ESTEVAN — Golf took on a different look during the Dustin Pratt Memorial Redneck Tournament Aug. 23 at the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Course.
The tournament is held annually in memory of Dustin, who died in a workplace accident near Alameda in 2016. It serves as a fundraiser for scholarships and other causes in the area.
A total of 112 golfers donned their redneck attire and other unique clothes for the tournament. It started with a toast to Dustin and one for Amanda Minchin, the head professional at the golf course who has been battling cancer this year.
The tournament was for fun rather than for competition.
“Everybody was coming up to us and telling us it was a great time, and they would be back next year. A lot of people say they like to see we support local families and keep the money local,” said Dustin’s mother Roxane.
She added they’re calculating how much money was raised and trying to determine where the funds will be directed. But she stressed the family will continue to offer a scholarship for two Grade 12 students who are entering the trades.
Roxane noted proceeds from previous tournaments have gone to the Estevan Wildlife Federation, the Estevan Minor Hockey Association, the Community Hamper Association’s Angel Tree Project, the Estevan Kinette Club’s PJ Project, the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Teddy Bears Anonymous program. Donations have also been made to local families.
They also made a donation to the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation to create Dustin’s Corner, which is an area for children in the waiting room.
“It’s good when they can see, with our two scholarships ... that the money stays here. Same with when we donated to St. Joseph’s Hospital and got ... Dustin’s Corner in memory of Dustin. People walk in and they say this is where some of the money went,” said Roxane.
In the case of the children’s hospital, Roxane said local families have benefited from the care at the provincial facility. The donations to individual families are kept confidential to protect their privacy.
Roxane said the family continues to host the tournament to keep Dustin’s memory alive and to honour him for the man he was. She thanked the community for the ongoing support, and said the family will host the event as long as everyone is willing to come and support them.
“We’ve done it nine years, and the amount of support we got the first year is equivalent to the amount of support we continue to get. We’re speechless with the amount of support we get,” she said.
