der SGC Webseite. 

Das Kochlöffel und Nudelholz 

Team wünscht einen Sommer mit 

Genuss. 

The first steps are taken. Shortly 

before our first cooking class we 

found a suitable kitchen to rent. 

According to the season the theme 

was All about Easter. Recipes were 

handed out to the participants and 

alone or in a group of two they got 

busy with cooking and baking. The 

results were great and eaten with 

pleasure by the hobby cooks. 

Our second planed class kids cooking 

for Mother’s Day sadly had to 

be cancelled because of not enough 

registrations. 

In June the theme was Summer 

freshness and all about salads. The 

lukewarm potato salad was everybody’s 

favour as well as the fruit salad 

as the cooks came together to eat. 

In September, after the summer 

break, we will do an evening about 

Cakes and Torts. For more information 

please check the SGC website 

mid August. 

The Kochlöffel und Nudelholz 

Team wishes an enjoyable summer. 

29

News from the Club 

Louise Fornal 

Prince Albert German-Canadian Club “Waldhorn” 

We ended 2011 with our annual 

Christmas party. A summary of the 

evenings events was printed in the 

Spring Postillion. Santa, (Orest Zelensky), 

delivered presents to all the 

children in attendance. His beard 

grew a little bit over his nose and up 

to his eyes this year, but we all knew 

it was him. The entertainment for 

the evening was the Trudel family. 

On March 9 of this year, Club 

members Linda Fornal and Sheila 

Baessler presented two $50.00 

scholarships at the Prince Albert 

Music Festival. The Prince Albert 

German Club donated these two 

scholarships to vocal performers 

who sang in the German language. 

Congratulations to Megan McConechy 

and Jody Jordan Johnson 

who were this year’s recipients. 

Our Club held a Kaffeeklatsch 

on March 17 at the Messiah Lutheran 

Church. Fourteen people 

attended and enjoyed visiting, 

coffee and wonderful dessert. 

Well deserved special presentations 

were made to long time members of 

our Club. Linda Fornal received an 

Honorary Membership certificate as 

well as this year’s Special Volunteer 

Award. Don Goller was presented 

with an Honorary Membership certificate. 

Lee Gisi and Dave Buettner 

also received an Honorary Membership 

certificate, but were not in attendance. 

Photos were taken of the 

recipients as well as a group picture. 

Linda, Don, Lee and Dave have 

been valuable members for many 

years and have contributed greatly 

and have volunteered many hours. 

Congratulations and thank you very 

much for all that you have done for 

our Club! 

On April 22, we held our Annual 

General Meeting at the Messiah 

Lutheran Church. There was a turnout 

of 12 people. A new executive 

board was elected and are as follows: 

President - Les Lautner, Vice 

President - Willi Baessler, Secretary 

- Laurie Fabrick, Treasurer - Don 

Cody, Directors - Sheila Baessler, 

Don Fabrick, Henry Buller, Don 

Goller, and Doris Lautner. A big 

and grateful thank you to the new 

executive for making a commitment 

to our Club and volunteering 

your valuable time. We now have a 

full board with a maximum of nine 

people! Another big thank you to 

Joyce Zelensky, who served on the 

executive for over 6 years, and Louise 

Fornal for being secretary for 6 

years. They both have stepped down 

from their positions. 

Our spring session of beginner German 

classes has come to an end. 

Katharina Kroecker taught her lessons 

at Messiah Lutheran Church, 

the last one being on June 7. We are 

hopeful to run more classes again 

in the fall. We’ll keep you posted. 

Thank you Katharina for taking on 

the job of teaching. 

Best wishes for an enjoyable and 

warm summer. 

Regina Austrian Edelweiss Dancer 

News from the Dancers 

Sarah Shoulak 

30 

The Austrian Edelweiss Dancers 

had a very successful dance year 

in 2011-2012. Along with performing 

at various retirement homes 

throughout the year, we also had the 

opportunity to perform in Brandon, 

Manitoba for their annual Winterfest. 

We also had the pleasure of 

participating in Maifest 2012, held 

in Saskatoon. To round out our 

year we participate in Regina’s annual 

Multicultural festival, Mosaic. 

With the help from members and 

volunteers, we were able to host a 

successful mosaic at our home at 

the Austrian Club of Regina. We 

are excited to continue our success 

in the 2012-2013 dance year.

“Egg Money” Book Launch 

Barbara Hoggard-Lulay 

The Saskatoon German Days Committee 

successfully launched its 

“Egg Money” book on Sunday, 

June 3 in Saskatoon. 

The book launch to honour the pioneer 

women of Saskatchewan, was 

held at the Western Development 

Museum. Similar to the unveiling 

ceremony of the “Egg Money” 

sculpture in September 2009, the 

committee hosted a dinner before 

the book presentation. The dinner 

was well attended by 75 guests, 

many of them family members of 

the 24 pioneer women whose stories 

are related in the book. These 

family members came from all parts 

of Saskatchewan, and one couple 

even drove from Winnipeg, Manitoba 

to Saskatoon to attend the book 

launch. 

In addition to the families, Saskatoon’s 

Mayor Don Atchison, Ellen 

Remai, the major sponsor of the 

“Egg Money” sculpture, the artists 

Shirley and Don Begg from Cochrane, 

Alberta, were welcomed by 

the committee’s chair Barbara Hoggard-Lulay, 

as well as SGC President 

Ilona Beck, and editors and 

publishers, Deana and Al Driver 

from DriverWorks Ink Regina. 

The committee once again had 

asked German chef Andreas Gewers 

to be a guest-chef in the kitchen of 

the Western Development Museum, 

Saskatoon German Days 

and he prepared another very tasty 

German dinner. The pork roast with 

bread dumplings, sauerkraut and 

carrots and an extremely delicious 

Mousse au Chocolate for dessert received 

numerous compliments and 

accolade from the attendees. 

Some nice musical entertainment 

was provided by the “Dave Nelson 

Group” with German community 

member Ben Christa, playing jazzy 

background music during the reception. 

The “German Junior Folk 

Dancers” showed their latest dances 

during the dinner, and “Spectrum” 

played some of their classical music 

repertoire before the book presentation 

started on Museum Street. 

During the book presentation artist 

Shirley Begg shared with the audience 

her story how the “Egg Money” 

idea came up in a conversation 

with her 102 year old grandmother 

who had been concerned that ordinary 

pioneer women were being 

forgotten. 

And Stephen Gebhardt of the Anna 

Maria Gebhardt family read excerpts 

of the story of his special pioneer 

woman. 

After the presentation pre-ordered 

books were given out and additional 

books were sold to book launch 

attendees, and the book publishing 

committee members Barbara Hoggard-Lulay, 

Rosa Gebhardt, Bar- 

bara Stehwien and Brigitte Boldt- 

Leppin were asked by a number 

of book buyers to sign their copies 

in recognition of the committee’s 

work and commitment to the “Egg 

Money” project. 

“Egg Money” recognizes the 

strength and resourcefulness of 

women who helped families and 

communities survive from the late 

1800s onward. The compelling stories 

of the 24 amazing women from 

different ethnic backgrounds and 

whose names are engraved around 

the sculpture, were provided by 

their respective families. They relate 

lives of courage, hardship and 

perseverance of these remarkable 

pioneer women. The book has been 

published to honour and commemorate 

all the brave pioneer women of 

Saskatchewan. 

The “Egg Money” book is available 

in major book stores around 

the province or it can be ordered at 

www.driverworks.ca. 

31

Skat Club Saskatoon 

What a Weekend 

Hans-Jürgen Steinmetz 

Our 2012 tournament weekend 

started off on May 24th with a 2 

round pre-tournament followed on 

May 25th by the 19th Challenge 

cup and the 21st Saskatchewan 

tournament. We also hosted this 

year the 23rd North American Skat 

Championship. 

Players from all over North America 

(Bahamas, California, Texas, Wisconsin, 

Minnesota, Montreal, Ottawa, 

Newmarket, Kitchener, Winnipeg, 

Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton, 

Vancouver, Nanaimo and Kelowna) 

participated in these tournaments 

and enjoyed the hospitality of the 

Saskatoon Skat Cub and the German 

Cultural Centre which also accommodated 

the Skat friends showing 

up with campers and motor homes. 

We had 68 players and 3 beginners 

showing their card skills playing for 

valuable trophies and prizes. 

For the opening ceremony of the 

North American Skat Championship 

we had also invited the honorable 

major Don Atchison of Saskatoon 

who welcomed all players to 

the city of Saskatoon. 

Werner Schoenberger, the CEO of 

“Select Wines & Spirits”, had arranged 

a wine tasting during the 

lunch hour on Saturday, May 26th 

which was much appreciated by 

our fellow Skat players. During the 

trophy presentation on Sunday he 

handed a gift basket to the tournament 

director Martina Steinmetz 

and thanked her for all the work she 

did for organizing and running the 

tournaments flawless. 

The 21st Saskatchewan tournament 

was won by Dieter Thiem from Vancouver. 

Second was Michael Sommer 

(Vancouver) and third Horst 

Hagen (Montreal). Best player from 

Saskatoon was Sigi Fahr (5th) and 

Marie Eckl (10th). 

The 19th Challenge cup was won 

by Horst Hagen from Montréal. 

Second was Gerhard Schmidt (Edmonton) 

and third Werner Schoenberger 

(Vancouver). Sigi Fahr was 

8th and H.-J. Steinmetz 12th, both 

from Saskatoon. 

23rd North American Championship: 

winner and champion is 

Danny Ridder from Edmonton. 

Horst Gonschorek from Kelowna 

was second and Hans Weirich from 

Vancouver was 3rd. Best Saskatoon 

players were Jens Roewekamp (7th) 

Volksliederchor Concordia 

and Werner Roewekamp (8th). 

North American Ladies Champion 

is Dinah Kunst from Winnipeg. The 

North American Team Champions 

came from Kelowna with the following 

team members, Horst Gonschorek, 

Manfred Grossmueller, 

Marta Krajnz and Alfred Steppuhn. 

In the beginner group we had Paul 

Weber, Hugo Kappel, and Anja 

Weiner playing for the first place in 

their league. Paul was winning this 

event. 

On Monday, May 28th, we had a 

referee course for referees with 

an international and some beginners 

obtaining the license for North 

America. All together we had 17 

players participating. The seminar 

was held at the German Canadian 

Centre. 

An Update from the Volksliederchor Concordia 

Margot Hasner 

After many practices for our annual 

Spring concert the day had finally 

arrived. Our Spring concert was 

held at the German Cultural Centre 

on May 6. When I opened the curtains 

in the morning if your concert 

and saw the rain outside I did not 

think anybody would venture out to 

32 

hear us sing. It rained and kept on 

raining till Monday morning. 

Some streets were impassible. To 

my surprise and delight, our concert 

was well attended. The rain did not 

deter people from coming to our 

concert. 

Following the concert we had coffee 

and cake, visited with friends 

and met new ones. Our club manager, 

Jon, and his staff were a great 

help in setting up the hall and preparing 

coffee for our Kaffeeklatsch. 

Thank you very much Jon. 

On June 9th to 10th I attended the

AGM of the Saskatchewan German 

Council in Lloydminster. It 

was wonderful to meet old friend, 

exchange ideas and find out how all 

the other different member groups 

of the German Council are doing. 

It was very interesting and informative. 

Our annual get together was held at 

the Berry Barn, here in Saskatoon 

on June 11th. It was a great time 

with good food and excellent company. 

Our long time choir member Renate 

Niedermair suddenly lost her husband 

Karl. We sang at Karl’s funeral 

on June 18th. Our heartfelt condolence 

and best wishes to Renate and 

her family. 

The choir will be taking a break 

from singing until Folkfest in August. 

I like to take this opportunity to 

thank the German Council for their 

financial support and the friendly 

Volksliederchor Harmonie 

help I always receive from the staff 

at the office. 

Choir practise for the Christmas 

concert will begin Monday, September 

24. If you like to sing, come 

and join us. Everyone is welcome. 

We wish everyone a wonderful summer. 

See you at the Folkfest, August 

16, 17, 18. 

News from the Volksliederchor Harmonie 

Darla McKellar 

Volksliederchor Harmonie celebrated 

spring in style at our annual 

Spring Concert on May 6 at the German-Canadian 

Society Harmonie. 

The hall was beautifully decorated – 

it felt as though spring was in the air 

– thanks to Annette Volman and everyone 

who helped set up. The choir 

was honoured to perform in front 

of an incredible audience, some of 

whom traveled from their home 

towns outside of Regina to spend 

the afternoon with us. We were extremely 

grateful to have them in attendance 

and we hope to see them 

again at our future concerts. Many 

thanks go out to our director, Ken 

Holzer, and our accompanist, Bernadette 

Kutarna, for all of their hard 

work. Thanks also to everyone who 

attended the concert – we truly appreciate 

your continued support. 

Volksliederchor Harmonie was delighted 

to be invited to perform at 

the William Booth Special Care 

Home in Regina on May 17. Several 

members of the choir were able to 

attend and we all enjoyed performing 

for the residents. 

The choir took part in Mosaic on 

May 31, June 1 and 2. We were 

happy to sing songs and spread 

Gemütlichkeit. 

Those members of the choir who 

were able got together on June 19 

for a wind-up. We enjoyed good 

food and drinks, spent time catching 

up and finding out what everyone 

has planned for the summer, 

and celebrated a very successful 

year. Choir members are now ready 

for a well deserved break over the 

summer. 

Volksliederchor Harmonie looks 

forward to hosting Prärie Sängerfest 

in May 2013. Sängerfest is a biennial 

gathering of German choirs 

from across the prairies. It provides 

an opportunity to recognize and 

honour long time singers at a banquet 

as well as an opportunity for 

great fellowship. The event highlight 

of course is the public concert 

which features selections from each 

choir attending and several pieces 

by a mass choir of about 300 singers. 

We are all anticipating a whole 

lot of fun, fellowship and song! 

If you are interested in joining our 

choir, Volksliederchor Harmonie invites 

you to come and sing with us! 

We rehearse at the German-Canadian 

Society Harmonie, 1727 St. John 

Street, every Tuesday from 7 to 9 

p.m. Rehearsals start on September 

11. Email volksliederchor@gmail. 

com if you would like to contact us! 

33

A Short Story: Peter und die Katze 

Auf dem Stuhl liegt eine Katze, 

die ist schwarz und grau. 

Da kommt Peter, malt die Katze 

einfach rot und blau. 

Kratzt die Katze mit der Tatze 

Peter ins Gesicht. 

Schreit der Peter, weint der Peter. 

Aus ist die Geschicht. 

Vocabulary: 

Stuhl - chair 

Katze - cat 

kratzen - to scratch 

Tatze - paw 

Gesicht - face 

schreien - to scream 

weinen - to cry 

Geschicht - story 

Find the animal names in German. 

Solution: 

34

Wir lernen Deutsch 

Wir sind hier. Hier sind wir. 

Wir lernen Deutsch. Deutsch lernen wir. 

1, 2, 3 und 4 - Deutsch lernen wir. 

1, 2, 3 - nur zu! Deutsch lernst du im Nu! 

Wir sind hier. Hier sind wir. 

Wir lernen Deutsch. Deutsch lernen wir. 

Vocabulary: 

Deutsch - German 

hier - here 

lernen - to learn 

wir - we 

Die Farben: 

1 - rot 

2 - gelb 

3 - grün 

4 - blau 

5 - braun 

6 - schwarz

Publication Mail Agreement # 42086521 

Supported by: 

Please return unclaimed copies to: 

Saskatchewan German Council Inc. 

John V. Remai Center 

510 Cynthia Stree 

Saskatoon, SK S7L 7K7

Summer 2012 - Saskatchewan German Council

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