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Wednesday, November 28, 2018 | www.YorktonThisWeek.com | Yorkton This Week
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SENIORS Our Monthly Feature
…For Seniors and about Seniors
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In 2010 Gerry Peppler was recognized for 25 years on the local housing board.
Gerry Peppler and then Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan Lynda Haverstock.
Volunteerism keeps Peppler active By Calvin Daniels Staff Writer It is almost a case of two lives for Yorkton’s Gerry Peppler. For years Peppler was a familiar face of local television. But when retirement did come, Peppler simply expanded on her volunteer efforts remaining active on a wide range of boards and community activities. Peppler said it has all been about being involved in the community she has been part of her entire life. Born at Kessock, a now gone community near Wroxton, she moved to Yorkton as a young girl, and for the most part stayed in the city. “I married a farmer,” she noted, but that only meant time on the farm in the busy seasons. “It was my cottage at the lake I always said,” noted Peppler adding like most farm wives of the era her job was well-defined and important. “My job was to supply the meals.” But Peppler also worked, basically from the time of her graduating Grade 12, initially at Parks Jewellers although she quickly learned that was not the job that suited her. “I decided I couldn’t be on my feet all day,” she said. So like many she tried a couple of jobs, including at the local John Deere dealership, and a dress shop, before the right thing came along. In Peppler’s case the right thing turned out to be a job at the local television station. It was a job that when first offered Peppler said no to. “I was quite happy where I was,” she said, but added she was eventually swayed to take the job. “I started as a receptionist,” she said, adding that was in June 1958. From there Peppler would grow with the station, becoming the co-host of the daily midday talk show when it was launched alongside Linus Westberg. “I did it really because Linus was the sports director,” said Peppler with a smile. Until 1992, when Peppler had to retire at 60 based on company policy, she did the talk show five days a week, although along the way she did add the role of
station program director to her resume as well. The list of those interviewed included local organization heads, volunteers, city councillors along with three Saskatchewan Premiers Grant Devine, Roy Romanow and Lorne Calvert, and the wife of a Prime Minister Mila Mulroney. “I had the opportunity to sit down and ask people anything I wanted,” she said with a smile. For some that would have been a huge task. In fact there were cases where being on the other side of the table seemed to intimidate people. But, Peppler said her role rather suited her. “I was always involved with people,” she said, adding she took doing the interviews, even with famous guests, in stride. While her career had kept Peppler busy, she had been asked, and accepted a few roles on voluntary boards, liking that it was an opportunity to give back to her community. So when she had to retire from her long-time job, Peppler turned her extensive energies to increased volunteerism. While the list of her volunteer efforts is long, a few do stand out. Peppler said she recalls when Crime Stoppers was new to Saskatchewan with Larry Wells of Yorkton “a key representative at the time.” Likely because of that connection “one day I got an invitation to come on the board,” she said, adding she was eager to accept. “I was 10-years on that board,” including two years as president.
And then there was the start-up of Parkland Victims Services. The new organization was going to be unique for its time as the first RCMP-driven organization, and then City Councillor Barry Farrell wanted Peppler involved. “He (Farrell) said I should have got a letter,” recalled Peppler of a random meeting one day. The letter did come, and she did say yes, staying involved with the board of Victims Services until this day. Another letter would arrive, this one via a City Order in Council, and Peppler found herself appointed to the Yorkton Housing Authority, finally managing to get off that board only by moving into a home the Board had authority over, meaning she had to step down. In 2017, when asked to do so, Peppler tracked her volunteer hours for Canada’s 150th anniversary. The
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