n THE CARILLON STEINBACH, MAN. C6 n www.thecarillon.com THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2024 No place like home: A farm girl’s journey to resilience L ast November’s Manitoba Farm
ers that are going to restrict opportu- nities ahead of me. Never hesitate to stomp out your own path. As it was with my career, there are many times when you need to tap into your in- ner Fleetwood Mac, and “go your own way”. You must find your own method. Trust your instincts. Keep your values close, and most impor- tantly, believe in the unlimited po- tential of you.” In The Wizard of Oz , even Dorothy strayed from the path occasionally. She found herself in a field of pop- pies and fell asleep, leaving her and her friends exposed to an attack of the Wicked Witch of the West. “When you venture out on your own, you may stumble or find your- self in a slump, or even just stuck,” Ulmer said, quoting another chil- dren’s author, Dr. Suess, who wrote, “Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.” “I also subscribe to what Winston Churchill said, ‘When you find your- self going through hell, just keep go- ing.’ Trusting in the idea that your own personal capacity may be lim- itless is the key to keep thriving and prospering.” In her concluding remarks, Ulmer offered five guiding principles, re- flecting her journey and the wisdom she gleaned along the way. 1. Continue to find meaning in everything you do. Reflect on your higher purpose and let it guide you each, and every day. 2. Be prepared to stomp out your own yellow brick road. 3. See relevance in your life, through continuous learning with an open heart, and courage that will always help lead you forward. Re- member to find rewards for efforts within you, and not from things or people around you. 4. Avoid looking to wizards to fix your problems and stop listening to the witches in your brain, who seek to discourage you with their noise. Listen to these wise words of the wonderful Wizard of Oz, who said to Dorothy, “Always believe in who you are, and let no one stand in your way.” Let that be your “somewhere over the rainbow”. 5. When you get home, click your heels together three times, and think of the footprints that you contin- ue to leave in this world, and think about the people you care about ev- ery day, to help you remember there is no place like home.
defeat.” Transitioning from the literary realm, Ulmer reflected on her own journey of self-discovery and pro- fessional growth, drawing parallels between her own experiences and Dorothy’s journey, and how each challenge and milestone shaped who she is today. “I was that farm girl growing up in rural Saskatchewan with dreams of being in far off places and learned the importance of my meaning through my own personal journey,” she said. When the time came to go to col- lege, the anxiety set in. “There were huge expectations. I did what I always do, I stopped, I re- flected, took stock of what is around and within me. My mother instilled in me a very strong sense of values, compassion for others, and a survi- vor’s instinct. Growing up in a rural setting provided me with several role models on what it means to live a life that’s authentic, one with humility and one with transparency.” And the education she gained from life experience and formal ed- ucation granted her the knowledge and the skills to proceed. While her placements with RBC provided her with experience in the world of work, the tornado of change kept spinning. When that twister touched down on her own personal Oz, she set out on a journey where she learned many lessons that were comparable to Dorothy’s journey. “The very first of these lessons came early in Dorothy’s life when she decided to be open to the advice of others, which was to follow the yellow brick road. Opening yourself up to advice is important on any- one’s journey. Vibrancy is truly born out of collaboration.” Unexpected growth can be found in seeking the mentorship of others, she says. “As well as dealing with the unknown. I was someone who early on said, ‘I’m a prairie kid. I’m a farm kid. I’m not going to Toronto.’ Until one day, it actually happened, and we moved to Toronto as a family.” It was through that difficult fam- ily decision that she found an un- expected road to follow, a road that would lead her home again, and to opportunities that wouldn’t have been possible had she not taken that journey. “I find that by remaining open, I ensure that I am not wearing blind-
Women’s Conference welcomed keynote speaker, Kim Ulmer, RBC Regional President for Mani- toba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, and Western Ontario. Amid her responsibilities of cu- rating positive experiences for both business and personal banking cli- ents, Ulmer’s heart remains rooted in the vast expanse of Manitoba’s fields and boundless skies, where she makes her home alongside her hus- band and son. Ulmer’s presentation, reflecting on her journey from the rolling hills of Saskatchewan to the vibrant city- scape of Sudbury and the awe-inspir- ing tundra of Canada’s north, echoed the sentiment that indeed, there is no place like home. Hailing from the farming land- scapes of Melville, Saskatchewan, Ul- mer said her upbringing instilled in her the values of family, friendship, and the profound connection to the land. Like Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz,” she embarked on a transfor- mative journey that began amidst the golden wheat fields of her youth, ultimately leading her down her own metaphorical yellow brick road. When Kim Ulmer looks back on her days of growing up in rural Sas- katchewan, she realizes her most important lessons were learned at home. “There really is no place like home. When Dorothy from The Wiz- ard of Oz whispered those immor- tal words, she knew what she was talking about,” Ulmer said, during a presentation that included listeners from all walks of life and agricultural backgrounds. “All it took was a perilous adven- ture filled with witches and wizards and flying monkeys for Dorothy to realize that. There’s a reason why a book that was written just over 125 years ago, and a film that followed 39 years later still resonates deeply within the world. And if you are like me, I watch it every Christmas and drive my husband absolutely banan- as.” Drawing inspiration from the L. Frank Baum classic, she explained the symbolic and historical depth within the beloved tale. ” The Wizard of Oz isn’t just a chil- dren’s story, but more of a reflection of the political themes of its time. Embedded within the book are alle- gorical representations of real-world
LORI PENNER THE CARILLON Kim Ulmer, RBC Regional President for Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, and Western Ontario.
yellow brick road - representing the gold standard - the book critiques the promises and shortcomings of political leadership. “Ultimately, Dorothy’s uninten- tional defeat of the Wicked Witch of the West with water, reflects re- al-world issues such as drought and the struggles of farmers. The Wizard’s departure in a hot air balloon signi- fies the “hot air” of political rhetoric, leaving the Scarecrow - representing farmers - to govern Oz, while the Tin Woodsman assumes control in the East, mirroring a shift away from Wall Street’s influence. Meanwhile, the Cowardly Lion’s return to the forest symbolizes Bryan’s electoral
figures and movements, particularly Populism, a political ideology preva- lent in the 1890s Midwest. This movement was led by William Jennings Bryan, who accused the bankers of the time and the railroad barons of oppressing farmers and industrial workers.” “Oz” is a nod to the abbreviation for ounce, symbolizing gold, a stan- dard of wealth. Dorothy, hailing from populist Kansas, represents the common person. Her compan- ions - the Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman, and Cowardly Lion - symbolize the agricultural, industrial, and political classes, respectively. Through their journey along the
August 2, 2012
Well-rounded pilot is kept busy in ag industry
There is no question the system works, and works well. Fifty-five units have been produced by Kornelson’s crew and are out doing the job on large farms. Hutterite col- onies have tested the auger in live work and their feedback has resulted in modifications to a more ergonomic, efficient, and safer fi- nal model. In spite of his enthusiastic endorsement of the new auger, Kornelson says he is not in- volved in sales. He’s leaving that up to Sprin- gland’s marketing team. Kornelson will continue to operate his crop sprayer out of the Steinbach airport, which is also his home base for water-bombing oper- ations, shifting northward as the need arises. Kornelson points out that his role in fight- ing forest fires comes in the dropping of 800-gallon loads of fire-retardant. He works on the same fires as the water bombers, usu- ally in teams of four airplanes, he says. While fighting the fire in the Sandilands earlier this year, the three water-bombers got their water from White Mud Lake, but had to return to Gimli to refuel. Kornelson operated out of the Steinbach airport. Parking his plane at the Steinbach airport has given Kornelson the rare treat of meeting face-to-face a few of the people he helped this spring. Airplanes were included in the exhibits at the annual car show on the muse- um grounds in June and a couple came up to look at Kornelson’s plane. He said they shook his hand and thanked him for saving their home. “That’s something we seldom get to see, for usually our fire fighting is on remote north- ern Crown lands.”
by WES KEATING W hen Rick Kornelson quit build- ing airplanes a few of years ago, it seemed perfectly logical to him that manufacturing grain augers could be a per- fect substitute use for a converted hangar at his Ridge Road acreage southwest of Stein- bach. Kornelson flies water bombers to fight for- est fires, does crop spraying, and even ferries shipments of jet fuel up north for the me- di-vac unit, when winter roads are delayed and supplies run short. It’s not like the man needs to look for things to fill in his spare time. But, he says, he likes to keep busy and starting a new enterprise at 56 doesn’t worry him at all. “I’ve still got a few years left on my best-be- fore date.” It struck him as a rare opportunity when John Lepp, who owns the water bomber Kor- nelson flies, brought up the subject of man- ufacturing a 40-foot truck-loading auger to work in conjunction with a grain loading sys- tem his other company manufactures. Springland Manufacturing needed an au- ger that would be able to keep up with its un- der-floor sweep system in their bins. Sprin- gland developed a prototype of a portable truck-loading auger six or seven years ago, but dropped it, choosing to continue to spe- cialize in the under-floor bin units. Kornelson suggested to Lepp that because he was no longer building airplanes, Spring- land should let him manufacture the auger. Kornelson hired an engineer and spent the next two-and-a-half years in research and
SUBMITTED When Kornelson is not using this 800-gallon water bomber for dropping fire retardant on forest fires, he says his 1,400 horsepower turbo-prop airplane becomes the largest crop spraying plane in the world.
tested, tweaked, adjusted, tweaked some more, adjusted some more, and was finally put on display at Western Canada’s largest agricultural trade show in Regina, in June.
development to come up with a marketable product. This portable extension for Springland’s unique loading system has been prototyped,
Welding repair Mobile Welding Custom manufacturing We innovate from within to help you develop effective solutions 204-326-3008 | corey@heritagesteelworks.ca
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