living
#YQLNEIGHBOURS
M E R C E D E S FAW N S
P H OT O G R A P H Y: D E J O U R DA N ’ S B Y L I F E T O U C H
Former Lethbridge College coach
and recent Lethbridge Sports Hall of
Fame inductee, KNUD PETERSEN,
talks about his experiences living in
Southern Alberta, his passions, and his
involvement in the community.
So, tell me about yourself, where are
you from?
I was born and raised in Denmark. I
actually graduated from school when I
was 14. So then I left home to work for a
living, which wasn’t unusual at that time.
I joined the army when I was 18, and
my commanding officer recommended I
go for an exchange program in England
after I was discharged, but I always say
that I took the wrong turn and that’s why
I ended up in Canada, because I couldn’t
find the agency. When I did, they had
no spaces left, and so they asked if I
wanted to [do the program] in Canada.
I came here in 1965 as an agricultural
exchange student. I liked it so much I
stayed. A friend of mine said I should go
to Southern Alberta where I could make
some good money hoeing sugar beets.
So I came down and eventually worked
my way up to buying some land, and I
became a partner in the potato business
with the Perrys in Chin. I retired in 1994. ended up winning the national
championships the very first
year. It was a real Cinderella
story. In 1997 I started
travelling the world backpack
style.
What are some of your hobbies?
I was always interested in sports, but
didn’t get much involved until my kids
started playing soccer–refereeing,
coaching, that kind of stuff. Then in
’94 I got involved with the Pronghorns
and the Kodiaks. With my good friend,
Alvin Tietz, we started up the women’s
soccer program at the college. We If you could offer any advice to your
16-year-old self, what would it be?
I would’ve said: Grow up and get involved
in the causes a bit sooner than you did.
Because you meet a lot of really awesome
people when you get involved with causes,
it gives some good balance in your life. You
think about where this world is going and
that creates character.
12
LETHBRIDGELIVING.COM
So, where did you go?
Africa was the first trip. That still
stands out as my most memorable
travel. It was amazing to see. I
travelled from Kenya all the way to
South Africa, and was gone three
months. I hated coming back. I also
went to South America and Southeast
Asia.
What do you love about Lethbridge?
Post-secondary education and
agriculture. Lethbridge hasn’t really had
a lot of the up and down swings in its
economy. The economy is diverse which
I think makes it an easy place to live.
People are very giving in Lethbridge too.
M AY- J U N 2 0 1 7