Thursday, May 23, 2019
VOLUME 1 I ISSUE 47
MERIDIANSOURCE.CA
Men find direction at Battle River GEOFF LEE
WRITER
.................................. Battle River Ranch Camp is marking 10 years of helping men build character in 2019 with something more meaningful than balloons or cake. “We’re just celebrating the fact that so many young men today are able to work at trades and jobs that they had no idea they could do,” said camp founder Harold Stephan. “When you can learn to be part of a team and to know that you can support a family and be a husband and be a father, that’s pretty exciting in today’s world.” The ranch camp trades and life skills development centre is registered as a non-profit charity with Christian ideals behind it. “The purpose is to see young men succeed in life,” said ranch manager Ernest Salmond, who does most of the teaching these days. “Our hope is to get them to learn to do a day’s work; be able to be a good employee, to be a good part of society rather than be a draw on society, to be an asset to society.” It’s been a rewarding experience in the early going for Spencer Dunne, who aims to be a healthier version of himself.
Dunne has struggled with addictions and was laid off from the oilfield in Drayton Valley in January 2018 and had difficulty finding steady work. “So I was able to come out here—it’s a healthy safe environment for me to learn and grow and heal from my addictions and to learn new life skills,” said Dunne. Dunne is one of three men at the camp who get a taste of about five or six different trades in a six-month program that includes tending to farm animals on site. “Our goal is they will pick out a particular trade and we’ll work with our different connections to give them a job in that trade,” said Salmond. “With the economy as tough as it’s been lately, that makes it a little more difficult.” Dunne says the key to his progress so far is having a lot of family support in Lloydminster and surrounding himself with the people at the ranch that want to see him do well and challenge him to do better. “It’s a blessing—just to know that God has a plan and a purpose for me and not to be a drunk or a drug addict,” said Dunne. Students have been learn-
Geoff Lee Meridian Source
Spencer Dunne, poses with Colby during a break at the Battle River Ranch Camp. Dunne is one of three men at the camp immersed in six months of trades and life skills training along with some faith-based learning. Dunne is on the road to recovery from addictions as the former oil worker rebuilds his life with a healthier purpose under the direction of ranch manager Ernest Salmond.
ing skills like carpentry and welding by making seasonal products such as animal feeders and sheds that are sold to fund new projects. The projects help the men gain confidence as Salmond notes learning life skills is just as important as learning the trades. “You can learn a trade, but if you don’t have the life skills
to survive in life, the trade won’t do you much good,” he said. “We’ll do everything to give them the opportunity to change. You give them the opportunity to see what they could be and then hope that they grab it and go for it.” Aaron Thomas, a 38-yearold from Saskatoon, arrived at the ranch after going
through two team challenge drug addictions programs. He says the Lord brought him to the camp for him to get a job in livestock. He’s confident about the truth of his new life purpose after his first four months at the camp. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3