That was the date for the Peace Garden’s annual general meeting. As well as their usual busy agenda, the attraction said goodbye to one of its longest serving directors, as Ed Anderson officially resigned.

“He announced his retirement,” explained PG CEO Gary Enns. “He has been there for 25 years, has done yeoman service, getting the board through some tough times. I only worked with him for the last two years and a bit and he has managed to outlast quite a few CEO’s. I think he just felt he needed to scale down a bit.”

Anderson said much the same in regards to his decision to leave at this time.

“Simply because I’ve been there 25 years,” Anderson said, “and there is a changing of the guard going on there in any event. It was a good time to move on to other interests. I’ve really enjoyed working on the Peace Garden board. As I said, I’ve been on there for 2 years, and you should only be staying on these boards for a certain time period while you can help the board. I felt I had served my term.”

Anderson’s time on the board began in 1992, when he was still working for MTS. The premier’s appointee had resigned, and he got a call at the telephone office by then-Premier Gary Filmon to see if he was interested in the role. The Boissevain mayor said yes, and that began nearly three decades of direct involvement.

Anderson said he was interested in the board, and added it gave him an opportunity to work with people south of the border.

“That was a new experience for me to work with the American directors. We all became very good friends and all worked together as a unit. We are still working together as a unit.”

Although appointed by Filmon, Anderson’s involvement crossed the aisle between Conservatives and NDP. He was re-appointed by Filmon, Gary Doer, Greg Selinger and Brian Pallister, all as the premier’s rep. At one point, the premier’s office wanted him to serve as vice president, which he did for many years. He then moved on to a few terms as president.

Many people served managers or CEO’s at the Garden during his time, including Rob Schultz, John McQueen, Steve Locke, Doug Hevenor and Enns. There has been any number of directors from both sides of the 49th as well. Anderson did not put one above the other, saying all of the directors did a great job and added a lot to the Garden.

“There were a lot of talented people on that board,” he said, “and they probably never got the credit they should have. A lot of brilliant people there, that I really enjoyed working with. There are a lot of talented people there now. There was no infighting; we got along really well. That is what I enjoyed about it.”

He added the building of the Interpretive Centre and the coming of the Game Warden Museum stand out as highlights during his years on the board.

Enns added that the North Dakota governor’s appointed Susan Wefald, also retired from the board. They are requesting a replacement for Anderson from the Premier’s office, and the hope is they can come in sooner rather than later, perhaps for the June meeting. Sometimes, the CEO said, they get a member of the government caucus or at least an MLA, so it might go that way. Or perhaps it will be another local resident, hopefully with his predecessor’s experience and acumen.

Farewell to Anderson was coupled with a hello to the new chefs. Bill (executive chef) and Suzanne (sous chef) Zierle were added to staff, starting on April 24 and having the lunch for the AGM as their first big test. Originally from Pennsylvania, their careers have taken them from Hawaii to Utah and points between. Enns said the public would soon have a chance to get to know their work.

“It was nice,” Enns said. “They both jumped in and cleaned things up and got going. They showed their stuff by preparing a great lunch for the annual meeting that was really amazing. Folks can come out on Mother’s Day and check them out. We look forward to what they will produce for us.”

Also at the meeting was a report from their engineering firm regarding the dismantling of the Peace Tower, which is now in its final stages. Enns said he learned part of the challenges in its demolition was the fact the area has “fat clay” which creates muddy conditions.

This was the first time the AGM was held in the spring as opposed to September. The CEO said it gives the board an opportunity to have input on the upcoming summer as opposed to only hearing about their peak season when it is over.

As for Anderson, Enns said they would continue to tap into his experience in the future. The man himself said he figures he will still be involved to some extent.

“I think the Peace Garden will do just fine,” he stated. “It has a tremendous following with folks in North Dakota and different parts of Manitoba. It certainly is a tremendous attraction to this area. Boissevain has been extremely fortunate to have it close to the community.”

“I will probably still be involved. There are some good workers down there I enjoy talking to. They will always be my friends.”

by PAUL PAYNER, Recorder staff