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Tom Monto

Millwoods community leagues still strong after 50 years (Millwoods Mosaic Jan 2024)

Community leagues still going strong in Mill Woods after 50 years

by Tom Monto

It may be hard to believe but residents of Mill Woods have been participating in community league activities for more than 50 years.

Mill Woods was just getting going back in 1973. A development that had been only a dream on paper in 1971 was shortly to become the home of enough people to be a small city. Now about 120,000 people call Mill Woods home. During the last 50 years many of these people have enjoyed services and programs provided by their local community league. 

Mill Woods is made up of eight communities - Burnewood, Knottwood, Lakewood, Millbourne, Millhurst, Ridgewood, Southwood and Woodvale. Each one contains two or more of the 22 neighbourhoods that make up Mill Woods. 

Each community has its own community league. Millbourne actually has two. 

The four neighbourhoods in Millbourne are served by two community leagues.  Two  -- Lee Ridge and Richfeld -- are served by the Leefield community league; Millbourne's other two neighbourhoods -- Michaels Park and Tweddle Place -- are served by the North Millbourne community league.

The first community league was founded in Mill Woods in 1973. The Mill Woods Community League covered the community of Millbourne, the first place in Mill Woods to be developed.            

Then the North Millbourne Community League came along in May 1975. It will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year.

The newly-arrived families of North Millbourne were busy with young families and new houses. Reports from Gary Johnson, the first president of North Millbourne, show the league’s resources were stretched pretty thin in the early days. But finally in 1980 a community hall was built. 

A community league to serve the Mill Woods community of Knottwood was founded on March 4, 1977. Knottwood C.L. covers the neighbourhoods of Ekota, Menisa and Satoo.

With the founding of North Millbourne and Knottwood, the old Millwoods Community League was renamed Leefield. The name was chosen as the community league covered the neighbourhoods of Leeridge and Richfield. It built its community hall in 1981 at a cost of almost $600,000.

Around that same time, the Mill Woods Cultural and Recreational Facility Association (MCARFA) was founded in 1977. It works as a coordinating body for community leagues in Mill Woods, helping them work together to address common needs and achieve shared aspirations.  

Its most impressive early achievement was the construction of the Millwoods Recreation Centre, which opened in 1982. Built at a cost of $12.5M, it offers a swimming experience that is enhanced by machine-generated waves and a beach to play on. As well, the centre has two hockey rinks, racquetball courts and exercise rooms. Money for the project had been raised from government sources, the Leefield and North Millbourne community leagues, and others. 

By the late 1970s, Mill Woods was developing at a quick pace. And the appearance of several new community leagues in that period shows that.

The Lakewood Community League was founded in 1978. It covers the neighbourhoods of Kameyosek, Meyonohk and Tipaskan. 

Seventy-five local residents attended the founding meeting held at the nearby Kameyosek community school. Showing the mutual aid that is a big part of the community league movement, the president of the Knottwood C.L., Bill Faust, was pivotal for the start of the Lakewood C.L. The Lakewood league opened its community hall in 1982.

The Millhurst C.L. was founded in 1979. It covers the neighbourhoods of Meyokumin and Sakaw. Within a few years, it was operating playgrounds and two skating rinks, one in each neighbourhood. Just recently in 2020 it decided to run only one rink, the one beside Meyokumin School, and the Sakaw rink site was converted to a community garden and orchard.

Two Mill Woods community leagues were founded in 1980.

Southwood C.L. was founded in 1980. It covers the neighbourhoods of Crawford Plains, Daly Grove and Pollard Meadows. The initial annual budget was 4,000 to $7000, but once it got going, money from casinos and bingos brought its annual spending up to $80,000 within just a few years

Woodvale C.L. was also founded in 1980. It covers the neighbourhoods of Hillview and Greenview. By 1983 the Greenview School still did not have playground equipment. The Woodvale community league and several others contributed money and time and got a playground built to the satisfaction of many neighbourhood children.

Burnewood C.L. was founded in 1981. It covers the neighbourhoods of Kiniski Gardens and Jackson Heights. This is in the northeast corner of Mill Woods but was one of the last to get a community league. The Burnewood league’s first main goal was to get better postal delivery service and bus service. When Edmonton Transit buses were slow to come to the isolated neighbourhood, the residents organized a co-operative car pool to make the commute to and from downtown. 

For many years the Burnewood C.L. organized an annual community campout at a lake near Edmonton. 2018’s campout was the 15th held by the community league.

The Burnewood C.L. held a sports day and community celebration in September. Fun was had by all in attendance!

On the west and south edge of Burnewood runs the Mill Creek. This is the feature from which the name Mill Woods is derived.

Just south and west of that creek live the people served by the Ridgewood C.L They live in the neighbourhoods of Minchau, Bissett and Weinlos. Ninety-five residents attended the founding meeting held on June 2, 1982 and the league has gone on from strength to strength ever since.

Ridgewood was the last community league founded in Mill Woods. 

Adjoining areas – The Meadows to the east and Ellerslie to the south – became part of Edmonton in 1982. They were quickly developed into residential neighbourhoods, and new Edmonton community leagues were quickly established there. 

The Meadows C.L. was founded in 1987. Like the Mill Woods communities, no community league was formed there until city-planned development occurred.

Ellerslie was a rural area outside the city of Edmonton prior to 1982. It had had a community league-style organization long before any community league was founded in Mill Woods. The Ellerslie Curling Association was founded in 1962. Without much money, the best they could do was build a curling rink out of straw bales. The so-called Straw Palace was in use for a few years before a permanent structure could be built. 

In 1966 the group re-named itself the Ellerslie Recreation and Curling Association and a proper curling rink - based on a huge metal quonset hut - was built by volunteer labour. The group joined the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues in the 1980s after Ellerslie became part of Edmonton.

The presidents of the nine Mill Woods community leagues today plus representatives of community leagues in The Meadows and Ellerslie meet together in the Mill Woods Presidents’ Council. One of the biggest things the Mill Woods Presidents’ Council puts on every year is the Canada Day celebration at the Mill Woods Park, in the centre of Mill Woods. This event is said to be Western Canada’s largest volunteer-driven Canada Day celebration. Fireworks, live performances on the main stage, an artisan market, games and wagon rides make this a special outing for any family that participates.

For the last 50 years the community leagues of Mill Woods have provided programming, fun and games for local residents. If you want to participate or volunteer some of your time, I am sure the local league would be happy to have you. 


Sources:

Vaughan Bowker and Michael Wanchuk, Volunteers Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (1986)

Naming Edmonton, from Ada to Zoie

Online sources

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