Walter Davey
Encyclopedia
Walter Davey served as the twelfth mayor of the village of Elkhorn, Manitoba
, Canada, and as a councillor for the Rural Municipality of Wallace. Born in 1870 at Neath
, Glamorganshire, Wales
he was the only son of William Davey and Elizabeth Avery Chapple. He came to Canada with his parents in 1886 settling ten miles south of Elkhorn in the Kola district. In 1900 Davey returned to Wales and married Sarah Jones of Ystalyfera
. The couple continued to farm in the Kola district until 1906 when they moved to Elkhorn. Davey worked four years as postmaster and mail carrier before becoming an insurance and real estate agent.
The Daveys were active members of the local Presbyterian Church
; Walter serving on the Church board and Sarah with the different women's organizations. They continued to attend and volunteer with the United Church of Canada
when it formed in 1925. Walter also enjoyed singing, was an avid curler
, and coached the sport to numerous young people. He was first elected to Village Council in 1913 and served a total of thirteen years as a councillor, leaving council permanently in 1944. As mayor from 1928-1929 Davey and his council oversaw the advent of electricity in the village, approving connection to the grid system of Manitoba Hydro
. This was completed in July 1929.
Walter became exceedingly restless after the death of his wife in 1949 and sold all of his interests in the village before returning to his native Wales in 1951. He died in November 1955, and his ashes were returned to Canada to be interred alongside his parents in the Kola Cemetery.
Elkhorn, Manitoba
Elkhorn is a village in southwestern Manitoba, Canada.Incorporated on January 2, 1906, it is located approximately 105 kilometers west of Brandon. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Wallace.-History:...
, Canada, and as a councillor for the Rural Municipality of Wallace. Born in 1870 at Neath
Neath
Neath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK with a population of approximately 45,898 in 2001...
, Glamorganshire, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
he was the only son of William Davey and Elizabeth Avery Chapple. He came to Canada with his parents in 1886 settling ten miles south of Elkhorn in the Kola district. In 1900 Davey returned to Wales and married Sarah Jones of Ystalyfera
Ystalyfera
Ystalyfera is a former industrial village in the upper Swansea Valley, on the River Tawe, about north-east of Swansea. It is an electoral ward and a community in the unitary authority of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, comprising a resident population of just over 3,000 people, approximately 60% of whom...
. The couple continued to farm in the Kola district until 1906 when they moved to Elkhorn. Davey worked four years as postmaster and mail carrier before becoming an insurance and real estate agent.
The Daveys were active members of the local Presbyterian Church
Presbyterian Church in Canada
The Presbyterian Church in Canada is the name of a Protestant Christian church, of presbyterian and reformed theology and polity, serving in Canada under this name since 1875, although the United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939...
; Walter serving on the Church board and Sarah with the different women's organizations. They continued to attend and volunteer with the United Church of Canada
United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada is a Protestant Christian denomination in Canada. It is the largest Protestant church and, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest Christian church in Canada...
when it formed in 1925. Walter also enjoyed singing, was an avid curler
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
, and coached the sport to numerous young people. He was first elected to Village Council in 1913 and served a total of thirteen years as a councillor, leaving council permanently in 1944. As mayor from 1928-1929 Davey and his council oversaw the advent of electricity in the village, approving connection to the grid system of Manitoba Hydro
Manitoba Hydro
Manitoba Hydro is the electric power and natural gas utility in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1961, it is a provincial Crown Corporation, governed by the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board and the Manitoba Hydro Act. Today the company operates 15 interconnected generating stations. It has...
. This was completed in July 1929.
Walter became exceedingly restless after the death of his wife in 1949 and sold all of his interests in the village before returning to his native Wales in 1951. He died in November 1955, and his ashes were returned to Canada to be interred alongside his parents in the Kola Cemetery.