Remembering our roots ~ Joe & Jean Vergouwen

John Godsman
Times Contributor

 

The Vergouwen family name originates in Holland, and Joe’s Dad ‘Pete’ came to Southern Alberta in 1921 to work for the CPR, building the irrigation canals using horses. Realizing that Strathmore would provide a good living for a family, he returned to Holland in 1929, and married Petronella (Nellie) Rommers. Returning to Canada after the wedding, they established the Vergouwen Ranch by purchasing the home quarter from the CPR, five miles south of Nightingale.
Joe was born in Strathmore in 1936, the youngest of four children. He attended the one room school at Akenstad until 1949, and after the buses started running to Strathmore, attended Samuel Crowther High School through graduation. He played ball with Knights of Columbus, and the Strathmore Senior team, as well as hockey. His days were filled with ranching with his parents, helping neighbours during harvest, and assisting in organizing the Annual Rodeo.
Jean was born in Colchester, England in 1944, during the bombing of English cities. She is the eldest of seven children. Her father Roy Koch was a Canadian soldier, and her mother Marguerite McKeever served with the ATS – Auxiliary Territorial Service formed on Sept. 9, 1938 initially as a women’s voluntary service, which existed until Feb. 1, 1949 when it was merged into the Women’s Royal Army Corps. Jean and her mother (a War Bride), sailed to Pier 21 in Halifax, on the Queen Mary in June 1946. Then they traveled by train to Nanton, Alta. She attended school in Nanton and Cayley, in the days of the little yellow school bus.
Following the family’s move to Boswell, B.C., she was bused to Crawford Bay until she graduated. She attended the University of British Columbia in Vancouver before training as a laboratory technologist at Holy Cross Hospital in Calgary.
Joe and Jean met in Calgary, and were married in 1967, Canada’s Centennial Year. They have three sons – Rodney, born in 1968, is married to Beth (Scheer) and they have a daughter, Jenna, who is pursuing an environmental degree at U of A and a son, Jack, who is playing Junior hockey in B.C. Joe and Jean’s second son, Jeffrey, born in 1970, is married to Tara (Cumming) and they have a daughter, Amy, and a son, John, who are both in high school. Joe and Jean’s third son Alan, born in 1972, is married to Rhonda.
Joe and Jean have travelled to most of the small town hockey rinks in Alberta, as all three boys played hockey (often managed or coached by Joe). Then Rod and Alan added high school rodeo to their thrills and spills, which took their parents to the rodeo grounds of small town Alberta, as well as South Dakota, Colorado and Oklahoma to the National High School Rodeo finals. Jeff, a sprinter, joined the Calgary Spartans Track and Field team.
The rich sandy soil of this ranchland, along with copious amounts of water from the Western Irrigation District, has provided a great living for the family. Hereford cows were the mainstay of the herd until the 1970’s, when Charolais bulls entered the scene, and changed the colour of the calves!
The ranch has changed directions in the last few years, as they have switched from raising beef cows to supplying pasture for Rod and Beth’s yearlings. To keep things interesting, Jean keeps a few heritage hens, some sheep, a Jersey cow, and a horse to ride and drive. Border Collies are a big help on the ranch, and she keeps a few sheep for the young dogs to learn how to be skilled workers. Organic gardening, with its challenges and rewards, sourcing, saving and sharing heritage seeds are a few of her passions, as well as growing her own herbs for teas, and healing salves.
Jean was treasurer for many years for the Nightingale Community Association and still enjoys bringing all the local actors, of all ages, together to produce the annual Christmas Concert.
Joe is lightly retired, still using his red horse (the Honda quad) to check on the yearlings, mend fences, and often ends up at a neighbours for a visit! A team of Clydesdales (Sarg and Major) were a source of enjoyment, when helping the Reddings from Beiseker mow hay and pull the bundle wagon during threshing. Joe enjoys watching his grandsons, Jack playing junior hockey, and, John playing midget ball.
Changes we have seen include irrigation methods that have made tremendous advancements. Fifty years ago, only land on the downside of the canals had water gravity fed into small ditches throughout the fields. Next came water being pumped into aluminum pipes that were moved by hand across the fields. Soon, wheels were attached to these pipes, some of which stretched for one quarter of a mile. Now, we have pivots that can run continuously to irrigate a quarter section or more!
Another big change is the dramatic reduction of productive agricultural land around Strathmore. What was once many thriving family farms, has now been divided and sub-divided into non-agricultural small holdings.
Ranching in the Nightingale/Strathmore area has given them a good living, a good life, a wonderful community, and many super neighbours.