I remember feeling cheated.
That's the best way to describe what my ten-year-old mind was experiencing when I heard the news in early 1996 about the fate of my school.
Conquest would be losing its school at the end of the academic year in June. We weren't the only ones feeling the swift slice of that axe coming down on us, as the Macrorie school would also be closing up shop.
Such a cold fate was decided on by the district's school board in Outlook and, well, let's just say that the lion's share of our parents were none too pleased with such a decision. I can vividly remember a few F-bombs being thrown around the Ruttle household, and even more when a few fellow parents would drop by for coffee.
It was a sign that our small town life was changing, and not for the better. Oh, sure, maybe for the number crunchers and the money counters with the school division, who continually spouted off the go-to statements of, "This will be better in the longterm!" and "It opens more doors for your children!", but not for us people who were actually involved and who such decisions actually affected.
This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
Conquest School was a K-6 system, and I was supposed to experience my last year, my Grade 6 year, as a Conquest student. I was supposed to experience those feelings of saying goodbye to the school on my own terms after completing my education there. I was supposed to follow through on my graduation from there before being whisked off by bus to Outlook starting with Grade 7.
But that's not how it happened. Instead, things came a year earlier than expected, and I began my education in Outlook that fall of 1996 for a final year of elementary school at OES, where I do have to say that us Conquest and Macrorie kids were treated......let's just say differently than the homegrown Outlook kids. And I'm not saying we were treated any differently by our fellow kids, either; it was actually some of the staff who thought us "village kids" were a different breed who should be treated as such. Hey, fair enough, I guess; sometimes it's adults who should know better who turn out to be the a-holes in life.
That last year of elementary school was okay, but it really wasn't until I got to the neighboring OHS that I really came into my own as a human being. It was there that I made my lifelong friends that I still know and love today, and it also helped shape me into the man I am today.
Still, it was always kind of bizarre in my school years seeing that Conquest facility sit and essentially become neglected, at least until it was decided to start adding businesses that could go in and utilize the space offered by former classrooms. Today, the old school is used by local dance classes, contains a branch of the Wheatland Library, and also features a very cool museum wing that highlights the past and present of Conquest's rich history.
Over in Macrorie, the former red brick school is used as a community space as well.
The closure of both schools was a sign of the times 30 years ago, and now, decades later, those two same communities just lost two of the same amenities.
At a meeting held on April 23, members of the local Co-op district that includes both Macrorie and Conquest heard about the deep financial woes, aging infrastructure, and declining numbers surrounding the two Co-op stores in those villages, and after a Q&A period that shared more information, a vote was held and a result was then known: Conquest and Macrorie would lose their Co-op stores, with both locations to be liquidated and set to cease operations later this year.
The difference between 1996 and 2025 is that the sign of the times has never been more clear and prominent than it is today.
And it's certainly not affecting just Co-op stores, as we've seen changes, shifts and deletions in the overall Canadian marketplace for the last decade, if not longer. Hudson's Bay? Being liquidated as we speak. Peavey Mart? Thing of the past. Zeller's? That's been gone for a while, buddy.
So, what exactly happened here? Well, one obvious source is the mountainous growth of online shopping, particularly in the last five years after Covid entered our lives and changed the entire dynamic of shopping. Wait a week or three until your local Co-op has that item you want in stock, or have it shipped directly to you in a few days? What would you prefer?
The other thing about this whole situation that I don't think gets enough attention is the sheer distance there is between these local communities. Conquest is maybe 10, 12 minutes from Outlook at the most, while on a clear day, you can even SEE Outlook from the northern end of Macrorie. These places are so close to each other that people weigh their options and ultimately decide that, 'Hey, I can buy everything that I need in Outlook, and if one store doesn't have it, the other one will!'
Am I wrong? Well, based on the number of Conquest and Macrorie folks that I routinely see in Outlook grocery stores, I don't think that I am.
It's Convenience 101, not rocket science. It's great that both Conquest and Macrorie are so close to Outlook for other goods and services that people may need, but when it comes to groceries, well, I guess it depends on who you're talking to in that conversation.
I suppose when you really boil it down, this announcement taking place in the year 2025 is almost a bit of a miracle in itself, what with the weakened legs that both stores have developed in the last decade.
Small town amenities are crucial, but the truth is that convenience and better offerings are always going to attract customers.
Pour one out for Conquest and Macrorie tonight. This kind of critical blow is going to require both areas to sit down and think about what's next for them.
For this week, that's been the Ruttle Report.
