An Australian cowboy who has made a life of helping horses that others see as a lost cause, made his way through the valley, after more than 1,000 miles on horseback.
    Joe Guy Brewer, also known as the Long Rider, is a horseman, author and musician, and he has ridden more than 14,000 miles in Canada, the United States and Australia. Along the way, he helps horses and their owners. He is on the tail end of a trip from the western border of Ontario.
    “We are pitching a reality TV show called Rescue Rider,” he explains. “I ride across country, thousands of miles at a time, sleep on the ground and live out of my saddle bags, and I rescue horses.”
    These are horses that have been deemed untrainable, often to the point they are dangerous to ride. The horse he was riding on Wednesday morning, was a rescue from British Columbia. He eventually will pass this horse on to a new home.
    “I will have him relocated this Friday, and then I am flying to Thunder Bay where I will pick up my next rescue, and then I will ride him until I find a new home for him and so on. This is what I have done for 20 years.” he said.
    On Wednesday morning, they were trotting through the downtown of Drumheller with a camera crew in tow.
    “We picked here because it is a very scenic downtown and we’ve been doing some shoots from here to Wayne,” he explains. During his stop he also worked with Theresa Fomradas and one of her horses.
    From here, he will be riding on his new rescue from Thunder Bay to the East Coast.
    “I’ll be riding until October and November. This year I will hit 15,000 miles.” he said.

Gord Bamford performing at last year’s community concert for the Valleyview 4-H District.

Drumheller 4-H District brought home a community prize in a recent contest admission: a Gord Bamford concert.
    The fifth annual Why 4-H is Great Contest had returned, and the Drumheller District brought its game face. Out of the 51 eligible districts, Drumheller made top ranking, and took first place.
    Carmen Stone is with the 4-H Foundation of Alberta as Manager of Corporate Partnerships. Stone is grateful for the opportunity that the partnership with ATB Financial has brought for their company.
     “It’s opportunities such as the Why 4-H is Great contest and Gord Bamford fundraising concert that allow 4-H members to keep learning by doing.  Members and leaders will be responsible for planning and promoting the concert as well as pushing ticket sales.  This is a continuous learning experience that will provide confidence and life-applicable skills to our members.  Not to mention, this opportunity is a great way to showcase the 4-H organization and raise funds to ensure 4-H remains a strong and vibrant program.   We are very excited to be having this fundraising concert in Drumheller and can’t wait to celebrate all the 4-H District’s hard work!”
     The community will host Gord Bamford, a Canadian country music star and 2010 CCMA Male Vocalist of the Year. Throughout the past four years, the concert had raised over 68,000 dollars collectively for 4-H districts across Alberta.
    Michelle Hoover, a 4-H Alberta member who competes in 4-H’s Beef Program, is looking forward to her district’s prize.
 “We’re really excited to be bringing Gord Bamford to Drumheller. We have a great 4-H district and wonderful communities. This should be an awesome concert!” Hoover says.
     To win, groups must present an audio visual to a panel of judges made up of ATB Financial, Gord Bamford, and 4-H Alberta. Each submission was then judged on their attempts at creativity, uniqueness, and devotion to their Albertan community.
    “It is activities and experiences like these that truly embrace the 4-H spirit and celebrate head, heart, health and hands,” Stone adds.
    The concert will be on Friday, November 21, 2014. Tickets are expected to go on sale mid-August.