Penhenge: a Central Alberta Monument

Tim Lasiuta

Published

5 years ago

3 minute read

In Central Alberta, a scant 7 years ago, the landscape of Penhold was changed.

Penhenge Four

What was once a vacant lot surrounded by trees, became something new.

One town councillor noted that he used to play in those trees (pointing to the corner of the lot), and he had fond memories of those years but that it was time for the land to be something else..

Deconstruction of a piece of land into a building is a difficult, long process. When our pioneer relatives arrived in this country, their piece of paradise was nothing like they imagined.

Trees, or flatness as far as the eye could see often met their gaze after finding their property pin. All they could was look to the future when their family would thrive in a home built with love by hands accustomed to hard labour. All they could look forward to was a better life than they left in the ‘old country’.

All around this corner of bare land in Penhold, the community grew and now, it was time to build.

Contractors and architects understand the concept. Construction workers put their skills and strength to work t0 transform bare land into buildings and gathering spaces.

As a reporter, I watched the project start and progress.

One day, I managed to capture the ‘barrenness’ of the land with piles of dirt, snow drifts and the grace of steel girders soaring into the sky and I was moved with my mental image of Stonehenge in England as the sun set.

Penhenge one

This project, with its soaring beams seemed more than a corner mall for the moment, it transformed into a spiritual place in the process of redemption. Where aboriginal peoples may have gathered centuries ago, it would now be home to modern day pioneers with dreams of owning their own business and supporting their families.

As The sun began to set, I crawled through the snow drifts and captured the elegance of the building as I gazed upon Penhenge..

No druids would practise their religion here, nor sacrifices make on the stone piles. But modern day stone masons and labourers would create something new from raw materials.

Penhenge Two

But what would follow would change Penhold forever…economic life to a town that was searching for a spark to create jobs and provide services to its citizens.

For now, however, the beauty and mystery of Penhenge held me breathless with its timelessness and eternity. The sun would set, and another day would begin with its rising.

Tim Lasiuta

Tim Lasiuta is a Red Deer writer, entrepreneur and communicator. He has interests in history and the future for our country.

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Penhold Flight Instructor Releases Updated Instruction Manual For the 21st Century

Published on December 24, 2020

Tim Lasiuta

Sky Wings Aviation founder Dennis Cooper lives to fly.

“2020 marks 50 years of flying for me,” said Cooper in a phone interview. “I was a cadet and part of the glider program but got my pilots license in 1971 at Cold Lake before I even had my drivers license.”

Cooper later earned his Commercial license under Cecil Sorenson and other seasoned ex-Canadian Air Force pilots who transferred their tremendous knowledge base. Working with Johnson Air Services and Pultz Aviation, he obtained his instrument rating and began his pilot career in earnest.

“One of the tools I had as a young pilot was the Pultz Instructor Manual and sometimes he (Pultz) would ask me questions and I would offer input,” he remembered. “The original book was a 3-ring binder and we used that format for a long time at Sky Wings as well.”

Fast forward to the present.

“With current technology, many of our students wanted the manual in an electronic form so now instead of just having a softcover book that gets scuffed, dirty and ripped we now have a hardcover AND an electronic version for use everywhere,” added the instructor. “Since the original book was written, much had changed.”

Changes to the original include an index which the first book did not have according to Cooper, modified levels of instructors, GPS information which did not exist years ago, procedures and general knowledge brought about by technology.

“We kept the artwork from the original,” said Cooper. “It’s great and captures what we wanted. We also added enhanced study and review questions based on feedback from students who have been through testing. The result is now a 558 page Instructors Manual that can follow a pilot from the beginning of their career to their end goal, no matter what that looks like.”

The new updated manual can be used in conjunction with Transport Canada publications. It can adequately prepare a commercial pilot for the Transport Canada Flight Instructor written examination, the in-flight training and ground instruction, as well as the test flight.

Priced at $99 for the hardcover and $90 for the softcover, the “Cooper Flight Instructor Manual” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo and 3 flight suppliers at present.

“I bought Sky Wings Aviation in 1982 and even today I still feel the same when a new student flies for the first time. I am excited when our students enter the plane, travel the runway and rise into the air for the first time for their first circuit, then return,” said Cooper whose wife Sherry also teaches at the school. “I enjoy watching the transfer of knowledge from instructor to student, but most significantly, watching them conquer the air just like the Wright Brothers 118 years ago.”

Cooper is not finished yet with 3 more books ready to rewrite for the 21^st century.

For more information on Sky Wings Aviation and the 9^th Edition of the Cooper Flight Instructors Manual, go to:

Home – Skywings Aviation

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Foundation for Red Deer Public Schools picks up $30,000.00 tab to buy laptops for at-home schooling

Published on December 12, 2020

Red Deer Public Schools

Photo includes, from left, Foundation Board Member Morris Flewwelling, Trustee and Foundation Board Member Bev Manning and Foundation Board Chair Dave Tilstra.

Foundation donates 90 Chromebooks to students in need

As equity, student success and completion are priorities for Red Deer Public Schools, officials have recognized the move to at-home or temporary online learning has presented challenges for some students and their families who do not have access to technology.

In response to this challenge, the Foundation for Red Deer Public Schools, recently donated 90 Chromebooks to schools to lend to students needing access to technology, totally $30,000.

Dave Tilstra, Chair of the Foundation for Red Deer Public Schools, said supporting students and ensuring they have the tools to learn is key to helping set kids up for success.

“Chromebooks will continue to be an important resource within schools and now at home. We are thrilled that we have been able to donate this much needed technology to students who would otherwise go without to ensure they have the best opportunities to continue learning,” he said.

Families who borrow a Chromebook from their child’s school are responsible for ensuring they have Wi-Fi connectivity and they will ‘sign out’ the devices and assume responsibility for their proper use and return.

“Equity is about fairness. The Foundation supports projects that help give kids life chances,” said Bruce Buruma, Executive Director for the Foundation for Red Deer Public Schools. “Families experience challenges during the best of times, but the past number of months have been tough for many. We know this donation will help ease one burden so students can focus on learning and families can focus on other priorities.”

The Foundation supports projects that align with the Division priorities of Literacy and Numeracy, Equity and Student Success and Completion.

For more information, please contact: