Alan Long, right, helped to celebrate Ross and Eloise Collinge, his long-time neighbours, as the recipients of the Cattleman of the Year Award at Lloyd Ex last Friday. The retired couple next to Long brought some of their family members with them. Geoff Lee Meridian Source
The Cattleman of the Year Award is probably a misnomer for retired recipients Ross and Eloise Collinge.
It became clear at the VIP lunch and presentation at the Lloyd Ex last Friday, that the Collinges spent nearly as much time tending to the needs of the community as they did with their cows and crops.
The seats and bleachers were full of well-wishers who have come to know the couple well for their community involvement when they farmed on Township Road 482 south of Lloydminster.
The Collinges have been involved in everything from coaching kids’ soccer, 4-H, and Lloyd area Scouts and Girl Guides, to driving school buses.
“It is a great honour to present this year’s Cattleman of the Year award. They’re really good family friends of mine as well,” said Lloyd Ex committee chair Gord King over lunch.
“Their dedication to the community has gone above and beyond.”
The Cattleman award comes 50 years after Ross planted and harvested his first crops and purchased a starter herd of 20 Simmental Cross cows from Eloise’s dad.
The couple just celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary on Oct. 26.
Alan Long, a family friend and neighbour who grew up knowing Collinge’s kids, Donna and Clark, drove in from Saskatoon with nine pages of speaking notes in hand.
“My sister Dorothy and her husband Pete still live at the farm, they’re both sick today… so I ‘m honoured to fill in and say some great things about some great people,” said Long.
“We were really close as neighbours and we still are. It’s a very close-knit community out in the Furness district out there. We’re all here today to celebrate with them.”
The Collinges have three adult children Philip, Clark and Donna with the farm now run by Philip and his wife Glenda and their young son Tyler.
Their daughter Donna lives in Nova Scotia with her family while Clark lives nearby and helps out when he can.
In his formal speech, Long said the couple still loves the farm and that community spirit is still strong for both Ross and Eloise.
Ross, however, thinks the award has more to do with his wife than him.
“She worked at the exhibition and 4-H and different organizations that we’ve both been involved with,” he said.
“We were both school bus drivers for over 20 years, so we got to know a lot of people through that, too.”
Long says they are still affectionately known as Mr. and Mrs C by many students and young 4-H members.
Eloise says giving back is in her DNA.
“I was raised that way. As our children grew, we became involved,” she said, with Ross coaching soccer and her coaching T-ball.
“We did over 12 years of scouting with Scouts Canada and enjoyed that as our boys grew up. Our daughter was in Girl Guides and we were involved in that.”
She said as their family grew, they all got into 4-H, but she’s not done yet.
“I’m still involved and I’ve been involved in a lot of events at the exhibition,” she said.
Eloise was also instrumental in kickstarting the annual Agriculture Education Day at Lloyd Ex which has taught more than 1,200 Lloydminster area kids in Grades 1 and 2 where food comes from.
“They believe in agriculture and promoting agriculture so the younger generation knows food does not come from a grocery store,” said King.
“It’s grow on farms, it’s made, it’s produced and then sent to a grocery store. They’ve promoted that their whole lives.”
Long had the final word at the podium, noting the Collinges are excited about their second-generation family continuing the adventure they started 50 years ago and with their grandson Tyler a potential third generation.
“There has always been lots of love on the Collinge farm and that is what life is all about,” he said.
The presentation took place on the final day of Stockade Round-Up.
