Harry Drever is the first to admit that he's a ìtrue, diehard Calgary Stampede fan.îThe former co-owner of Rosehill Auction Service in Olds has decorated the walls of his farm shop with dozens of original edition Calgary Stampede posters that he has collected over the past 25 years.ìI probably have over 100 in my collection,î Drever said, adding that he got the posters from different sources, including auction sales, antique stores and from the Calgary Stampede. ìI've been to a lot of collector shows.îDrever's wife, Alice, said they've ìdriven a lot of miles to get some of the posters. It was a labour of love for Harry, but he wanted to do it,î she said.She recalls how Harry hunted down the last poster he needed to complete his collection. ìOne night last fall, we were watching the television show Canadian Pickers,î Alice said. ìThey were featuring the Last Chance Saloon in Wayne, Alberta, near Drumheller. Harry said he got a glimpse of the head of a horse on the wall behind the show host, and he somehow knew that was the 1966 poster.ìThe next morning, we headed to Wayne.îShe added that she never would have noticed it in a hundred years. ìI just couldn't believe it,î Alice said. ìThe saloon owners parted with the poster at a good price and that completed the set.îAs passionate as Harry has been about his collection, he's recently made a decision to sell it. ìThis is the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede and I thought this would be a good time to sell them,î he said. ìI won't break up the set of originals. I'll sell it all as one package. I'll advertise them locally and in the Calgary area.îAs well as the framed originals dating from 1966 to 2012, Drever also has a collection of duplicates and an assortment of other posters advertising various western events, including the Hooves of History Cochrane Cattle Drive, bucking horse sales, Cheyenne Frontier Days and the Canadian Finals Rodeo.ìI also have a full set of plates from the Stampede Futurity Stakes Race,î he said. ìIt dates from 1961 to1995.îDrever attended his first Stampede in 1950 and he's been involved with the event in various capacities ever since. ìI was a bronc rider for a few years,î he said. ìAnd I've been a volunteer for over 20 years. Sometimes I'm odd-jobbing with the livestock but I also participate in 4-H on Parade and Aggie Days.îHis father ñ Tom Drever ñ showed cattle at the Stampede. He recalls how his family made history in 1968 at the Calgary Bull Sale. ìDad sold one of our Hereford bulls to MG of Canada for $10,100,î he said. ìIt was the highest price fetched for a bull by auction up to that time. MG, the car dealership, bought that bull to improve their herd in England.îOriginally from the Orkney Islands, Drever immigrated to Red Deer in 1950, and eventually settled in the Olds area. He co-owned the auction mart in Olds from 1979 to 2003. The father of two and grandfather of three used to raise quarter horses, but sold the last of them last year. Drever now spends his time observing wildlife at Watergate, his land southwest of Olds.ìI'll always be a cowboy,î he said.
