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Alberta well drillers inspired by young fundraiser

April 24, 2015, Red Deer, Alta. – The Alberta Water
Well Drillers Association’s conference and trade show is providing a setting
where the province's water well drilling industry can come together, swap stories and
tackle common issues.

April 24, 2015, Red Deer, Alta. – The Alberta Water
Well Drillers Association’s conference and trade show is providing a setting
where the province's water well drilling industry can come together, swap stories and
tackle common issues.

The Sheraton Red Deer is the setting for the 58th annual event, which kicked off April 23 and wraps up April 25 with an awards ceremony. The show has drawn attendees from Edmonton to the north, Calgary to the south,
surrounding Alberta towns, and even Saskatchewan. Attendance numbers were still
undetermined as some members show up at the door, said organizer Carol Larson.

Friday’s program opened with a morning-long trade show featuring
35 exhibitors, including pump manufacturers, drill bit machiners, insurance
companies and custom flatbed manufacturers. Two drill rigs, a Foremost DR-24
and an Atlas Copco TH60, along with a Glover custom-made water truck, held up
one end of the show and drew a steady crowd of admirers.

Over lunch attendees and exhibitors heard an inspiring
speech from very mature 13-year-old cyclist and fundraiser Alex Weber, who
managed to entertain his audience during a talk about a very serious subject.

Weber’s goal is to see clean water available worldwide, and
to raise money for the cause he has completed several bicycle rides as part of
his Wheels for Wells campaign over the last four years. He is gearing up for rides
out of Brooks, Alta., Medstead, Sask., and Taiwan.

Last year he and a friend biked from Vancouver to Calgary, drinking
water from natural sources only along the way, hoping to make the point that in
Canada, we tend to take clean water for granted.

Weber had several hurdles to clear in planning these rides,
including getting permission from municipalities to use roads, signing up
sponsors and obtaining a subsidy. When he started his rides at age nine, he
didn’t know what the word “subsidy” meant, the young fundraiser said, much to
the audience’s amusement.

Weber, who donates any funds raised to World Vision’s Clean
Water program, with the help of 120 riders has so far generated $27,000 and encouraged
the water well industry to donate to or get involved in rides to help secure clean
water for the world’s population. “I think it’s a realistic goal,” he said,
“and I know it can be done.”

Afternoon technical sessions covered a variety of topics:
well remediation, pump technology and how to go about filing a lien for unpaid
work.

The association’s annual general meeting closed out the
afternoon.

Carol Larson, who has been organizing the show officially
for 23 years, said coming up with an interesting theme is tricky because after so many years.

This year a Vegas night gave members a chance to unwind and
network informally on the trade show floor at the poker table and the roulette wheel.