ATHABASCA — February can be a busy time on the farm, between late nights checking cows and calves in cold temperatures and daylight hours spent planning for spring planting efforts, and everything in between.
But for rural and farm ladies in Athabasca County, February also means a full day away from their regular duties, filled instead with recognition and celebration of the crucial role women play have and continue to play in rural living.
Thursday, Feb. 6. marked the 41st year Athabasca County and the Agricultural Service Board collaborated to host the Celebrating Rural Women’s Conference and Awards, which took place in the Athabasca Regional Multiplex fieldhouse.
The day celebrates all women, past and present, for their dedication to the rural way of life, but two ladies in particular were given a special honour, one neither Olga Sworin nor Darlene Cleveley expected.
“Mom, you’re probably wondering why I’m up here,” said Gloria Matoga, Sworin’s daughter, from the podium on-stage. “Well, we hope that this is a surprise for you, we tried very hard to keep it quiet.”
Sworin, named 2025 Pioneer Woman of the Year, was taken aback as she crossed the stage, wagging her finger at her daughter and fighting back tears as generations of her family joined her, sharing hugs and smiles.
Now 86, Sworin was born into a life of farming in the Grassland area in 1938, and with no brothers, considered herself the son her father never had. She was a dedicated hand from a young age, driving the tractor, helping with chores, and stepping into the kitchen to help manage her sister’s restaurant as a teen, where she discovered a love for feeding others.
In 1957, Sworin married husband Bill, and started a life, farm, and family of four. The pair grew grain and raised cattle, eventually making the shift to purebred Simmental stock.
“A lot of winters, Bill worked away to bring in more income to help the farming operation — mom had to look after the farm and her children,” said Matoga. “I remember her calving out the cows, bedding down and feeding the cattle, doing the chores, and taking care of her family, with no running water.”
It wasn’t until 1979 the Sworins had access to modern plumbing thanks to the purchase of a new house.
“No more running to the well to get water to drink, or heat up to wash clothes, or to fill the small round metal tub we had to bathe in. And best of all, no more outhouse,” said Matoga, earning chuckles.
And more than farm chores, Sworin is remembered for her culinary contributions to the community. She ran a Husky restaurant for five years, catered local events, and still sells traditional Ukrainian staples like pierogies and much more. Sworin is still the main chef at family gatherings, and is an active canner, ensuring her garden harvest doesn’t go to waste.
“We as a family are trying to get her to slow down, and it’s still not working,” said Matoga.
Cleveley was equally surprised to be named 2025 Modern Farm Woman of the Year, and shared a meaningful hug with her nominator, friend and neighbour Vicky Nadeau.
“Today I want to share with you a story about mentorship, dedication, and the profound impact one person can have on a professional dream,” said Nadeau. “Have you ever wondered what it’s like to completely reinvent yourself, to look at life’s biggest challenges, and say, ‘This won’t stop me’? Well, Darlene, it did not stop her.”
Cleveley started her professional life as an electronics engineer in the late 1970s, working for names Saskatchewan Telephone and Dow Chemical, and even returning to instruct at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.
But an unexpected turn in her health saw Cleveley move from city life to rural living, where she started her new life with a few horses. In the years that followed, she got married and bought her first orphan calves which she raised into a herd of 150 females.
A 1999 divorce changed the trajectory of Cleveley’s life yet again, but Nadeau described a woman not so easily swayed.
“Imagine facing that alone; managing a farm single-handedly, dealing with health issues, and then having to weather the devasting BSE (mad cow disease) crisis that brought our cattle industry to its knees. Most people would have walked away, but Darlene kept on going.”
Cleveley balanced jobs in teaching, figure skating, and fish and wildlife, with farming, and now at 65 years old, the Cleveley Cattle Company is renowned for prize cattle and bulls, respected by buyers and breeders who come straight to her.
“Darlene isn’t just running a farm, she’s mastering it,” said Nadeau. “All while doing this solo, proving that age and gender are no barriers to agriculture excellence.”
And she’s also dedicated to uplifting not only her neighbours, who like Nadeau, have gotten their own operations off the ground thanks to Cleveley’s advice, but the next generation of farmers and ranchers through the Green Certificate and Registered Apprenticeship Programs.
“Her accomplishments as a solo female rancher are inspiring,” said Nadeau. “She’s shown us that success isn’t just about personal achievement, it’s about lifting others up along the way.”
Conference content
In addition to the awards, guests enjoyed farm, ag, and health-centered content from a wide range of speakers.
Andria Carlyon and Stacy Murray from Westlock’s Gateway Research Organization shared their own rural roots and news about upcoming workshops and a 50 anniversary celebration this June.
Perryvale local Dr. Nichole Teering gave an informative presentation on the best ways to boost everyday energy, from hormone health and sleep hygiene to diet and nutrition, her speech aimed to highlight how rural women can go from ‘farm strong’ to mentally, physically, and energetically resilient.
MNP’s Georgina Knitel spoke on the importance of and intricacies within succession and transition planning for farming operations and lands. She noted although 75 per cent of farms across the country will change hands in the next decade, less than 20 per cent of owners have plans for the transition.
Guests were on their feet during Dr. Caroline Brookfield’s keynote presentation on re-connecting with and utilizing the innate creativity in humans in everyday life, a task with which rural women are often familiar.
And local talents Karley Bilsky and Will O’Donnell played original and classic country tunes as guests browsed a vendor market hawking local wares and services.
Conference chair Kelly Chamzuk said this year’s event was another success, and was the culmination of many hours from both long-time and new faces.
“Luckily for us we have some members that have been on the board for a long time, so we have that residual long-standing history and they know how to make the thing successful, and really pull together as a team. Everybody brought a strength to the table,” said Chamzuk.
Next year, the 42nd annual Celebrating Rural Women’s conference will be held in Boyle, and Chamzuk said other small communities throughout the county will also be considered as hosts in future years.
“As we celebrate rural women, it’s not just town, it’s not just county or the village,” said Chamzuk. “Next year Boyle, and who knows, maybe the year after, small town Rochester or Wandering River.”
