Bronc was born Oct. 14, 1951, in Williams Lake to Bill and Margaret Twan and was raised on the Alkali Lake Ranch. His father (inducted in 2000) was cowboss for the von Riedemann family.
Bronc started competing at an early age and was one of the first members of the Interior Amateur Rodeo Association. He rodeod competitively for five decades. Bronc hired on full-time at Alkali Lake Ranch, mainly as a cowboy, becoming a true ‘stockman’ in later years. He has the ability to read a cow and know what she is going to do. Always well-mounted, he raised and trained his own horses from a very early age.
Bronc met Elizabeth (Liz) Skipp at a WL Stampede Barn Dance in 1976 and they were married Oct. 14, 1978. Sons, Willee (1981) and Jesse (1985) grew up working with their father on the ranch much as Bronc had done with his father. Bronc could often be found honing his roping skills and/or teaching some of the younger crew the fine art of rodeo.
In 2005 he received the BC Rodeo Association Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2008 a Lifetime Pass to the Williams Lake Stampede and in 2016 the Living Rodeo Legend at the 40th Annual Elders Gathering. In 1977 the Mervyn family kept Bronc on as cowboss, and he became ranch manager in the mid-1980s. Bronc was employed at Alkali Lake Ranch from 1969 until his retirement in 2016 ... 47 consecutive years!
Those who worked for Bronc at Alkali Lake Ranch know he was one of those rare bosses who led by example and made all tasks enjoyable. Upon retirement, Bronc and Liz moved to their retirement acreage mid-way between Alkali Lake and Williams Lake. Bronc keeps busy clearing land and looking after a small cow herd of their own and is often called on to help out sons and neighbours. He also enjoys spending time with his granddaughters who all live close by. Perhaps one of Bronc’s most important accomplishments is to have raised, along with Liz, a family that carries on the ranching traditions and values instilled in Bronc.