Walter Davey

Who was Walter Davey?

Walter Davey served as the twelfth mayor of the village of Elkhorn, Manitoba, Canada, and as a councillor for the Rural Municipality of Wallace. Born in 1870 at Neath, Glamorganshire, Wales he was the only son of William Davey and Elizabeth Avery Chapple. He came to Canada with his parents in 1886 settling ten miles south of Elkhorn in the Kola district. In 1900 Davey returned to Wales and married Sarah Jones of Ystalyfera. The couple continued to farm in the Kola district until 1906 when they moved to Elkhorn. Davey worked four years as postmaster and mail carrier before becoming an insurance and real estate agent.

The Daveys were active members of the local Presbyterian Church; Walter serving on the Church board and Sarah with the different women's organizations. They continued to attend and volunteer with the United Church of Canada when it formed in 1925. Walter also enjoyed singing, was an avid curler, and coached the sport to numerous young people. He was first elected to Village Council in 1913 and served a total of thirteen years as a councillor, leaving council permanently in 1944. As mayor from 1928-1929 Davey and his council oversaw the advent of electricity in the village, approving connection to the grid system of Manitoba Hydro. This was completed in July 1929.