One man is celebrating a lifetime spent in this ever-changing town.
As of this year, Gordon Davies will have spent 75 years, his entire life, living in Cochrane.
“Growing up in Cochrane in the 1940’s and 1950’s reminds me of the African proverb that states ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ … To be a child in Cochrane during this time meant you were surrounded by people who knew who you were and who knew your parents,” states Davies in the More Big Hill Country book.
His family is well-known within the town because his childhood home, which was built by his grandfather in 1909, was used at the first hospital.
He goes on in the book, in which a section is dedicated to his parents and himself, to describe his early memories of the town. These include the end of the Second World War, how snow-burdened the winters were, attending school in a four room building, and much more.
After finishing high school, Davies decided to become a teacher and started university in 1959. He explained in the book that, at the time, Alberta was suffering from a teacher shortage and would cover tuition for two years with the understanding that a person spend two years teaching in Alberta when finished school.
“I taught for about thirty-two and a half years. I’m not married so I just raised other people’s kids – or I tried,” he said with a laugh.
During his teaching career, Davies sat on a number of boards and committees, both with the Rocky View School Division and the province. He made large contributions to second language education in Alberta and was presented the Pierre and Madeleine Monod Award in recognition of that.
Though Cochrane has remained his home base, he has travelled a great deal during his life, specifically favouring visiting France.
“Because of my experiences and time spent in France, the old French saying that ‘Everyone has two countries, his own and France.’ certainly applies to me,” Davies explains in the book.
Since his retirement, Davies has made it a habit to continue travelling to Europe. He is also very involved in volunteering, specifically with the Cochrane Historical & Archival Preservation Society (CHAPS) as its president.
One of the largest projects CHAPS has undertaken is moving Davis’ childhood home to the Cochrane Historical Ranche Site and restoring it to serve as the Cochrane Historical Museum. The museum opened in 2015 and operates on weekends in the summertime.
Davies will always consider this town to be his home, regardless of the changes it has endured in the last several decades.
“I can’t think of anywhere else I would sooner live, except maybe the south of France. Both my sets of grandparents came here and most of my family still lives around here too,” he explained.
“When I went to school there was about forty kids and five hundred people, so the growth has been pretty phenomenal. I always get a kick out of people coming here for the small town feeling. That’s so relative because, to me, it’s not a small town anymore, I don’t think the feeling is there anymore.”
Davies makes a point to not worry himself over the changes that have happened or the ones still to come to Cochrane. He does, however, encourage people to read the Big Hill Country books and get to know the town they are living in.
In May, he will be presented the 2015 Annual Rotary Integrity Award by the Rotary Club of Cochrane. The criteria the club uses to select the award recipient includes: having made notable contribution in the service of humanity, being a role model, and having an established reputation for accomplishment and integrity in their field or endeavor.
To see Davies’ full autobiography or to learn more about Cochrane’s history, check out the Big Hill Country books.
