‘This is the place it should be’: Historic SaskPower turbine model donated to power station

In 1958, Queen Elizabeth visited the province to hit the start button on the Queen Elizabeth Power Station. In preparation for her visit, a model was created to explain to the queen how turbines work. This model was later gifted to longtime SaskPower engineer Roy Smith as a thank you for his hard work and dedication. (Hallee Mandryk/CTV News)

While going through her late father, Roy Smith’s possessions, Susan Yuzik came across a piece of Saskatchewan’s history.

In 1958, Queen Elizabeth visited the province to hit the start button on the Queen Elizabeth Power Station. In preparation for her visit, a model was created to explain to the queen how turbines work. This model was later gifted to longtime SaskPower engineer Roy Smith as a thank you for his hard work and dedication.

“It’s almost like a bit of folklore...Saskatchewan was a small place. Saskatoon was small, and I can only imagine what it was like to invite and have to go to Queen, accept the invitation to come and commission a power station that was named after her,” Yuzik said.

Yuzik says the model was often on display in her father’s office throughout his career. While she describes her father as a humble man who didn’t often brag about his many accomplishments, her family came to know the history of the model through his stories.

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“It was a great time to be an engineer, where you were growing the power system in the province, providing electricity to rural Saskatchewan. And I can only imagine what that must have been like,” Yuzik said.

Yuzik and her family opted to donate the model back to the Queen Elizabeth Power Station, so that others may see it and learn about its history.

“This model really speaks to the legacy. And when we think of the foundation this house is built on, you really need that solid foundation in order to live and breathe in it. And that’s what I see this model represents,” Rose Santos, a SaskPower representative, said.

Santos says while electricity throughout the province is the current norm, it was a major step forward for Saskatchewan at the time of the power station’s inception.

“The spirit of bringing electricity to the province came to all with dedication and a passion to bring a product that really changed life for many in the province, not only rural electrification, but also modern-day society,” Santos said.

Yuzik says her family is proud to share the model with SaskPower.

“They seemed to be quite happy to have it. So it’s just something that he always had. And I think this is where it belongs. This is the place it should be,” Yuzik said.