If you've been at Duck Bay a time or two, you have probably run into my Dad.  Although
he officially retired nearly 30 years ago, you would never know it.  He has been with us at Duck Bay since our first day, bringing with him an impressive skill set. 

Here is someone who can truly fix everything.  Dad started out "on the farm" and then went into the trucking business hauling grain, cordwood, gravel and coal.  In the late 1950's he opened the first Mercury Outboard dealership in Winnipeg and in his spare time, built and raced boats in the runabout class.  To keep the business going in the winter months, he serviced chainsaws for the logging camps.  After selling the business to his partner, he went on to work in the fiberglass industry.  On the weekends he built many boats and canoes.

For a time he rebuilt radial aircraft engines and then entered the gravel business with his brothers.  There he did everything from driving trucks, operating heavy equipment and of course, fixing things. In 1982 he retired from the family business and promptly opened up a tree nursery and landscaping supply company.  Sheree and I bought buy Duck Bay in 1989, so Dad had about seven years until we pressed him into service at the resort. 

I can never remember a time when he was not fixing or building something.  A car or truck, a tractor, a project around the house or one of the countless snowmobiles we had when I was a kid.

One of  my favorite memories was when I was maybe 8 years old.  We had gone to the lake with a "problem" motor that was fairly new.  Dad and I put the boat in the water and everyone at the dock looked on at the sporty fiberglass boat and it's 4 cylinder, 45 h.p. motor.  We started it up and blasted away from the dock like lightning - all could see the power of the great engine.  Fortunately (or not) we were just out of sight of the dock when it quit.  Dad pulled the cowling off to find the source of the problem and was getting a little worked up, as he had spent a lot of time working on this motor.  Eventually he turned to me and told me to throw out the anchor. Two problems here; first the anchor rope was not tied to the boat, and second, I managed to splash Dad when I threw the anchor in.  Yup, a memorable day!   

Since then, he's built many of the buildings, docks and decks you see at the resort today.  Although he isn't around as much as he used to be, he still enjoys keeping his hand in.  He spent much of last winter overseeing a building project that we had undertaken at our home in Selkirk, and still does a lot of the maintenance that has to be done away from the resort.  So if you're up at Duck Bay  and have a question or problem, hit him up.  I'm sure you'll not only get a great suggestion, but will really enjoy your time with him.  I do.

Dave