ESTEVAN — The contributions of Roy Ludwig to Estevan over a 30-year span were recognized May 9.
Churchill Park, located in south-central Estevan, was renamed Roy Ludwig Churchill Park during a ceremony with more than 25 people in attendance. Family, friends, City of Estevan employees, and current and former members of Estevan city council were on hand to salute Ludwig, who unveiled the park's new sign.
Ludwig was on Estevan city council for three decades, serving as a councillor from 1994-2012 and as mayor from 2012-2024. He opted not to seek re-election in the 2024 civic election.
Ludwig said it was an honour and he was humbled to have his name attached to the park.
"The last two years, we put in over one million dollars into this park, and it's beautiful," said Ludwig, who is confident the city will continue to look after the park.
"It's such a great investment for the young people in our community," he added later. "When people move to a community, they look at the parks and how they're kept up and what they look like. That's part of any growing city."
Ludwig said it was a privilege to serve with the different councils for 30 years. They taught him a lot, and he hopes they learned something from him as well. It was a great experience, and he's grateful to the current council for naming the park after him.
He also thanked his family for their patience, as he missed a lot of functions due to meetings. He is particularly grateful for his wife Denise.
After the sign was unveiled, someone in the audience yelled "Four more years!", which drew laughter from the crowd.
Current Mayor Tony Sernick said Ludwig's list of accomplishments is too long to list.
"As your successor of six months, I can say I've already asked myself a couple of times, 'How in the hell did Roy do this for 12 years?' but here we are and it only adds to your legacy, my friend. Your contributions to our community have gone above and beyond, and that's why, today, you will be immortalized in history."
While he enjoyed his time on council, retirement has also been a positive experience for Ludwig. He said he is the chairman of the Saskatchewan Liquor Commission, which he finds to be an interesting and rewarding experience, but it's "a lot less onerous" than his work with city council. He and his wife have also been travelling more, and they are enjoying spending time with their grandchildren.
