Don Brestler releases new book "Life's Amusing Little Moments"

Don Brestler

Toni Lucas

Local songwriter, writer, cowboy poet, and artist Don Brestler has released his most recent book, Life's Amusing Little Moments. It compiles 289 funny anecdotes from his own life from when he was 3 years old to the present.  "Most of them happened to me, some I observed, and a few were told to me. I always get a kick out of life," he explained. "I like to bring laughter into it."


Brestler believes that laughter is the best medicine and although some of his previous works contain elements of humour this is his first attempt to put all of his funny stories together under one cover. This will be his fifth book, and he has written articles beyond count over the years. Previous book subjects have included outdoor life, ranching, and spirituality. "A lot of it is old cowboy stories, cowboy life, and western history. I was a cowboy for quite a few years, and I like the cowboy life, so that's what I wrote about and illustrated." Another book, 'Spirit of the West', is written by Arjun Gupta and is based on his paintings. "I didn't write it, but it's about me, and has 82 photos of my paintings."

Latest work:  Lifes' Amusing Little Moments

"Writing is hard. In the English language, there's always three or four ways to say the same thing. One will be effective, and another won't. There's a lot of work to it, to get the words right. I'm not a writer, I only got a B in English when I was going to school. What got me writing was I heard some good stories, and nobody was writing them up. I thought these stories shouldn't die. These are good stories, and the public should have access to these stories. So I thought if nobody's going to write them up, I will. I will write them in my ordinary language, just how I talk. That's what got me going in writing, really."

Brestler began drawing and illustrating in 1957 with the Canadian Cattleman Magazine. One half of the page would be his illustration, the other half a 330 word article that Brestler wrote about the life of the cowboy and ranch life. He worked with Field Horse and Rodeo for 2 years. "I got four full colour covers on that, then after that was the Western Sportsman." This well known magazine ran Brestler's illustrations for 18 years.

"I retired when I was 62. I was busy, holy doodle. I was writing songs, I was painting pictures, illustrating for magazines, and books." He illustrated two of Andy Russell's books and a number of others. Locally he drew cartoons for the Pincher Creek Echo and Crowsnest Promoter, and 'A Young Adult's Guide to the Canadian West' was a compilation of some of Brestler's articles written for Shell and Co-op newsletters. "It was my hobby."

Brestler has a wide range of artistic pursuits. He started painting with oils when he was 16. Most of his paintings are based on wildlife, human interest, and the cowboy life. "I'm still painting. My music started when I was at the Ya Ha Tinda Ranch (in Banff National Park). I was 24 years old then, I had my old  guitar, actually, it was a dobro, but I played it as a guitar. That's when I started to write songs. I kept writing songs all my life. I have 362 songs written, so far. 304 of those are on CDs. I did my recording with Victor Lethbridge. I try to be as original in my songs as possible. I don't want to say, oh, that sounds like somebody else's song."

According to Brestler "I was born in Calgary, at a very early age." His mother took over a housekeeping job in Cardston when he was three years old. "I was born out of wedlock." The house owner was Fred Brestler, and a union ensued, changing young Don Galloway's name to Don Brestler.

He had to live with his grandparents in Calgary to attend school. "We were the end of the line, and there was no schooling down there. There was no school buses, so there was no way for me to get to school. For grades 4 and five, Brestler lived with a couple and their son in Cardston. "Then I went back to Calgary, and got the rest of my schooling through grade 10. I dropped out of grade 11, because I hurt my knee playing hockey." Brestler finished his schooling in Cardston.

"Then I went to be a cowboy on the Knight Ranch on the Milk River Ridge. I worked four summers for Andy Russell with the horses and the pack train, then Dave Simpson bought out Andy, so I worked for Dave for two summers." Brestler enjoyed guiding and packing and working with the horses. "I wanted to get married, so I needed a steady job. So my friend Harry Hewitt got me to apply for the job as a constable." Brestler worked in Calgary Police Force for seven and a half a years. This provided him with the stability to marry his beloved wife Ingrid, and together they had two daughters, Cory and Joni. The family bought the Twin Butte Trading Post in 1968 and ran it for three years. They then moved to the McIntyre Ranch where Don worked for three and a half years. Brestler worked for Co-op driving fuel trucks for 21 years.

Don and Ingrid Brestler have 4 acres south of Pincher Creek in Twin Butte. "I put a well on it, and the water was good. I built our house at Twin Butte, and I built a cabin, and a barn, and developed it all. We moved there in 1979, and we've been living there, ever since."

'Lifes' Amusing Little Moments' is available at the Twin Butte General Store, Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village, and Pincher Office Products.

Other books: Cowboy Memoirs: Postcards and Sketches, A Young Adults Guide to the Canadian West, Cowboy Embers, Face into the Wind, and The Spirit of the West: The Art of Don Brestler written by Arjun Gupta.