It is my pleasure to present some of the story in the life of His Worship, the Mayor of Golden, Walter John Azaulak.

Born at 939 Main Street in the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba on February 5, 1910, Walter is the fourth child in a family of five boys and three girls. his father was a minister, ordained in the Ukrain, who in 1935 and for the last 15 years of his life, was an Archdeacon in the Greek Orthodox Church both in Winnipeg and Toronto.

In 1915, the father was transferred from Winnipeg to Saskatoon. It was here the older children started school, Walter going with them occassionally on a Friday afternoon. A move further west came in 1917, this time to Mundare, Alberta about 70 miles east of Edmonton. Walter officially started to school here. We wondered if being a minister's son created any problems - not really he said, but Mundare had a large Catholic Community and boys being boys - well of course, the inevitable scraps did occur.

Then five yers later, the father was sent to Kenora, Saskatchewan, the place they all lived for the longest time. Walter finished his grade eleven. During the summer months while going to school, young fellows usually found work on neighboring farms and in 1927, Walter along with his brother Bob worked with thrashing crews.

One particular farmer stays in Walter's memory, his name was Frank Nolan. Now this Mr. Nolan's farm consisted of four sections (360 acres per section) just outside of Regina near a place called Rouleau. He had 90 horses with barns to keep them, binders, wagons and all the other items used inmaintaining a farm of this size plus a three story house where Mrs. Nolan sat with field glasses on the third floor to keep watch on the harvest crews and report their progress. There was also a Franklin Touring car, containing all sorts of binder parts in case of breakdown. Six binders would start off, one behind the other, Mrs. Nolan watching from the third story of the house, could see if one of binders at any time had to move out of line due to some fault, then whoever ws driving the touring car would be off and moving with the repairs. The wheat was cut, stocked to dry and eventually loaded onto hayracks taken to the thrashing machine. Oats and hay were handled the same way and later, after loading these onto the hayracks, they were taken to barn for storage. Walter could move 4 of these hayracks at a time into the barn. Horses wer very well cared for and any man found abusing one ws fired right on the spot. Trainloads of unemployed men from the east were sent west to help with the harvest. Mr. Nolan hired his share but any man who couldn't produce was taken back to Rouleau and another man was found to replace him. Working from sunup to sunset, Walter made $6.00 a day riding thebinder and $7.00 a day, spike pitching or unloading the hayracks, along with the wagon driver, into the thrashing machines. Crops wer good during the '20's, in 1929, Frank Nolan received the largest wheat pool cheque in Saskatchewan.

But school was finished and the future was ahead. Kenora, and avid baseball town, also boasted about having two retired American professional League Players. One of these was Mel Grimstall, a pitcher who taught Walter many of the tricks of the trade until finally Walter was good enough to be imported by the Cadamin Minors to pitch for that team.

Cadamin is a coal mining town situated in beween Luscar and Mountain Park. Quite a lot of rivalry existed between these three towns, who all wanted to have the best baseball team and the best hockey team, so they each brought in the best players they could find, found them jobs, and accomodation adn provided a year round cookhouse where the men could have all they wanted to eat of what was cooked, for 50 cents a meal. It wasn't fancy but it was good. Walter worked in the drugstore and the soda fountain, living above the store and paying $10.00 a month for his room. But ball games had first priority.

In 1932, Cadamin entered the Alberta finals (senior hardball) against Edmontaon. Charlie Lewis, that year played left field for Edmonton. Cadamin won that game against Edmonton but lost out to Drumheller for the title. In 1935-37 the Cadamin Minors again were in the Alberta finals against Lethbridge, they came very close, but Lethbridge won.

In the latter part of 1936-37 Wlter went to work at the General Store in Cadamin owned by Tom Burnett and eventually made manager. It was the beginning of the end of his baseball career. There was too much to do, too much responsibility with many evenings spent backin the store checking stock and arranging displays.

In 1939, Walter married a Cadamin girl, Frances Kerterson and they had one son, Daryl. Walter and Frances travelled to the San Francisco World's Fair some months later and here Walter met Frances' father, a man who doubled for Tom Mix in the movies and who had left Edmonton a long time before.

The General Store saw several changes over the next 25 years. A Mr. Campbell bouth Tom Burnett out, then Walter became Mr. Campbell's partner and when Mr. Campbell sold, Eric Collins bought in. During the Second World War, Walter with a trick knee was left at home, most of hismale staff were called up. In 1952, Luscar which was like Cadamin a company town, the company owning all the buildings but not the stock. The company asked Walter to take over the General Store in Luscar which he did. But not for long. The CNR and B C Hydro whose usage had made coal a demand product, now converted to oil - so that by 1954-55, the mines had to be closed. Walter and his partners sold all their interest and moved to Fort Saskatchewan, 15 miles east of Edmonton. In 1954, they bought into the Brant Hotel. For a time the hotel business wasn't all tha successful, however, it was better in the end.

Then in 1957, Walter heard about the Big Bend Hotel in Golden, the owner anxious to sell.

Walter and Eric Collins took their interest out of the Brant Hotel in Fort Saskatchewan and invested in the Big Bend Hotel.

It was in 1964 Frances died and their son Daryl who had gone to school here decided he would rather go to B.C.I.T. than have any part of the hotel. So with a Mrs. Malmus assuming Walters interest in the hotel, Eric Collins became manger.

Before he became Mayor in 1967, Walter was elected to Council as an Alderman. This is his 12th year as Mayor of Golden.

In the early part of the sixties, there was a great deal of talk about having a rodeo. Walter bought 160 acres and signing up for a five year plan with the Professionals Cowboys belonging to the Canada Protective Association of Cowboys, the Golden Rodeo was formed. Grand stands wer ebuilt and chutes. Animals were obtained from Harry Vold from DeWInton, ALberta. Wayne Vold today a country singer on television is Harry Vold's son but int he early sixties was only around 15, the youngest cowboy in the circuit. Purse money came from the gate receipts and if that wasn't quite enough, Walter supplied the rest. Church and other organizations ran the concession stands. In the final couple of years, the Elks Club took over the running of the rodeo and they were able to make a little money.

Walter built a house on part of this 160 acres just before his wife died and he still lives there today.

The bleachers from the rodeo were given partly to the Sno-Kings for the first Snowmobile Races ever held in Golden and partly to the Little League Ball park. The chutes were just demolished and today the old rodeo grounds are used by Mr. Foyston for pasture for his horses.

Walter has enjoyed his years as Mayor. His terms of office, has seen the completion of the overpass along with the paving of all the Town streets. Facilities have been improved at the local campground and the Fire Department have the use of a new fire hall. This year saw the flood control of the Kicking Horse River. Walter himself, a representative to the Regional Board was one of the directors of teh Arena and the old curling rink and involved from the beginning in the Museum as well as chaired the official opening of that building in 1974.

Walter has one more important priority and that is to see Council increased to six members from the four it is today. He feels that this would improve the overall assessment of issues creating a more favorable and acceptable service to the public resulting froma better cross section of opinions.