Marguerite Gallaway says she always enjoyed the years she spent on the Estevan Arts Council’s (EAC) board and the other cultural agencies she has been involved with in Estevan and across the province.
It’s why she remained involved with them for so long.
For more than 45 years, she was involved with arts councils in Saskatchewan in some fashion, whether it be the EAC, or the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (OSAC), the agency that once employed her as their executive director.
Gallaway has decided to step aside from the EAC’s board, and on Nov. 20, a retirement celebration was held for her at Trinity Lutheran Church. Dozens of people gathered to offer their best wishes to her, and the number of people took her by surprise.
“They have a good group (with the arts council),” she said in an interview with Lifestyles. “I sort of felt that I had served my time.”
Gallaway was born in Birsay in central Saskatchewan, and was introduced to the performing arts at an early age. Her piano teacher majored in music and a storekeeper’s wife was a competent pianist as well.
One hardware merchant had been in a boys’ choir in London when he was younger, and the other hardware merchant’s wife had been in a small theatre in London.
“We grew up on the stage from the time we could toddle, practically, and they would have operettas and plays and musicals,” said Gallaway. “So that was just part of life. And I knew you didn’t have to live in the big cities to take part in things like that.”
So when she moved to Estevan, it was only a natural she would eventually find her way to the Estevan Arts Council. It was formed in 1969, and the following year, Gallaway volunteered for the board.
By the time 1974 rolled around, Gallaway had been elected as the EAC’s board. It was one of eight arts councils in the province, operating under the banner of OSAC. They would gather once a year for a convention.
“And the Saskatchewan Arts Board representative said ‘If you people don’t get together and start doing something as an organization, we’re not going to fund any more meetings,’” recalled Gallaway.
They decided they would have to hire an executive director, and the people at the meeting thought Gallaway would be the perfect candidate.
She wanted to speak with her first husband, the late Ron Gallaway, about the job, but before she left the convention, a government representative urged her to sign a form for travel money.
“So that was the end of my contemplation,” said Gallaway.
She spent the first few months working out of her home, with Kay Knight as a part-time secretary, until Estevan’s mayor of the day, Ida Petterson, offered Gallaway an office in the basement of city hall.
Gallaway set about the task of adding to the number of arts councils in Saskatchewan, finding art exhibits for touring shows, selecting performers for concerts and, eventually, hiring more staff.
“By the time I left in 1987, there were 64 arts councils, and I was organizing concerts for 50 communities,” said Gallaway. “Twenty-five had Koncerts for Kids series. I had a visual arts person who had an assistant at that point who was looking for the touring art.”
Starts for Saskatchewan allowed her to line up some of Canada’s most talented musicians and dancers for small cities and towns that otherwise wouldn’t attract such talented people.
One of her fondest memories came when she lined up the great Saskatchewan tenor, Jon Vickers, for a successful tour of the province.
“To our great amazement, the next summer, Ron and I came home one evening, and found this beautiful big motorhome parked in our yard, and it was John Vickers, his wife and two children.”
The Vickers were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary, and he wanted to bring his family back to his home province.
“Nothing had touched him like his tour of his home province. We still have a picture of him sitting on our tractor.”
Marianne Woods, the performing arts, junior concerts and membership liaison co-ordinator for OSAC, was at Gallaway’s retirement celebration, and read excerpts from previous annual reports to pay tribute to Gallaway. One was from 1975, when Gallaway documented the growth within the organization, and the amount of travel she had – about 15,000 kilometres.
Another was from 1987, which was the year Gallaway retired. Those comments about Gallaway, written 29 years ago, still seem to ring true today.
“OSAC will always be indebted to Marguerite for her dedication and expertise which allowed the organization to grow and succeed,” said Woods.
Two years after she left OSAC, Gallaway founded the Estevan Tourism committee, and the following year, she started up the Souris Valley Theatre. Gallaway was also heavily involved with the Saskatchewan South East Tourism Association, and many other organizations.
Her efforts earned her numerous honours, awards and life memberships, and she is a member of the Order of Canada.
She also returned to her spot on the EAC’s board of directors from 1987 until this year. She will continue to support the organization by promoting and attending events, and will remain a member.
Gallaway will remain active in the community, too, as she is still the chair of the Souris Valley Museum, and she remains active with St. Paul’s United Church, and a part of the committee for the new Estevan Regional Nursing Home.
