Bill Shead was born in 1939 in the old Selkirk General Hospital on Idell Avenue. He was the eldest of seven siblings. Their parents Harry and Ruth (nee Asham) instilled them with pride in their Cree ancestry and identity. Bill’s father, and four other family members served in the Navy during WWII. They and Bill’s…
Robert “Bud” Stefan Oliver was Selkirk’s longest serving mayor from 1984-2002. Bud was born on July 16, 1937, in the old Selkirk General Hospital on Idell Avenue and has since lived almost his entire life in town. Bud has memories of being involved with many large developments and events in Selkirk over the years. Bud’s…
Ruth Caroline Moody was born the youngest of four children on June 19, 1900, to Richard Compton Moody and Ester Adeline Moody. Richard had been a men’s clothing dealer in London, England. After discovering he had tuberculosis, he came to Canada in 1870 to help regain his health and started working on a farm in…
Darlene Swiderski is one of Selkirk’s elected City Councillors and Selkirk’s first elected First Nations woman councillor. Darlene’s start in community work began when she started working at Safeway in 1974. She enjoyed that the job allowed her to meet and connect with the people in Selkirk. She worked there for 27 years until 2002.…
Thomas Sinclair was the son of Hannah Cummings and Thomas Sinclair Sr. Thomas Sinclair Jr. was a well-liked, Métis man who lived in the Selkirk and Interlake area. He was said to be “a man with no enemy” and was thought of as a polite man who was genuine and helpful to everyone he encountered.…
Early Career Dr. David Young was born in Sarnia, Ontario on February 18th, 1847. He graduated with a medical degree from Queens University in 1871. Shortly after completing his degree, his brother, Peter Young, influenced him to move to St. Andrews. One year later, he married Rosina Arabella Somerville from Quebec. They raised five children…
Through the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, Selkirk was home to not only one of the most generous men, but one of the most unassuming as well. Robert Smith, most known for his position as General Manager at the Manitoba Rolling Mills would later be revealed as a silent giver and constant caretaker. Robert…
Chuck was born on November 10th, 1955. He was a genuine, outgoing, people-loving person, who had an infectious passion for fishing. This passion ultimately led him to singlehandedly secure the title, “Catfish Capital of North America” for his hometown, Selkirk, Manitoba. In his early teenage years, Chuck left his home to live with his best…
The Grabowski Family were not unlike other families in Selkirk, Manitoba during the 1950s and beyond. They were kind, hardworking, and attended church every Sunday. However, the Grabowski Family had unique differences that made their Selkirk experience more distinctive than many Canadians. Piotr (Peter) and Wladyslawa (Gladys) and their three children, Anna, Bish, and John,…
During the Second World War, men and women from across the globe enlisted in the military together to fight for their countries. At the time, it was common to see friends and family members from the same neighbourhood enlist together. A group of enlistees from Selkirk, Manitoba were a little bit different. Dubbed ‘The Dufferin…