A young Arborg hockey player has been drafted by one of the best teams in the top tier Western Junior Hockey League (WHL).

Travis Kilbrei, a 15 year-old left winger with the Interlake Lightning bantams, was selected by Portland Winterhawks in the league's recent bantam draft. The Winterhawks made it all the way to the WHL championship final this winter, losing just last weekend to Edmonton Oil Kings in the seventh and deciding game of the series.

Kilbrei, who played minor hockey in Arborg, was elated by his selection. "I have been working for this for a long time," he said. “It’s exciting because I will be going to the Winterhawk training camp in Portland at the end of August."

Kilbrei, a high scoring playmaker drafted 108th, will likely be back with the Lightning organization for at least another year. Only prodigies such as Eric Lindros and John Tavares play level one junior hockey at age 15.

The year was 1950.The month, May. The winter had been long and the spring wet. Manitoba and Winnipeg were experiencing the worst flood in history due to the lack of planning by all levels of Government. Consequently, Gimli and District were crammed to the rafters with people escaping their flooded homes.

For paper boys it was “Boom Times.” Summer residents had by necessity opened their cottages and they wanted to be kept abreast of the happenings. The Red River continued to spill its banks in all directions. It was nationwide news and it was beginning to look like the legendary Lake Agassiz would be born again.

Of course to a fourteen year old this was news that was happening far away. Our minds were on the upcoming “May Long Weekend” when the rides and concessions at Winnipeg Beach would open for the season. In the days before television, the attractions at The Beach were greatly anticipated by people of all ages.

Lloyd Roche, left, and conference keynote speaker David Fisher at inaugural day of Riding the Wave of Change conference in Gimli last week.Teaching is a full-time job. Cue the laughter.

Yes, says American teacher David Fisher, there’s plenty of people who minimize the work teachers do. But teachers have to get over the ribbing and focus on their core responsibility: teaching their charges the if ever-changing ‘fundamentals’ and preparing them for life after schooling.

Fisher opened the 19^th annual Riding the Wave of Change conference in Gimli Thursday morning with a keynote address. His speech focused on answering the challenges of teaching by mining the opportunities that lie beneath. One-hundred-fifty teachers from early, middle and high schools across Manitoba attended the morning address, including a contingent of 17 from River East School Division in Winnipeg. Many teachers from the host Evergreen School Division also attended.

Photo by Neill VonGuntenSeveral Manitoba commercial fishers with 50 years or more service were honoured last Wednesday at a CanadInn Hotel in Winnipeg. The Long-Service Fisher awards were presented by Assistant Deputy Minister, Dwight Williamson of the Water Stewardship Division, Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship.
The long service awards were initiated in 2007 by former Water Stewardship Minister Christine Melnick, and have become an annual event.  Each year a call for nominations is put forth and Fishers can nominate themselves or be nominated by others. The commercial fishing industry in Manitoba generates more than $50 million in economic activity each year and includes more than 3,000 commercially licensed fishers and their employees.