Naming of the Pumphouses
Gerald Barden Pumphouse
– Main Pumphouse
The Main Pumphouse was officially renamed on March 19, 2008 to the Gerald Barden Pumphouse in dedication to Gerald Barden and his family after his passing. A ceremony for the recognition was held on June 19 of the same year.
Gerald was one of the founding members of Prince Albert Water Utility. He sat on the board since PARWU’s inception in 1994 and was the Vice-Chairman at the time of his passing. In the very early years Gerald was the treasurer and prior to hiring the first Maintenance Technician Gerald often assisted with general maintenance work in the field. Without the dedication and hard work that Gerald put towards the Utility and in his involvement at all levels in PARWU would not be where it is today. We will forever be grateful to Gerald Barden and his many many contributions to PARWU – both at the board level and in the field.
Marvin Byrne Pump House
– Hwy 302 East
On the evening of Wednesday, July 15, 2015 the Prince Albert Rural Water Utility held a ceremony to name its pumphouse on Highway 302 East, the Marvin Byrne Pumphouse in recognition of his many contributions to his community.
Over the years, longtime resident of the Rural Municipality of Prince Albert from the Stanleyville area east of Prince Albert, Mr. Byrne has been a huge volunteer and community supporter. Amongst Mr. Byrne’s contributions to his community are the following: one of the original members of the Community Pasture; a member of the East Central School Board; a leader in the East Prince Albert 4H Beef Club; an active member in the East Prince Albert 4H Light Horse Club; one of the first members on the Prince Albert Co-op Association and; a member and supporter of the Wheat Pool. Mr. Byrne served in World War II from 1941 to 1945 signing up with the RCAF before his 21st birthday and continues to be involved with the Royal Canadian Legion. Mr. Byrne was instrumental in erecting Veteran’s Memorial monuments at both the Steep Creek Church and the Colleston Church to honour all area veterans of past wars. Mr. Byrne has volunteered his time to maintain the Stanleyville Cemetery for well over 50 years. Mr. Byrne has also been involved with many sporting activities – curling, horseshoes, and softball.
The Byrne homestead has a proud history back 128 years with Marvin’s Grandfather Charles Byrne starting the homestead in 1887. Marvin and his wife Mary have worked together for 68 years, built their farm and raised their 5 children. The Byrne family farm continues as a mixed farming operation. Marvin always encourages and proudly supports his family in all their chosen careers and sporting endeavours.
In response to the dedication of this facility to the recognition of Mr. Byrne, his family stated, “It means a lot to us to see him being recognized in this way. We have always known how committed Dad has been to the area. He has always worked hard to make this a better place and it’s nice to know that others see this as well.”
