It’s not uncommon for one of the first questions you ask someone when meeting for the first time to be, “so, how long have you lived in Chestermere?”. Well for one Chestermere resident, come June 2015, she will be able to answer that question by saying, “fifty years”.
Agnus Kunkle, moved into her charming home on Chestermere Lake around June 30, 1965. She remembers the date vividly as it was the day she brought her youngest son home from the hospital. “It worked out pretty well”, reflects Agnus, “we lived in our home in Calgary, I went into the hospital to have Travis and came out of the hospital and was brought to our new home in Chestermere”.
At the time, Agnus was married to Lloyd Kunkle and lived in the home with their two sons Trevor and Travis. Although Agnus and Lloyd divorced, Agnus remained in the home where she still resides with her partner of over twenty years, Jim Henry. “There are a lot of memories in this home and in this community,” says Agnus.
When Agnus first came to Chestermere (which at the time wasn’t even known yet as a summer village as that didn’t take place until 1977), there were only six families that lived on the lake year round. There were no traffic lights, no golf course, and no amenities. “The lake was always filled with boats and water skiers. During the summer months there were water skiing competitions and people would come from all over, Alberta and BC to compete. There were picnics and dances at the hall. It was a great community”. Says Agnus.
But with any new area it came with its share of difficulties, “there was no water – we had to haul it from the city, the only heat source was an oil heater. But seeing as it was our first home and I was only twenty five years old, we learned to do without”. Sure, over the years, they did some additions and renovations to the once tiny cabin, but for the most part, the structure remained the same.
The two boys that Agnus raised in Chestermere attended Conrich and Chestermere High School. They were heavily involved in sports, music and to this day both boys say that there childhood was very special – which Agnus gives credit to the fact that they were raised in Chestermere.
Agnus has seen this community go from Chestermere Lake, to Chestermere Summer Village, to The Town of Chestermere and now will likely see it become The City of Chestermere. When asked her thoughts about the growth and change in the community, “Nothing can stop progress. Becoming a city was bound to happen. We moved out here for the quiet as we are country people. But Chestermere is a great community, we are enjoying every minute here and we will continue to call Chestermere home.”
