Quite the honour was bestowed upon Eatonia's Ted Douglas at the RM of Chesterfield's annual ratepayers' supper on April 17.
Passing the century mark back on December 31, 2024, the 100-year-old Douglas was given a "Certificate of Recognition" for being the rural municipality's oldest ratepayer, still paying taxes on the Douglas family's homesteaded land south of Eyre.
Not typically an honour to be given out, RM of Chesterfield Reeve Bill Thomson gave some background on how it came about.
"One of our other councillors, Leah Cooper, she was the one who kind of understood that this was a milestone. (Ted) turned 100 years old, and he is still owning property and paying taxes into the RM, and that is an accomplishment, I think." said Thomson. "We thought it would be something worth recognizing."
While the RM couldn't confirm if Douglas was the oldest ratepayer in history, Thomson and company know Douglas as somebody who's paid more than his fair share of dues.
"Been such a faithful ratepayer. I teased a little bit that he probably paid enough in taxes that he could have bought his own grader." said Thomson, dropping another gem of a quote about the century-man.
"My other joke was that if we named our graders like they named ships, we would have one going down the highway named the S.S. Ted Douglas."
Ted's son Ed Douglas accepted the award on behalf of his father, staying away from what was sure to be a busy night. At 100 years old, Ted had certainly earned the right to skip the crowd, and the RM made sure to get his special plaque along with flowers and more to his current residence at Eatonia Oasis Living.
Growing up in Eyre, Saskatchewan before he was a contributing resident, Douglas was a child during the great depression, and one of the inspirations of Max Braithwaite's "Why Shoot the Teacher" novel set in the Saskatchewan prairies during the depression.
After a career moving around Canada and the United States helping design aircraft technology, Douglas kept busy after his air force days by continuing to fly around North America and consult on his favourite thing of all, airplanes.
By the time their final son came around in 1966, Douglas and his family had moved back to Saskatchewan, re-establishing the family farm, and setting up new roots in Eatonia.
Ted Douglas's century of life reflects dedication, service, and deep roots — something the RM of Chesterfield was proud to honour.