Home
Feature ArticlesPhotography Articles Photography CompetitionGalleryAdvertiseCurrent & Past Issues
–––––––––––––––––––Contact Us
Background photograph
by Christopher Martin
Our Resident Photographer
Dr. Robert Berdan
Visit website
Bragg Creek TV
Featured Videos
Alvise Doglioni
An Old World ArtisanTim Mitchell and Pat Cardinal perform during Bragg Creek Days in summer 2011The Honourable Peter Lougheed at opening of Kananaskis Country Golf CourseJohn Lajeunesse – Founder of
the
Banded Peak Challenge.Dr. Robert Berdan – Wildlife Dr. Robert Berdan – Grizzlies
Enter our Photography Competition – $750 Prize Pool
Creating Community
By definition, a neighbour is someone who lives close to you, but close is a relative term. For many city-dwellers, a neighbour is often someone living in the apartment next door, but for those who live out in a rural area like Bragg Creek, the neighbour often resides a kilometre or more away. A good neighbour is friendly and considerate, waves to you, stops to pet your dog, buys lemonade from your children, and is always willing to lend you a helping hand. Good neighbours smile at one another and take the time to talk and listen. Above all, good neighbours are respectful – and they teach their children to be respectful as well.
Hillary Clinton once famously said, “It takes a village to raise a child.” This observation played out perfectly in real life with our son, who had a lot of opportunity to play music with some accomplished older musicians residing in the greater Bragg Creek area. Playing music with our neighbours has immensely enriched our son’s life, while our neighbours have enjoyed playing with him – helping him evolve into the accomplished musician he is today.
Children prepare to join the Grand Entrance into the Beaver Dome
Photograph by Christopher Martin
All too often we tend to become too self-absorbed, feeling we are too busy with our own lives to concern ourselves with the lives of those living around us. But being a good neighbour is fundamental to the fabric of any community, which is the genesis of this issue’s editorial feature on the Tsuu T’ina Nation.
The story traces back a few years ago to when I originally interviewed Jack and Joan Merryfield for another article, titled The Fabric of the Creek, that we published in the Summer 2010 edition of this magazine. In the time I spent with the Merryfields, I was struck by the sense of community that they fostered with the local Aboriginals. The Merryfields described their relationships with the local natives as being integral to their well-being and happiness; they had long relied on them as neighbours and thoroughly enjoyed their sense of humour and friendship.
In 1932, at the tender age of five, Joan rode her own horse to school while often wearing outfits hand-sewn by the local native people. “I used to wear buckskin coats to school throughout the winter,” recounted Joan. “My mother used to get the local natives to come in to measure us up for winter moccasins and coats, and they’d come back a few days later with them all made and fitting perfectly. They were so glad for the money, because they were so poor. They were good friends, really good friends, just great people.”
During our discussion, the Merryfields expressed a deep concern that the friendship that they had enjoyed with our First Nations neighbours was not, in large part, being carried forward by future generations. It was my chat with Jack and Joan that inspired me to plan an editorial feature focusing on our neighbours – the people of the Tsuu T’ina Nation.
Chief Roy Whitney (left) with our publisher Dwayne Zaba
Photography by Peter Gold of Gold Photography
By lucky coincidence, local photographer, Redwood Meadows resident and regular contributor to 
, Chris Martin approached us shortly afterwards with the idea of publishing an article on the Tsuu T’ina Nation Rodeo and Pow Wow. And there began the feature article for this issue, The Spirit of a Nation.
I recently had the honour of interviewing Chief Roy Whitney of the Tsuu T’ina Nation at my home in Bragg Creek. Despite a very busy schedule, Chief Whitney generously gave me a good deal of his personal time on a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon. The part of the interview with Chief Whitney relating to the Rodeo and Pow Wow is featured on page 33 of this issue, and we also plan to publish a more comprehensive version of the interview with Chief Whitney in a future edition of this magazine.
When I spoke with Chief Whitney about my discussion with the Merryfields, he expressed that some of his fondest childhood memories were of accompanying his father, an accomplished fiddle player, to perform with his band at the Circle-Five Hall in Bragg Creek – the same place where Jack and Joan held their wedding reception in 1946.
I believe that lasting relationships are based on common morals and values. Based on the time I shared with Chief Whitney, I believe that we have enough in common for a rock-solid foundation on which to build a mutually beneficial, long-lasting relationship.
Dwayne Zaba, Publisher
Bragg Creek TV
If you missed last issue’s interview with Old World Artisan, Alvise Doglioni, you can see it at www.braggcreek.tv. Alvise’s work is based on nature. Nature, especially in this part of the country, is overwhelmingly beautiful.
Watch the video interview with Alvise or download the magazine article
Alvise in his workshop- by Chris Martin
Bragg Creek TV is also where you can find exclusive footage of some of the most spectacular homes in the Bragg Creek region, including those featured throughout the pages of this issue. We continue to update the site on an ongoing basis with relevant and engaging video content – the countryside; documentaries; resident interviews; property tours – to bring the ever-changing seasonal beauty of Bragg Creek into the comfort of your home. We hope you enjoy the vistas.
Photography Competition – $750 Prize Pool
The top three winners of our Fall 2012 Photography Competition received a total of $500 Cash from and Rocky View County. Additionally the first-place winner also received a 24”x36” stretched-canvas print of their winning photograph from Branded Visuals Inc. (up to a value of $250). See our Competition page for full prize details, and for terms and conditions.
One of the many creeks feeding Upper Kananaskis Lake
– the summer 2013 winning submission by Randy Pohl
If you haven't already sent your photos in, now is the perfect time to do so. We are still keen on receiving photographs showcasing how you, your friends and family interact with the beautiful countryside right here on our doorstep. These can involve any season or activity: fishing, hiking, canoeing, biking … however you enjoy the great outdoors.
As always, the photographs must be taken within the greater Bragg Creek area or Kananaskis. Please also confirm that you have permission from anybody recognizable in your photographs for reproduction of their image, as outlined in our competition details and rules.
The submission deadline for our Fall 2013 Photography Competition is Friday August 9, 2013.
Submit your Photographs
Remember: You can't win if you don't you send it in.
About our Magazine
Just west of Calgary is a little hamlet boasting the title ‘The Gateway to Kananaskis,’ home to some of the world’s most pristine landscapes.
Located a short 30-kilometre drive from Calgary, Bragg Creek is a wonderfully vibrant community with a wealth of amenities – the perfect lifestyle balance between Big City convenience and stunning natural beauty. The breathtaking 4,200-square-kilometre forestry reserve of K-Country – set in the Rocky Mountain front-ranges – is truly a year-round outdoor recreational paradise which is sure to take your breath away!
magazine celebrates this region's beauty and encourages everyone to experience this enchanting paradise first-hand. We showcase professional and amateur photography, provide engaging articles and feature exclusive resident profiles. We publish every four months with an average circulation of 18,000 copies per issue, distributed via proprietary stands and directly to all the Calgary-based subscribers to The Globe & Mail.
