Hardisty Elks celebrating 85 years

The Hardisty Elks will be celebrating their 85th anniversary, alongside the 100th anniversary of Elks Canada, on June 16 in Hardisty. The mandate of the Elks of Canada is to promote and support community needs.

The Hardisty club has actually been chartered twice, for the first time in 1927, with over 50 members, and then again in 1946, again with over 50 members.

The club has two life members, Cliff Cookson, and Lou Golka, both long-time members, who joined in 1954 and 1951 respectively, and many members who have served in the club more than 20, even more than 30 years.

In some cases, membership has brought fathers and sons together in the club, long time member Ollie Cheram brought his sons Andrew and Grant into the club as well.

Current members credit Ollie Cheram with being instrumental in getting their current building, formerly a CPR building, moved up to the current site.

Cheram also enjoyed travelling to Elk National and Provincial Conferences far and wide between 1927 and 1977, and was actually coming back from his 50th such trip in Thunder Bay, Ont. when he passed away enroute.

Leslie Cholowsky
Editor

For more see the June 12/12 issue of The Community Press