By Dennis Young with family notes
The story of Irene and Ken Draper, who called Carman home for more than half a century, is unique and memorable. Although their backgrounds were quite different — both in distance and life experience — they came together as partners in marriage and eventually became influential supporters within the Carman community.
Irene and Ken Draper fell in love with all that was fair — and the fair fell in love with them
Irene, the youngest of five in the Tom Wilton family, grew up on her family’s farm between Roland and Carman, homesteaded in the 1860s by her grandparents. She attended the Pomeroy one-room schoolhouse by Tobacco Creek, often riding her horse “Jigs” to class. After graduating from Roland High School, she took a job at the Royal Bank of Canada in Carman, later relocating to Winnipeg to live with her sister Dorothy while continuing to work at the bank’s downtown branch.
Ken was born to English immigrant parents who settled in Winnipeg’s North End before the First World War. Growing up among various immigrant communities trying to preserve their traditions, Ken attended St. John’s College, where he excelled in sports. He played for the St. John’s Roamers Junior Football Club, winning the Western Canadian Football Championship in 1937, later joining the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and helping secure the Grey Cup in 1941.
Ken also worked at the Royal Bank at the Union Stockyards, but his career was interrupted by Second World War service with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles. After nearly three years in the military, he returned to both football and banking, playing with the Bombers during non-working hours, as it was an unpaid position.
Irene met Ken while working at the same Royal Bank branch, and the two married in 1948. They made a pivotal decision to start farming in 1951 after Ken earned a diploma in agriculture. With help from Irene’s family and the federal government’s Veterans’ Land Act, they purchased a farm in the Ostrander district.
Farm life presented many challenges, especially as their family grew with two sons, Walter and Tom. Ken sought additional work and income, joining Berkeley Newman Agencies and later the Carman Co-op, where he worked as an accountant and bookkeeper for local businesses. The farming career ended in 1971, leaving even more time for volunteer work.
The two invested heavily in their community and in St. John’s Anglican Church. Irene led the choir as director, participated in the women’s group, and was a member of the Boyne Lodge, Christmas Cheer and United Way boards. For many years she was also a loyal supporter and active campaign worker for the Liberal Party. In 1980, Irene was named Citizen of the Year.
Ken served his church on the vestry as treasurer and lay minister. He also chaired the elementary school board, served as chairman of the La Vérendrye Trail Boy Scouts of Canada, and was district grand master of the Masonic Lodge.
The Drapers will perhaps be best remembered as the tandem secretary-managers of the Carman Fair, serving a combined 13 years before resigning in 1980.
“She was always involved,” Ken said at the time. “Irene kept everything coordinated.”
Even though the roles often felt like full-time jobs, the positions were strictly volunteer, with only a small honorarium.
Their interest in fairs expanded to involvement with provincial and western fair associations.
“Our lives were gradually submerged in fairs,” Irene once confessed. Ken held the secretary and first vice-president positions with the Western Canada and Manitoba A and B boards, as well as serving as a director of the South Central association. Irene often accompanied him, and her contributions were welcomed.
“We were able to attend conventions across the country, learned so much and met some wonderful fair people,” Irene said. “The highlight of our career, however, was being part of the 1979 Centennial Carman Fair. It was the epitome of participation.”
Irene continued her involvement with the fair until Ken’s death in 1983 at age 64, remaining on the farm and tending to the garden and yard until 1996. After moving into town, she continued her volunteer work until her passing in 1999 at age 76.
Together, Irene and Ken Draper formed a partnership that enriched their church, strengthened community ties and built a lasting family legacy — a story well worth remembering.
Walter Draper retired from Indian and Northern Affairs and lives in New Brunswick.
Tom Draper retired from the farm equipment business and lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
