I came to Calgary from Montreal on Labour Day weekend of 1979 and sometime later had the good fortune to meet Cathie. We were married in 1982 and moved to Canmore where we hope to live out our remaining years.
Born in Quebec City in 1921, the family moved to Montreal after my father passed away. A few years later, the world wide Depression was upon us and, as you can imagine, it was extremely difficult for a single mother to raise four children during that period. At the age of twelve, I started working at the local grocery store on Fridays after school and all day Saturdays. The job consisted of plucking chickens, to loading shelves to delivering customer orders. Working after school and during the summer holidays was necessary for survival up until the start of the second World War. In 1940 I had an unfortunate accident which caused some disc damage in my lower spine. Following a year in and out of hospital, I was told that I would be a cripple for life. Refusing to accept this prognosis, I worked to overcome my infirmity. I am happy to say that I succeeded to a point that allowed me to be accepted in the Armed Forces. In those days every young man wanted to ‘join up’. The promise of travel and seeing other parts of Canada and other countries was a great incentive. In my case, I had, at twenty, only been off the island of Montreal once in seventeen years. I believe that this was typical of most members of the Canadian military. At that time being in the military and travelling to various countries was a great education. Witnessing the destruction of the environment, the waste of resources, and the human suffering, all contributed to a change in our thinking and acceptance of life. Being in a war zone brings about many emotional highs and lows. For example, one of the ‘highs’ was the “D” Day landing in Normandy, France. One of my ‘lows’ was during an incident when we were being heavily shelled by the Germans. One shell landed close to me with a loud thud. In the split second before it could explode, I had the urge to contact my mother to say good-bye. Fortunately, the shell was a dud and I lay there exhausted from the effort but knowing that I had communicated my message to my mother on another continent. Sometime later, I received a letter from my mother confirming that I had said good-bye to her during the wee hours of the morning. Another ‘high’ was on May 8th, 1945 while occupying an area in Germany, we received the official ceasefire order. The war was over.
Returning to civilian life was a period of great adjustment. Not only had I changed, but the economy, job market, wages, etc., had also changed. I was most fortunate in finding employment which gave me an opportunity to integrate into the new economy. Being born under the sign of Aquarius meant I was a ‘ham’ inventor. In 1947, with the cooperation of my employer, we developed the first steam iron for domestic use. The idea of having a steam iron at home was an immediate hit. General Electric, recognizing the potential, brought a more sophisticated model to the market place within a year. The rest is history. In 1949, looking to establish myself in a career, I made various job applications which resulted in two excellent offers. Not knowing which offer to accept, I decided to flip a coin. This is how I became involved in the Fire Protection Industry. Years later, this culminated in the development of my own company(s) that served the fire protection needs of the airline and marine industries, as well as industry in general. During the F.L.Q. era in Quebec (which translates to Q.L.F. in English i.e., Quebec Liberation Front) the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Pierre Laporte, appointed me to a committee to write the first Quebec Fire Code. Unfortunately, he never saw the finished product since he became a victim of the F.L.Q.
When I arrived in Calgary in 1979, I continued to work in the Fire Protection Industry. I became president of the Alberta Fire Safety Association (an organization of Fire Equipment Dealers). During that period, I was appointed to serve two terms on the Alberta Fire Council, 1983 – 1987. In recognition of my work for the industry, I was appointed a life member of the Alberta Fire Safety Association.
Upon retirement at 65 (1986) I became involved in the seniors movement in Alberta. While serving as a director with the Alberta Senior Citizens Sports and Recreation Association (ASCSRA) I became co-founder of the Seniors Alpine Ski Club. I was later honoured with a lifetime membership. During the same period, I was a member of a committee endeavouring to establish a national seniors sport organization. Our persistence paid off in the formation of the Canada Senior Games Association. We held our first National Games in Regina in 1996 with games on even years thereafter. Here again, I was recognized with an honorary life membership. In 1993, I resigned from the ASCSRA to become a board member of the Canmore Seniors Association (C.S.A.). To date, 1999, I have served a combined total of twenty-six years with senior organizations at the federal, provincial and local levels.
In Canmore Seniors at the Summit, ed. Canmore Seniors Association, 2000, p. 70-71.
