Les Dunford – Leader Staff
Readers who check out the Town & Country section of the Leader see my regular weekly column and by-line on various articles and photos there.
But in my 27 and a half years with our newspaper group, I have never had the opportunity to write a column for the Leader itself.
Until now. Editor Barry Kerton has given me the green light to offer some personal comments on 4-H here at Barrhead.
Looking back, the first Barrhead Beef Achievement show I attended was in 1992, held at that time in the old Barrhead arena. A lot has changed in that quarter-century-plus since.
I find it interesting to see some of the leadership in 4-H today were just young members themselves, with myself taking photos and writing articles around their achievements. And some of their youngsters are involved today and some have already finished the program and moving on in their own young adult life to further education and into the business world. So I am well into my second generation of reporting on the annual 4-H Achievement show.
What else has changed? Well, the venue of course, with the show now held in the Agriculture arena. And, just a few years ago, sheep have been added to the agenda, and increasing in numbers, with 17 market lambs sold this year along with 48 steers. Both those numbers are up from last year.
But what I really want to do is take you “behind the scenes” a bit. Most just see the youngsters in the show ring with their projects, proudly displaying them in front of the judges and the audience.
When I arrive at the show early in the morning, Martin-Deerline staff are busy in the kitchen making and serving a full breakfast; something they have done for the past 20 years’ volunteering both time and the food.
Market animals are weighed as they come in, and in the stall areas, youngsters are busy washing and grooming their animals, getting ready for the show. Parents are busy snapping photos of the action, and leaders are rushing to and fro to make sure things are going smoothly.
To some, it may look like mass confusion, but beyond their first year in 4-H, the youngsters know what they need to do, and are doing it, just like the 4-H motto says: “Learn To Do By Doing.”
What I always am impressed by is a sense of “family” in 4-H, with parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, neighbours and the business community all involved to some extent.
4-H, as many know, is more than just Achievement Days, and much more than animals, with over 40 projects available.
One of the real benefits of 4-H, as I see it, is the public speaking aspect that all members are required to participate in. It is a skill that can be carried on for a lifetime. As one school teacher told me many years ago, she could always pick out 4-H members just by their abilities to speak in class.
I could go on and on about the benefits I see of 4-H in the community. But overall, I see 4-H as a real community builder, and one thing in which I see real family involvement.
Most importantly, I think 4-H builds character and personality and a sense of community in our young people, and truly helps prepare them for their future. 4-H is a program which I feel deserves our full support.
As the 4-H Pledge reads: “I pledge my Head to clearer thinking,
my Heart to greater loyalty,
my Hands to larger service and
my Health to better living
for my club, my community and my country.”
And members have been doing that in Alberta for more than a century now.
