It’s a village that falls within the geographical territory of the RM of St. Andrews, but it also is a village that considers itself to be three separate entities: Matlock, Whytewold and Ponemah. Each is separated by an east/west road.
I lived, at one time, in Whytewold, but my address was 148 Gimli Road. Later, I moved to 120 Gimli Road on Whytewold Road, but I lived in Matlock. If I had moved to 121 Gimli Road, still bordering Whytewold Road, I would have been back in Whytewold. The same odd divisions separated Ponemah from Whytewold.
This unique identity came about as the village grew from three separate cottage country communities and the house arrays merged.
Dunottar borders the west edge of Lake Winnipeg, where Gimli Road runs the length of the three communities. It is, like many cottage country communities, a bustling area in summer but placid in winter, burgeoning from about 1,500 year-round residents to almost 10,000 each summer.
There is one relatively permanent business: the Whytewold Emporium, ac combination of restaurant, entertainment centre, greenhouse and antique shop. People arrive from across the province to enjoy the food and the evening entertainment. On the north end, at the edge of Ponemah, a small convenience store and post office stand. In the middle, the Whytewold train station operates as a museum and sometimes art market. At the south end, the Matlock store and post office marks the south boundary (sort of).
Along its length, walking paths and beautiful sandy beaches entice people to enjoy the water, while an artesian well runs year-round, drawing people from as far away as Winnipeg to fill up jugs with the same pristine aquifer water that feeds Diego Breweries to the north (Crown Royal). Many of those people, tongue in cheek, brag that they are drinking raw Crown Royal.
While most of the homes are seasonal, many more are being converted to full-season homes, with costs of ownership substantially less than in Winnipeg, 40 kilometers away.
