From Ireland's western shores to the shores of the Great Lakes,
from Sweden's lakeshores to the rolling prairies of North America,
from the farmlands of Flanders to the prairie flowers of North Dakota,
they all converged at the heartland of Canada's breadbasket - Saskatchewan;
these are the origins and legacies of my family.

I've created this website as a legacy for my family. I've always had an intense interest in history and genealogy, and by creating these pages I hope to be able to make my research accessible to family far and wide so they can learn about the rich culture and history that we all come from.

My name is Pat Bachand, and I live in Calgary, Alberta. I work for Sproule Associates Limited, a firm of engineers and geologists, and we evaluate oil and gas reserves for oil companies all over the world. I have worked at Sproule for almost 30 years. I am the Assistant to the President and Executive Vice-President. I am also Webmaster and I take care of Advertising/Marketing.

I have a son, Chris, who is married and has two little boys. He and his family live in Calgary, and he works as a Geological Technologist for a major oil and gas company. My daughter-in-law, Nancy, is a Corporate Paralegal. My grandsons, aged 9 and 6, are my delight.

My mother passed away in October, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. All her children really miss her. She lost her husband, Claude Treinen, in September of 2007 and she really missed him. All of my sisters and one brother live in Saskatchewan. My oldest sister has retired and moved to our hometown. Only one brother and I remain in Calgary. The lure of the prairies is still strong and many people from Saskatchewan are being called home.

I've been working on my family's history for many years. I find that family research is a constant striving to solve a mystery. Its better than reading a novel because the characters are real. I wish to bring these characters to life for my son and his children. I also wish to pay these courageous ancestors of mine the tribute they deserve for their courage and their sense of adventure for they all have something in common — they all moved from the security of their homes in the old country to a new land and created a quality life for their children and grandchildren.

I hope you enjoy your journey through My Family and for those distant family members, I sincerely hope my research can assist you in your research.