When many of us old timers got married, the bands were read at church for several weeks before the wedding.
Those were the Sundays when the potential bride and groom were a bit . . .
nervous that someone at the church might stand up and declare why the couple shouldn’t get married. I never heard of anyone who stood up and did this but if the couple was nervous, they could buy the marriage licence at the court house instead. Just before performing the marriage, the minister asked one last time if there was any reason why this woman and this man should not be married.
Today, there are still some who prefer a church wedding but some go to the court house or get a friend to marry them in the back yard (after getting a temporary licence to marry). Even though the couple is in love and very serious about getting married, only about half of the married couples remain married for a lifetime.
When our county was first settled, our population drove a horse or walked for miles to vote provincially, federally, municipally or for whatever club or farm leader that they felt strongly about having for a leader. A wedding was also a sign that the community was going to grow and be strong.
Today it is sad that often less than half of the eligible voters bother to take the selection of our leaders seriously. Often, it is these same people who didn’t vote that are the most vocal in the months or years following.
Some of our young people involved in dance, skating, hockey, scouts, 4-H, etc. clubs learn at an early age that serious thought should go into making a decision, or suffer the consequences until the next election.
The same goes for when we are a little older with other clubs like curling, hunt clubs, service clubs, etc. Electing directors and leaders of our farm associations like the UPA, QFA, milk producers, beef producers, grain producers or any other commodity group must be strong and vocal enough to help steer our elected officials in decisions that could change the economics of farming and the price and quality of the food that our consumers buy and eat.
It is our school commissioners and politicians who can influence the quality of education and health care that our children and grandchildren will receive.
Recent trade negotiations and lack thereof has left many of us squirming in our boots wondering if our jobs will be secure or who will build our future. We are now in the middle of our election period for many local clubs and groups. Let’s get out and understand the implications of our decisions or lack thereof.
Don’t be afraid to ask tough questions and expect logical answers before giving support to our new group of leaders or forever hold your peace!
Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon on land that has been in his family for generations.
gladcrest@gmail.com
