Monthly Archives: April 2021

Hedley Times, People, Uncategorized

Rod Moncrieff, Making His Mark In Hedley

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Rod Moncrieff with his 1929 Plymouth.

When Rod Moncrieff stopped in Hedley for coffee 27 years ago, it was the low rumble of his Harley Davidson and the red beard extending well down his chest that people noticed. Doug Smith, then a local resident, saw him looking at a large two story building with a ‘for sale’ sign at the corner of Scott & Haynes streets. Scrutinizing the beard and powerful bike, he said, “you’ll fit in fine here.” There was still at least a whiff of the town’s earlier gold mining atmosphere, and Rod was captivated. He bought the building, a combination of home, shop and storage facility. When he displayed a biker gang flag, people wondered what to expect from this new neighbour. Since then Rod has put his stamp on the property and is well accepted in the community. He was subsequently joined by Valerie and her daughter Alison.

Over the years, Rod has assembled an eclectic assortment of items, inside and out. Until he gave Linda and me a tour last week, I thought he was just one more hoarder of worthless junk, a man with both feet mired in the past. Pointing to a number of items lying together on the ground he said, “there’s a car in there.” Then, “Most of what you see is for sale. This morning I sold a car part.” Picking up a miniature pitcher, he said, “I bought this for fifty dollars from Mike Orlowski. It came out of the Similkameen Hotel which burned down in 1916.”

I had long been curious about the elderly dishevelled Plymouth standing close to the building, seemingly abandoned. A sedan, it still exudes character and personality that is unmatched in current vehicles.

I knew his building had once been an automotive garage operated by Gerald Burr. When I mentioned this Rod said, “At one time it was actually a Plymouth dealership. The town was a bustling centre then, with a much greater population.” He considered for a moment, then said, “the first Plymouth was produced in 1928 to compete with Ford’s low cost Model A. It was introduced to the public at Madison Square Garden with aviator Amelia Earhart at the wheel. She and her plane disappeared in 1937 while flying across the Pacific Ocean.”

Rod’s building at one time was a Plymouth dealership.

Rod’s Plymouth came out in 1929. There were several other models, including a stylish coupe with a rumble seat. “My car was owned by a man living in Hedley,” Rod explained. “I bought it because of the dealership having been here. It’s a 4 cylinder, with 45 horsepower. The motor won’t start but I can turn it over with a hand crank. A guy offered me $4,000 for it just this morning. If he gets serious I’ll sell it.”

Rod probably could restore the car if he chose to. He’s familiar with machinery and knows how to weld. At one time he worked for a company that built trucks using sheet metal. Later he owned “Patches”, a backyard motorcycle shop in O.K. Falls. “I got to know a lot of Hell’s Angels,” he said. “I fixed plenty of Harley’s for them.” This conjured up another memory. “My cousin married a member of the Grim Reapers in Alberta. Some years ago he was involved in a shooting and is on parole for life. He’s changed his ways and is now a Seventh Day Adventist minister.

Placing a hand on the Plymouth, he said, “this car was driven from Saskatoon to Keremeos. Two years ago I talked with the driver’s son. He told me he has three boxes of parts and will drop them off when he comes to Hedley again.”

Rod’s 74 years have been interspersed with a number of adventures, some he might prefer to forget. A barefoot water skiing episode went wrong, leaving him with a crushed vertebrae. While in the navy he was trained in weapons and demolitions. Later, working with explosives at a gold mine near Yellowknife a defective blasting cap fired and he lost part of his face. He spent 4 months in the hospital undergoing surgeries to his face and hand.

Rod’s face was nicely restored and his beard has shrunk

At this time he seems done with adventures. He sold the Harley to pay taxes, the flag has been taken down, his face was nicely restored, and the beard has shrunk. He’s devoted to Valerie and speaks with admiration of Alison’s accomplishments. Like the aging Plymouth, Rod’s life has taken on an aura of character.

People

Buster Likes A Little Zing

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Clarence (Buster) Flynn (photo by Angelique Wood)

After observing human behaviour over my many years, I’ve concluded that some individuals just are not mentally or emotionally suited to live bland lives. Whether by luck, decision, or risk taking, they attract colour, action and zing into their existence. A phone conversation with Clarence (Buster) Flynn of Abbotsford last week convinced me he fits easily into this category. I was made aware of Buster by Angelique Wood after she loaded his 18 wheeler at the Fire Master location near Princeton.

Although Buster has been involved with heavy equipment most of his life, his first love was horses. “At about age 11 or 12 I began helping out at a local horse farm,” he recalled. “I fed and watered the horses, cleaned the stalls and did whatever was necessary.”

Considering furthering schooling unnecessary, Buster quit after grade nine. He got a job at the PNE and there he met Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, at that time popular celebrities. “I shook hands with them and stroked Trigger’s neck,” he remembered. “I didn’t have paper for an autograph, so Dale wrote on my wrist.” It’s still a valued memory.

At about age 15 he began working as a groom with thoroughbreds at the Landsdowne Race Track. “I was on duty at all hours, day and night,” he said. “Besides attending to their various needs, I walked the horses around the track on race days so people could watch them prancing and place bets on the ones they thought might win. They were high strung and unpredictable. I learned to be nimble, but I got bit and kicked lots. One of the horses, Chick Bird, took a liking to me and followed me around wherever I went. Developing a relationship with the horses took time. I learned about patience.”

One day Buster was given permission to ride a thoroughbred if he could persuade it to cross a bridge the horses didn’t like. The horse reared and bucked, but he persevered and the crossing was successful. Then, while riding by himself near the Deas Island Tunnel, the traffic was halted and a large open limousine emerged. This was the official opening of the tunnel and he had heard that Queen Elizabeth would be in the procession. “I wanted to meet her and say ‘hi’, so I urged the horse forward and came alongside the limousine.”

Being a horse enthusiast herself, the Queen immediately engaged him in conversation, asking questions about the impressive mount he was riding. A police officer hurried over and said, “son, get your horse off the highway!” The queen was enjoying the conversation though and said, “leave him alone. I’m talking with him.” Later Buster’s Mom said to him, “I heard about you on the radio. You’re famous!”

Although he loved the horses and the work, by age 18 Buster realized there was little money or future for him here. His father, a locomotive engineer hauling logs, wanted him to also become an engineer. “I enjoyed riding with him on the train,” Buster said, “but I wanted a machine with a steering wheel.”

He enrolled in a heavy equipment course and learned to operate scrapers, bulldozers, front end loaders, and more. After graduating, he visited a construction site and observed an operator on a mobile crane. “I watched him pull the levers, then went to the office and applied for a job. The manager asked if I could operate that crane. The course had not provided instruction on mobile cranes but I had confidence I’d figure it out. I told him I could. Although I was wearing street clothes, he asked if I was ready to start immediately.”

Buster’s first assignment was to drive the mobile crane to Richmond and load a 32 foot yacht onto a flat deck truck. “I figured out how to operate the crane, and got the job done without a scratch on the boat,” he said.

After many years of operating heavy equipment, Buster switched to driving highway rigs. In 2009 he survived a head on crash with another semi in the Fraser Canyon. The crash and two months recuperating didn’t dampen his ardour for driving. Now age 77, he is hauling lumber, beer, produce, firewood and whatever is required. He still says, “I just love getting up in the morning and going to work.” He’s one of those special ones who like a dose of zing in their lives.

Hedley, Leadership, People

A Life Shaping Decision

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Art & Don Albers connecting after 35 years.

Most of us at some time are confronted with a difficult decision that will impact our entire life. In The Road Less Taken, poet Robert Frost says, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference.” I was reminded of these lines when Don Albers of Red Deer Alberta knocked on the door of our home in Hedley. I had not seen Don in about 35 years and his visit was a total surprise. “I’m on my way home to Red Deer,” he said. “I stopped here to tell you that working with young offenders at the One Way Adventure Foundation significantly shaped me and gave my life a sense of purpose.” I was interested in what he had to say and invited him in.

Sitting at a table in the sun room, Don said the decision to come here had not been quick or easy. “I grew up on our family’s farm in Alberta,” he recalled. “I acquired the skills needed in farming. I could operate a tractor and, when necessary, fix it. My plan was to be a farmer Then my parents lost the farm due to high interest rates.” Almost overnight he became a young man without a plan or a sense of direction.

He paused, then continued. “My friend Susan was here. For her working with difficult teens was a steep challenge. Her notes and phone calls mostly focused on how hard it was.” Surprisingly, Don was intrigued, not deterred. “Her words kindled a desire within me, an insistent longing to be part of something important. I was searching for a path that would give meaning to my life.”

The urging within was powerful but he didn’t know if this was something he would be able to do. “As a kid I was diagnosed with dyslexia,” he said. “Learning to read and write was a struggle. I had come to think of myself as a dummy. It eroded my confidence.”

Caught up in a confusing vortex of uncertainty and turmoil, he began to wonder if Hedley might provide an answer. It was with considerable trepidation that he enrolled in our training program for young workers. He quickly discovered this would be very much a “hands on” education. Inspite of an initial lack of confidence, he showed indications of considerable potential.

Before long he was given responsibility for five boys. They worked in the garage under the supervision of a mechanic. They participated in the horse program, worked in the kitchen and attended school. If they were assigned to help someone in Hedley move, Don first had a group meeting. “There would be opportunities to slip things into their pockets. I wanted them to learn about honesty.”

As workers we sought to show the youths a more positive response to life circumstances. They were prone to avoid frustration and difficulty. Often they became angry and dug in their heels rather than look for a solution to a problem. One day when Don and the boys were at our Upper Camp facility on Nickle Plate Mountain making firewood, a log struck him on the head. “The boys didn’t understand why I wasn’t angry. They gathered around me and asked why I didn’t swear. It gave me an opportunity to talk about my values and my approach to adverse circumstances.”

Another day while hiking on a mountain side, they needed to traverse a difficult section of the trail. “I have an issue with vertigo,” he said. “For me this was a dangerous situation. I noticed that Mike, one of the smaller boys, was very confident.” It became a teaching moment for Don. He could have aborted the hike. Instead he said, “Mike, I’m having trouble with vertigo. I need you to talk me through this.” Later Mike said to him, “I don’t think anyone ever needed me before.”

Don and his boys began gaining a reputation for reliability and getting things done. “The guys were developing a sense of self-worth,” he said. “They felt pride in being part of this group. For me the decision to come to Hedley set me on a path to work with people. It opened a lot of doors later, including 5 years at Youth With A Mission (YWAM), and 10 years as a pastor. Looking back now, I see it as the beginning of my adult life.”

Inspiration

He Is Risen!

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The Empty Tomb (pinterest photo)
The Empty Tomb
(pinterest photo)

In his 30th year, Jesus of Nazareth began propounding religious and social ideas that confounded and antagonized the Jewish religious elites of his time. He arrived on the scene during the reign of Caesar Augustus, and lived into the rule of Tiberius. Without an army or political party, his message brought more significant, lasting change than all the powerful Roman emperors combined. In the 33rd year of his life, the Jewish religious authorities succeeded in persuading Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, to crucify him. According to accounts by Biblical writers like the former tax collector Matthew, he was resurrected on the third day and spoke with his disciples. It is this death on a cross and miraculous resurrection that will be celebrated by Christians around the globe this Easter.

The Roman empire had been cobbled together by 2 ambitious but uneasy partners, Caesar Augustus and Mark Anthony. Throughout its existence, the empire was held together by a web of intrigue, assassinations, political marriages, betrayals, poisonings, and war. Women were valued primarily for forging alliances. In Rome there were numerous temples to various gods, and men of nobility, including emperors, wished to be identified as near gods. Conquered nations usually suffered under a huge burden of taxation. Disobedience was often dealt with by crucifixion, beheading, poisoning or drowning.

In this septic atmosphere of mistrust and scheming, the Jewish religious leaders had managed to acquire a measure of political power. Their authority was lodged in the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council. The council consisted primarily of 2 parties, the Sadducees, which at this time held the majority of seats, and the Pharisees. The Pharisees believed there would be a resurrection of the dead but the Sadducees did not. On other points of lesser importance they did agree and had developed an all encompassing system of religious rules which the people found virtually impossible to follow. The religious rulers could bar people from the temple if they didn’t comply. Since Jewish culture centered on religious traditions and especially on the temple, there was fear of being shut out.

It was not an auspicious time for the appearance of a man who claimed to be the Son of God. The Sadducees and Pharisees quickly became suspicious because he contradicted much of their teaching. They held to the “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” philosophy. “Love your neighbour,” they said, “and hate your enemy.” Jesus urged the people to “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.” The chief priests and teachers of the law deemed his teaching to be heretical and sent spies to question him and report to them.

Jesus warned against the corruptness and false piety of the religious leaders. “They like to walk around in flowing robes,” he said, “and be greeted in the market places and have the most important seats in the synagogues. For a show they make lengthy prayers.”

Equally galling were the miracles. When he healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, they accused him of breaking the law and began plotting to kill him.

Evidently the people were desperate for greater substance than the rules and platitudes offered by the pious, corrupt religious leaders. Crowds gathered around him, sensing his authenticity

and liking his positive message of forgiveness and hope. This fervent adulation aroused fear and jealousy in the Sadducees and Pharisees. When he brought Lazarus back from the dead, a member of the Sanhedrin said, “if we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away our place and our nation.”

Late one night, Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 disciples betrayed Jesus with a kiss in the Garden of Gethsemane. At dawn the religious leaders brought him before Pontius Pilate, demanding he be crucified. Jesus had warned his disciples this would happen.

Reluctantly, Pilate sentenced him and he was crucified between 2 criminals. One joined the scoffing. The other said, “Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus replied, “today you will be with me in paradise.”

Several writers in the Biblical New Testament report that Jesus died on the cross, was placed in a tomb, and was resurrected 3 days later. This Easter, Christians around the globe will again greet each other with “He is risen!”