Bernadette Leslie stands in front of the Fred Light Museum, the place she dedicated over 45 years to keeping Battleford's stories alive. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW staff)

By Kenneth Cheung

SINCE 1979

‘Our keeper of time’ bids farewell after more than four decades at Fred Light Museum

Jul 14, 2025 | 8:07 AM

For nearly half a century, Bernadette Leslie, the manager of the Fred Light Museum, has been the heart of the building — walking its halls, curating its stories and making sure the past stayed alive for the people of Battleford.

On July 12, the community gathered to mark two milestones: the museum’s 45th anniversary and a pre-retirement celebration for Leslie, who had been at the centre of it all since 1979.

“Overwhelmed a little, I’d say, and surprised,” Leslie said, smiling as she looked around at the crowd that had come to honour her. “I wasn’t expecting this many speeches.”

Leslie started out as a summer student at the museum when she was just a teenager. The man who founded the museum, Fred Light, saw something in her right away.

“Mr. Light liked my work ethics and requested that I be returned to the museum. So the rest is history — I’ve been here ever since,” she said.

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Light’s granddaughter, Donna Laycock, said that moment shaped everything that came after.

“My grandfather saw her potential and took her under his wing and taught her everything he knew,” Laycock said. “She’s carried on the legacy of my grandfather’s dream — to honour and preserve local Battleford history.”

Over the decades, Leslie did more than preserve old artifacts. She helped transform a modest four-room museum into what became a local treasure — a place where people could wander for hours, discovering themed rooms that brought the town’s past to life.

She and Light spent years side by side, tearing down old walls, setting up exhibits and dreaming up new ways to keep local history alive.

“It was a work in progress, and I loved every minute of it,” Leslie said.

Beyond those early days, her favourite part, she said, had always been the people by her side.

“They were an enthusiastic group willing to do anything I asked.”

She was especially proud of the projects that connected the museum to the broader community. Some of those projects include the local history calendar that started in 2018, the veterans banner program that now honoured more than 120 local veterans, and the annual Family Fun Day that grew from 100 visitors to hundreds more.

Some of the banners in the “Honour our Veterans” program. (photo/Bernadette Leslie)

Her son, Ames Leslie, who now serves as the mayor of Battleford, said it was “emotional and bittersweet” to see his mother prepare for retirement.

“We embrace the time she’s given us, and we wish her all the best as she goes on to the next part and avenue of her life,” he said.

For Ames, the museum was tied up with family memories too, like the countless times his mom would walk him and his sister to school at what felt like record speed.

“Having a mother like Bernadette who worked at the museum… it was great because she walked us to school every day. But the problem is, if anybody knows Bernadette, she walks 40 miles an hour,” he said, laughing.

Battleford Mayor Ames Leslie sits next to his mother, Bernadette Leslie, as she gives her speech during her pre-retirement celebration at the Fred Light Museum on July 12, 2025. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW Staff)

He always treasured the hours they spent together in the museum, especially the moments with Fred Light himself.

“When Mr. Fred Light was still around up in the gun exhibit … the knowledge that the two of them had about the weapons and guns from the First World War, Second World War, and the firearms in general … it was a depth of knowledge I don’t think I’ve ever come across anywhere again in my travels,” he said.

“How the two of them just fed off each other to make sure that the experience of the history and the artifacts were both accurate and very educational.”

Board member Angie Friedrich captured Leslie’s legacy in a poem she read aloud at the celebration: “She built more than exhibits. She built a life too … our museum’s heart, our keeper of time.”

(Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW staff)

For Leslie, it had always been about keeping Battleford’s stories alive for generations to come.

“I just like to get it out more that the museum is here to tour,” she said. “Because I still get people from Battleford or North Battleford saying, ‘This is the first time I’m here. I’ve lived here all my life.’ So let’s get the museum out there for more people to enjoy.”

As she prepared to step back, Leslie said she would help mentor the museum’s new manager when they’re announced in the coming weeks — one more way she was making sure the town’s past would always have a place.

Leslie also received letters from Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and local MP Rosemarie Falk, congratulating her and recognizing her decades of dedication.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com