About Us

As settlers moved into our community, the church played a vital role in their lives. Continuing today, Wolseley is home to four active congregations:

• St. James United Church;
• Saint Anne Roman Catholic Church;
• Zion Lutheran Church; and
• New Life Church.

St. James United congregation has its origin in 1883. The present church constructed in 1906 used brick from the local Wolseley brick plant.

Saint Anne Roman Catholic Church is the oldest church building in Wolseley. Early settlers founded the congregation in the late 1800s. The current building was the first church in Saskatchewan built entirely of brick.

The Lutheran congregation was organized in 1901 as Zion Lutheran Church.

New Life Church, the youngest of the churches in Wolseley, was founded in the mid-1980s as a non-denominational, Pentecostal congregation.

Dr. Isman Elementary School was opened in 1964, and has consistently offered quality education from Kindergarten through Grade 6. Its roots stretch back to 1883 when the first public school was organized with a single teacher.

Since the opening of the current school in 1964, the building, and the staff has gone through many changes. In 1984, a gymnasium and Development Centre was added onto the school. The Development Centre gave children with disabilities a place where they could be educated without feeling overwhelmed. Sadly, the centre has since been removed from Wolseley. It has recently been replaced with Prairie Valley School Division’s Professional Development Centre, offering a space for the Division’s various committees and staff members a central location to meet at, as well as a small library of teaching materials.

On average, Dr. Isman Elementary School has a student enrollment of about 120 students each year. Its staff, headed by Principal Tim Taylor (who will have served the position for 20 years in 2010) more than adequately prepares its children for middle school and high school.

Dr. Isman’s traditional Christmas Concert has become a staples of Wolseley living. In December, just before the students go on Christmas Break, the entire school puts on a wonderful live even that showcases the entire school engaged in singing, acting, and in the general Christmas spirit. It is an event well attended by both parents and other community members alike, and it is not rare to find both the walls and chairs full.

The current Wolseley High School was built in 1961, however, the history of education in Wolseley dates back to 1883, with Dr. Isman Elementary School. Wolseley High School has come a long way since then, and the building of the current school marked a new era for education in Wolseley.

The building has six classrooms, a science lab, a computer lab, gymnasium, and a library, all of which offer a high quality and thorough education to its students.
Wolseley High School teaches Grade 7 through 12, and supports the communities of both Wolseley and Glenavon, and offers a full range of required and elective classes to its student body, consisting of approximately 150 students. The staff prepares its students for life after high school, with a large percentage of the student body landing on the Honour Roll.

Apart from academics, Wolseley High School sports large and sustained athletics and arts programs. Wolseley High School has had students competing at the provincial level in volleyball, basketball, track and field, badminton, golf, and drama, to name a few. Every year, the drama club also puts on a dinner theatre for the community.

A unique feature of Wolseley High School is its murals. Down both sides of the main hallway are five murals depicting each decade from the 1960s to the 1990s. These represent Wolseley High School’s connection to the past, and its ability to grow and change throughout the years.

Not only does Wolseley have the oldest existing court building in Saskatchewan, but it is also home to what many believe to be Saskatchewan’s oldest public library to be in continuous service to a community. The library dates back as far as 1893, beginning as the “Farmer’s Institute” or “Wolseley Mechanics Institute”. Like its name suggests, many of the material available pertained to agriculture and how to improve farming methods.

Between the years 1893 and 1906, Wolseley Library did not have a permant home. However, with the completion of the Town Hall/Opera House in 1906, the library was moved there, and stayed there for over 80 years. It was moved in 1989 when renovations began on the Town Hall/Opera House. It is currently located in the same building as the Rural Municipal office.

The library maintained its independence as a local, self-supporting library until 1997, long after the first regional libraries were formed. In the opinion of the Provincial Librarian, Wolseley had one of the best small-town libraries in Saskatchewan, and thus, stayed out of the regional system until the Town and Rural Municipality of Wolseley decide to join the Southeast Regional Library.

Over the years, the material available expanded to include fiction, non-fiction, magazines, videos, audio books, pamphlets, and various other reference material. It is open year round, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

After World War II, Wolseley and District wished to have a suitable lasting memorial to honor their dead.  To do this, it was decided that a hospital would be built and it would be called the Wolseley Memorial Union Hospital.  It exists as the result of a dream and hard work of many people.

On July 3, 1947, the Wolseley Memorial Union Hospital admitted its first patient, Mrs. Tom Fleming.  The first baby born was a son to Mr. and Mrs. Duff Taylor.

In 1969 renovations to the tune of $23,500 made several major improvements to the hospital.  All wards were moved to the top floor and lab, X-ray, emergency treatment room plus administrative facilities were relocated to the basement.

In 1979-80 a third extension added a total of 4,090 square feet to the two floors and again to the north.  Due to inflated prices the cost this time was $330,000 over seven times the cost of the original structure.  Outpatient services have become an important part of the hospital obligations now with as many as 400 outpatient being seen some months.

The Wolseley Medical First Responders is a volunteer organization formed in February of 1990. Mike Lang of Indian Head Ambulance instructed the 40-hour certificate course, with a two year recertification requirement as required by Saskatchewan Health and The Saskatchewan College of Paramedics.

The First Responders are trained individuals with knowledge and skills to respond to situations that arise in our community.  These individuals respond first to patients who fall ill, or are in accidents. When the ambulance arrives, they also assist the EMS personnel.

The Medical First Responders cover the Town of Wolseley and its R.M. and section of Hwy #1 between Grenfell and Sintaluta.  The Medical First Responders team work with EMS JT Ambulance Service (Grenfell) or Indian Head Ambulance, Indian Head and the Wolseley Fire Department. Assistance to Glenavon and Candiac districts if requested.

The team is equipped with an AED (Automated External Defibrillator); as well as a full scope of equipment including Blood Glucose monitor; Pulse oximetry monitor, spinal equipment, etc.