Back in 1967 the bustling town of Ormiston really got involved in celebrating Canada’s Centennial. At the time, four 11-year old friends decided to walk from Ormiston to Moose Jaw to commemorate the 100th anniversary.
Fifty years later, Bill Lamberton rounded up Jim McCowan, Guy Osborne and Rick Venn to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary recreating the 83 km walk but going back from Moose Jaw to Ormiston on July 25-27. “There was a whole lot of celebrations back in 1967, parades, big celebrations,” said Bill Lamberton. At that time in 1967, Moose Jaw was a reasonable distance away and was a regional centre. Three of the four friends lived in Ormiston back then and one was visiting his grandparents.
Today, Lamberton lives in Calgary and the others are scattered across Canada. The four, dubbed “The ’67 Originals”, were joined on the walk by family and friends forming a core group of 10. One childhood friend was walking now because he said that his mother wouldn’t let him go back in 1967. Along the way, they were joined for short distances by groups of other walkers.
