RM of La Broquerie honours couple’s donation with dedication, pickleball court

When Claude and Annette Tétrault first saw the land located south of Highway 210 in Marchand in 1981 they immediately fell in love with it. Never did the couple think they would build a legacy.

On Saturday, the two were honoured with the naming of a park in the municipality – the Claude and Annette Tétrault Park.

“It’s a great day,” said Claude. “Also, very emotional though,” added Annette.

Over the span of 37 years, the former banker and his accountant wife would become land developers owning and developing 600 acres around Marchand. But it was the two acres they donated 13 years ago to the RM of La Broquerie for a park that would cement the couple’s legacy.

“Claude and Annette have been pioneers here in Marchand for many, many years, starting with Jerry Tétrault, who was Claude’s dad many years ago, started developing land, and Claude kind of picked up after his dad and developed all of Marchand West, which is great for the RM, great for Marchand, and now has developed this (south) side,” said Reeve Ivan Normandeau.

“I think it’s always important to view your life as what you got from life, but also from what you can give back,” said Annette. “And this is something for us that we are giving back and sharing with other people who we hope can appreciate the value of the land.”

Claude and Annette knew they wanted to build a community in Marchand 45 years ago, so after buying the land from a farmer in the early 1980s, Claude knew people would be looking for lots to build their homes in the natural beauty of the area. At the time, the couple was selling each of the 198 lots for $3,900, but had difficulty attracting buyers until they added trees.

“(There have been a lot of changes to this land) but land has the memory. When we made Marchand our home, we wanted to listen to what the land wanted to be, and it wanted to return home (to being reforested). Together, we have planted tens of thousands of trees on this very soil, inviting a community and nature to return,” said Annette. “Today, the cycle is complete. But this community is not just a museum for nature. It is a living, breathing space meant to be shared by all of us.”

Annette grew up on a farm in St Labre and as such she said she feels a deep connection to the land, as does her daughter Tania Tétrault, who, over the span of 10 years in the 1980s, hand planted with her family 14,500 trees in the development, including what was to become the park.

“For me, it means a lot to me,” she said.

“It’s kind of coming back to the land, rehabilitating the land, and it’s just really, really special, to think about the fact that when I was a teenager, I planted these (trees), and now we’re getting nice shade and shelter, and birds and animals are back on the land, and I love it.”

Although she’s lived in other cities, Tania, who lives down the street from the park, said she feels an attachment to Marchand as that is where she grew up and the commemoration of her parents feels like a full circle moment.

“I’ve been living here for a few years now, and to see my parents getting so involved in the community, they’ve always been involved in the community, but to see (the community) kind of giving back, it just, it feels like things are just coming full circle, and it just feels like it was meant to be. And so, to me, I just feel very attached to this whole place.”.

A notable feature of the park, aside from its natural surroundings, is the new pickleball court that was officially opened during the event.

Enjoyed mostly by seniors, but played by all ages, pickleball is a mash-up of three sports: tennis on a badminton court with players using ping-pong paddles and a perforated yellow plastic ball to play. The game was created in 1965 in the United States by three fathers to keep their kids entertained. It is now played internationally.

In March 2025, Claude brought the idea for a pickleball court for the park to CAO David Little. Claude and his wife have been playing the game for about three years now. Little thought it was a great suggestion and had the park and pickleball court built by August.

“I thought it was awesome. I love to build. I love to build parks. I love to build recreation. I love to build things for the community and that was the first thing I said to Claude is, ‘I’ll build it for you. I have no problem with that. Let’s get it done,’” said Little, as he flipped burgers on the grill for the community barbecue following the opening.

Little shared the park and the pickleball court wouldn’t have been possible without council‘s support, leisure services, and leisure services foreman Jim Ross.

With a $25,000 donation from the Tétraults, which was matched by the RM, the park and pickleball court totalled $75,000.

Lines for another pickleball court in the LUD of La Broquerie will be painted onto the outdoor rink, as will a half-court for basketball. The pickleball court is expected to be open this summer.

“(Recreation) brings people together. It gives people a purpose. It’s a way to connect with people. Obviously, mental health is a physical, mental wellbeing. Recreation definitely plays into that holistic health of the community. And like I said, it’s a great way to kind of bring people together in a natural way,” said leisure services program lead Ian Dickie.

Damian Gottfried,15, said he has been playing pickleball for a year at school and at the Marchand court since it opened in August last year.

“It’s just a fun sport to play. You don’t really sweat that much, so you can just enjoy it on hot days. And it’s pretty cheap too to play,” he said.

Gottfired’s friend, Aidan McNeill only started playing a month ago, but so far he is enjoying it as well and so are his peers.

“(The Marchand court) is really nice, fun to play on, and I hope to see more people come out and enjoy the court,” said the 16-year-old.

For seniors, pickleball is a social activity and a way to be physical without hurting yourself.

“I enjoy coming (to the Marchand court) with my friends. Now, I brought my grandkids to try it out. I like to be active, so I’m going to really enjoy this,” said Rita Carriere, who just started playing the game.

“A lot of people forget the social part is as important or more important than the physical exercise part. To get us out of the house, meeting new friends, it’s fantastic. Physically, it’s not that hard of a game. Anybody can pick it up,” said Lionel Piche, who has been playing for 12 years and was coaching players at the opening.

As to the future of the park, Annette said she would like to see it stay as natural as possible with some “natural habitat areas,” such as a wildflower section. She would also love to have an active transportation system of trails connecting Marchand, La Broquerie, and even Steinbach.

Although Claude is supposed to be retired, he still has plans for one more build.

“I still have projects to go. There’s no accommodations for seniors. There’s no rental units properties here. I still have a bit of land. I said I’d quit after this year, but I’m tempted. There’s a need, and I’ve got a beautiful piece of land still available that I’m starting to think of maybe doing one more project here.”

The Claude and Annette Tétrault Park is located on the corner of Pine Drive and Davidson Drive.