Community says goodbye to Bernice Sayese

Page 6

The community of Prince Albert lost one of its leading citizens with the passing of Bernice Sayese. Sayese was diagnosed with cancer in January 2003 and lost her battle with the disease on March 4. Sayese, who in 2002 became the first Aboriginal woman to be named Prince Albert's Citizen of the Year, was probably best known for her work with the long running Voices of the North performances held each year as part of the Prince Albert Winter Festival. But the annual showcase of Aboriginal performers was far from being the only project to which Sayese dedicated her time.

Sayese worked as a community development officer with the City of Prince Albert, but her efforts to improve the community went well beyond the parameters of a job.

Over the years, Sayese was involved in the Prince Albert Country Music Association, and was on the organizing committee for Metis Rendezvous Day and the Metis Fall Festival.

She was also involved with the Play and Learn Day Care, the Prince Albert Hunger Committee, the Saskatchewan Child Nutrition Network, Won-Ska Cultural school, the Integrated Youth Committee, Community Against Family Violence, the Community Networking Coalition, the Community Foundation and P.A. Youth Outreach Inc.

A founding board member of the Interval House Safe Shelter for Women and the Children's Haven, Sayese also helped establish a lodge for homeless men.

She was a member of Prince Albert's Race Relations and Social Issues Committee and of the Saskatchewan Police Commission, and was involved with the Prince Albert Indian and Metis Friendship Centre for over a decade.

Sheryl Kimbley, who worked with Sayese on the Voices of the North Showcase for the past 12 years, first met her 15 or 20 years ago.

"She actually was trying to get Aboriginal people to get out and vote and my dad happened to be running for the City at the time. She was kind of helping his cause, which is the way I met her," Kimbley remembered. "It's interesting that I never thought of that before. She was still helping with things like that, even back then."

Sayese was originally from Glenmary, a Metis settlement located just north of Kinistino, but she spent most of her life in Prince Albert. She had three children, Shauna, Michael and James, and was an unofficial mother to the youth of Prince Albert, who called her Mama Bear.

The work she did with the youth of Prince Albert had a greater impact than even Sayese herself probably realized, explained Kimbley.

"The most painful thing about the grieving process for Bernice has been all the youth wandering around, in and out, coming to pay their condolences," Kimbley said. "They seem so lost to me. That is what stands out to me. And just saying goodbye. It was very hard on them I think.

"I would just like people to remember how much she loved music ... she just loved all types of music and supported and encouraged all types of music and it was very dear to her heart."

As a fitting tribute to a woman who loved and supported the music, a mini jam session was held in Sayese's honour on March 6.

"What we did is we just sang," Kimbley said. "A few musicians got together and we just sang in her honour. That was one of her requests, and it was a nice way of the musicians being able to say goodbye. It was probably the only way they knew how. She knew that before she went, that would be a good thing to do."

Despite the many things she was involved in and the many things she accomplished, Sayese never sought out the limelight or any formal recognition. It was her daughter Shauna who nominated her as Prince Albert's Citizen of the Year because she knew her mother would never draw attention to her work, so it was time that someone did. And when she received the honour, Sayese wasn't sure why she had been chosen.

"It's a very humbling experience," Sayese said during an interview following the award ceremony. "I immediately thought, 'Why me?' There are other deserving peope who have done just as much as I have. I immediately thought of those people behind the scenes who do a lot of work as well."

"Thinking now what would be the one thing that she'd want to be known for," Kimbley said, "I think that she was a good friend and that she was a good mother, and that she was a hard worker."

Sayese would also want the many projects she'd worked on to continue.

"But she wouldn't want to take any glory from it," Kimbley said.

"When she went, she'd lived a good life because she'd accomplished a lot."