Dawn MacFarlane

Dawn MacFarlane, the second female counsellor in Selkirk’s history, served Selkirk for over two decades, including 15 years as Deputy Mayor. She had a deep love for Selkirk and demonstrated it by advocating for the arts and the well-being of the community.

Anderson’s Corner

Dawn Anderson MacFarlane was born in her grandmother’s bedroom five miles north of Libau on July 23rd, 1930. The original homestead belonged to her great-grandparents, Arni and Albina, and grew into a flourishing hub for the family that followed. Aunts and uncles began building houses around the original homestead, and the family quickly sprawled around the corner, creating the aptly named ‘Anderson’s Corner’.

The close-knit family, both in nature and in proximity, created a rich environment for the youngest in the family. Children were always within sight or earshot of a loving and protective adult. The unspoken open-door policy allowed the children incredible freedom and security because there was always someone nearby. Dawn’s earliest years were anchored in an enduring love for family and friends.

“The aunts and uncles pampered us and loved us, swatted and reproved us as necessary, and together created a near-perfect environment for the Anderson grandchildren,” Dawn MacFarlane.

Dawn’s father, Arthur Frederick Anderson built her childhood home just down the road from her Amma’s house. The home consisted of a single room with a small but functional kitchen. The kitchen was later doubled, and then doubled again to include a main room, two tiny bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. The home also featured a small, unplumbed bathroom.

Education and Career

As a child, Dawn attended Sheffield School, just a few miles down the road. She was a great student and graduated after grade 11. Shortly afterward, Dawn moved to Winnipeg where she enrolled in a secretarial course at the Angus School of Commerce. Unfortunately, two months into the ten-month course, Dawn’s mother, Catharine’s health declined. Dawn completed the course independently while caring for her mother. 

After completing the secretarial course, Dawn landed a position at the prestigious law firm Pitblado Hoskin and Company. The firm was an excellent place to work, which not only turned Dawn into a confident legal secretary but allowed her time to care for her mother in her final days. It was here that Dawn became completely fascinated with the law and her love for law began.

Mac

Dawn met Mac in 1951 after he arrived from Scotland. He was staying in Winnipeg briefly before moving on to Edmonton. Dawn instantly caught Mac’s attention, and they spent four years getting to know each other before getting married on June 16, 1956. The wedding was at the St. Margaret’s Anglican Church in Winnipeg with a reception at the brand-new Marion Hotel in St. Boniface.

Mac was adventurous and free-spirited while Dawn was a homebody and more reserved. Despite their opposite natures, they were well-suited for each other, as their marriage lasted 34 years. “Mac remains to me the single most interesting person I have ever met,” Dawn MacFarlane.

Loving Teaching and a First Love of Law

Their first child, Laurie was born in 1957, and Gordon was born in 1959. After working at Personnel Selection Ltd. for a few years, Dawn resigned when she became pregnant in 1961 with their third child, Carol.

In 1964, the family moved to Selkirk. Not wanting to commute to Winnipeg and needing a job following the end of her maternity leave, Dawn decided to take a civil service exam at the local high school. Dawn completed the test quickly and found herself in conversation with the principal who was supervising the test.

Their conversation ultimately led to the principal referring Dawn to the superintendent, Mr. Sigurjonsson for a prospective teaching position. A teacher was needed by the new year, and he felt Dawn was the best fit.

Looking into it, Dawn discovered that there were numerous requirements she would have to fulfill before becoming a teacher. It seemed unachievable and much too complicated, so she shelved the idea.

After help and further prompting from her cousin, David, who was a high school teacher in Winnipeg, she reconsidered. As it turned out the majority of the extraneous coursework was just the ‘run around.’ She had all the credentials she needed except for a Bookkeeping course and a few other paper credits such as Shorthand, and General Business.

Starting at Christmas time, Dawn studied until three in the morning each day until January when the position started. With three small children at home, it was a feat of endurance, but she managed and began a wonderful career as a teacher.

The first six months teaching were tense, struggling to keep ahead of her students. In the summer, Dawn enrolled at Red River College and completed the remaining courses required to be fully qualified. The irony was she had already been teaching for six months.  

At the time there were three streams of students, based on their academic abilities and their goals: Commercial, Mainstream, and Academic. The Academic students were considered ‘elite’ and as a result were given more opportunities. Dawn felt strongly that her Commercial students should have the same opportunities as the others. In her first year of teaching, she arranged a trip to Ottawa to meet the Prime Minister, which was a “ridiculously audacious” idea that “rocked the neighbourhood” and undoubtedly changed the students’ lives forever. Dawn loved law and her students so much that her passion and enthusiasm continuously spilled over to her students.

Dawn later became the department head writing curricula. She also wrote the General Business program for the province. She remarks, “I had a lot of opportunities and a lot of luck. [I was in] the right place at the right time.”

She taught high school for a total of 15 years at Selkirk Collegiate, now named Ecole Selkirk Junior High. High school students relocated to the Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School after it was built in 1971. Dawn taught there for a number of years before retiring in 1989.

Politics

The prospect of running for Town Council was never an idea on Dawn’s radar until Mac’s enthusiasm convinced her that she should run. Under the promise that Mac and his friends would do all the campaign work, she hesitantly agreed. Very quickly the win turned from something she never considered to something she wanted more than anything. Friends and family packed the MacFarlanes’ home the night of the vote and the excitement was unbelievable.

“When it was finally, wonderfully certain that I had won, we began to agonize over the other candidates until all the votes were recounted and the official pronouncement made, then the place exploded!” Dawn MacFarlane

Dawn’s election in 1974 marked her as the second woman to run for Town Council after Alice Belanger. A woman in politics was a novel idea, and she never encountered any challenges because of it. Dawn was elected a second time in 1977 and then a third time in 1986. Mac was right – Dawn learned quickly and grew to love public service. Her 22 years on council and the final 15 of those years as Deputy Mayor are a testament to her passion.

“My life has been immeasurably enriched by my years on Selkirk’s council, and I take great pride and satisfaction in having contributed over the years to the well being, safety, and comfort of my city and its people”

During her time on council Dawn represented the Community Arts Centre, often advocating for them to the rest of council. She also served on the Centennial Committee planning the events of the Selkirk Centennial. Dawn was a founding member of the Selkirk District Community Foundation and she sat on the Hospital Board. Her love for her community was evident in the numerous roles she filled and causes she supported.

Prison Problems

In 1977 the Federal Government proposed the construction of a high-security prison in Selkirk. The prison was intended to supply jobs for a variety of tradesmen and other professions. Dawn felt that the true picture of what building a prison in Selkirk would entail was not presented accurately, and many people bought into the idea misinformed. The other councillors were in favour of the prison, but Dawn was adamantly opposed to the idea. She believed that the prison would not bring as many benefits to town as were promised and that it was not in Selkirk’s best interest. The situation caused a huge rift between those in favour of the idea and those opposed, and between friends and family.  

Plans were already being drawn, but in one last attempt, Dawn wrote to the Attorney General, Francis Fox. She told him that if the prison were to be put to a vote in Selkirk, the people could not make an informed decision. And then the plans were quietly called off – it simply didn’t happen.

Biography

Having begun life in such a rich environment and continuing to find beauty and fulfillment throughout her whole life, it was only appropriate that the people and memories so cherished would be immortalized. Loving writing, having attended and held multiple writing groups, Dawn wrote and published her own biography, According to Me in 2017. The book tells of the early days at Anderson’s Corner, Amma’s house, Mac, and her children. The book focuses strongly on Dawn’s family and friends, as well as her beliefs and memories. It is ultimately a reflection of what is most important: cherishing family and friends.

In her 95th year, having been retired from teaching and city council work, for as many years as she served, Dawn’s wish for Selkirk is simple “stay as sweet as you are.”

Dawn MacFarlane Collection

Click on images to enlarge

Sources

According to Me, Dawn MacFarlane
Oral History Interview with Dawn MacFarlane
Selkirk Enterprise, 1977
Selkirk Journal, 1986