*** An exciting new series of interviews and stories! ***
Introducing Bev Biggeman
It’s been a pleasure to meet Bev (and Bob, they’re never far apart) when they moved to Redcliff, then Medicine Hat to be closer to family. It was one of our posters that prompted her to inquire about Medicine Hat Cowboy Poetry; her poetry and story is in our “Country Stories” publication and Bob did the illustrations. She is now contributing to our website during the ‘off-season’ by documenting the lives seniors (Emily Mastel Schmaltz and Rosalie Reinbolt (nee Beaudry) with more to come!) by interviewing them and compiling their stories. What an interesting way share the experiences of people that some of us know and who have lived long lives. It’s also an opportunity to learn in a meaningful way what times were like through their personal history. Thanks, Bev for putting it all together for us.
Bev Biggeman’s Biography
She grew up in a large family (14, not counting her parents) on a farm near Westlock, AB. This humble and often bare-footed childhood formed a solid foundation for Bev’s teaching career, first as a hometown teacher, then in other towns around Alberta and for a time at Olds College. Her teaching took her to Nigeria and her group-leader position with Canada World Youth in Malaysia expanded into international positions in Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Tanzania and Argentina. Her life formed a full circle now that she and her partner, Bob Horne, make an annual trek to operate his 100+-year-old farm in Saskatchewan for six months of the year, thus calling themselves ‘prairie gypsies’. That’s where she has her very own tractor and operates her combine “Maven”.
As a freelance writer she has the gift of composing a delightful story about something ordinary and even boring, for example Path to Farmhouse Paved with Rocks. We can certainly relate to stories like these (and more!) in the Western Producer: ‘Last Field’ Always Causes the Most Problems or The Vocabulary of Combines.
