Father's Day

Thanks to everyone who helped CKUA celebrate Father's Day on June 19 - read their stories below!

My dear Dad was, simply my best friend. He survived 4 years as a POW during World War II, and then I was lucky enough to have been adopted by him and his dear wife, Dorothea Evelyn Baird, who also survived a separate internment!

We lived in Tavistock, Devon, England where they were both chartered accountants in that lovely country market town. He was an actor, musician, avid golfer and keen gardener. I would visit every summer since emigrating to Canada, and my visits were the highlight of my year. He never stood in my way, he listened and was ready with a piece of advice if asked or a friendly slap on the shoulder. After my mother passed away in 1993 we became even closer. We would do the crossword, play golf, go out for a pub lunch, or just watch the cricket.

Unfortunately he also passed away three years ago but I still feel his hand on my shoulder and his voice and love in my heart. He loved the moonlight sonata. I shall be thinking of you Dad, tomorrow as always!

Submitted by David Mathias, Red Deer.

Growing up in the 70s in Kelowna, BC, I would pour over Dad's walls of book shelves replete with old encyclopedias, National Geographic magazines, biographies and loads of interesting discovery stories including lots of Canadiana the likes of Farley Mowat and Pierre Burton, plenty of poetry, and even some of the more philosophical (Richard Bach's Johnathan Livingston Seagull and the like).  The basement library and record player always drew me in and left me inspired and delighted.  Neil Diamond's Johnathan Livingston Seagull soundtrack would often play from a fabulous old record player and Dad and I would belt out a few tunes.

Dad sang and whistled up a storm back in the day.  Even now, when ever I hear anyone whistle I can't help but smile!  I have included a few photos of my Dad ever active and doing things the kind of activities you might find him whistling away while doing: picking and drying fruit, reading and making lists, doing puzzles with his oldest grandson, Ethan, creating special projects in his workshop....

...puttering in the garden with his youngest grandson, Thomas, among many happy hobbies...just whistle as you look at the pictures to make it complete! 

I hope the whistling soundtrack and images paint a little picture of this eclectic character that I am proud to call my Dad!
 
Best wishes to all Fathers!
Love,
Sonya Jakubec, Calgary

My father is a pretty amazing guy. I know everyone says that about their dad, but I have never met a father like mine. He has been such a support for everything I do and has encouraged me to explore anything that interests me if I think it will enrich my life in some way. When I was young I would "compose" my own songs on the keyboard we had. Seeing how much I enjoyed it, he put me into piano lessons which I took for 10 years. My love and understanding of music has grown so much and with the base of piano he encouraged me to learn how to play many more instruments and to write my own music.

With his encouragements, I have fallen more in love with the arts - theatre, music, painting/ photography- and he never stops letting me explore what I don't know about the arts. Without his support I never would have gotten into plays and musicals, met the people that I have and traveled to where I've been. He's helped me take the perfect photo, start my own business and challenge my skills and understanding of the arts. My father is unbelievably supportive and encouraging and without everything he has done for me, I would not be the person I am today and will be in the future.

My dad fought in WW II and was a very sweet guy.  Always up for fun and adventure. 

 

One of the shots is when I was just 3 or so with my brother and the other in 2004, 2 years before we lost him.

Submitted by Allison Brock

My dad is an interesting guy, to say the least. He’s taught me pretty much everything, from the importance of a solid work ethic and how to cook, to quite a few swear words in many languages. Not that he speaks other languages, but working as an industrial painter/ sandblaster has increased his vocabulary in that respect. One thing that I’ve learned from my dad is that when it comes to music, all that matters is that you like it. When gift giving occasions arise, he usually asks for the same thing; socks, underwear, a couple of books…and about once a year he’ll ask for some cd that blows my mind.
“What? Where did you hear that?”
“I don’t know, the radio. Just see if you can find it.”

From Asian Dub Foundation to Loreena McKinnett to R.L. Burnside, he’s all over the place. I remember listening to No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom while washing dishes when I was in grade six, and my dad hung out and listened to the entire CD because “I’ve heard voices like that before, but never used like that”. But the best gift I ever got him, music-wise, was Who’s Next by The Who. He hadn’t heard the entire album in years, probably since our old cat killed the record player one night when she was attempting to eat some flowers sitting near it and knocked it down. My Dad unwrapped the CD, and sat down and listened to the entire thing straight. I love my dad, and I’m glad I grew up listening to everything; it definitely helps me in my current profession as CKUA Radio’s Library Technician.

Submitted by Arianne Smith

My grandfather was a true leader in our family and definitely the father of our whole Johnson clan. This past January he passed away. However, a true father leaves a legacy of a life well lived. I wrote the following tribute, along wth a song, for him last year on his 90th birthday.

When I think of my Grandpa, I think first of his hands. Large strong hands that held me as a child; hands that are rough from industry, and weathered from the wind and cold. Hands that are still at work making ropes and handing out a message of God¹s love. His hands represent one of my first ideas of strength and power. A Grandpa is a man who can do anything!

So it is with this idea of my Grandpa's hands that I wrote "The Farmer." I see in his hands not only strength, but the things that have made him strong: patience, hope and love. At the heart of these attributes is his Faith.

Ralph Johnson

My Grandpa helped his father start a new ranch during the Great Depression. Originally the family was quite wealthy, but the stock market crash and the depression changed all that. As the eldest son, Ralph and his father scouted out new land - looking for a green valley. Which they found! I am so blessed to have had so many weekends out at that farm with my grandparents. What a lovely place for childhood.

During the war years, Ralph was rejected for service as a soldier due to his legs (I believe some kind of circulation problem). I know this must have been a very difficult time for him, as he was so willing to go. He does not talk about it much. He did however end up serving the war effort by farming. Canada fed much of war torn Europe at that time. It is amazing how our little country contributed so much! My Grandpa is still so proud of his country.

After the war, he married my grandmother Lydia. It was a brief courtship and after a few months he showed her his little shack on the ranch. (It had an apple box nailed to the wall for dishes!) She looked around and said that it would do and soon after they were married. (My Grandma always was gracious.)

My Grandpa remained a farmer all his life, adding school bus driving and various youth ministries to his schedule. He is an unbending man. However, we always know where he stands. I think this is a rare quality in present times.

Becky and Grandpa

"The Farmer" is my tribute to his inspiring life of 90 years. I have tried to use some of his own words. The hymn at the end, "It Is Well With My Soul" is his favourite song. Today I truly believe that this hymn represents his life and that it is indeed very well with Ralph's soul. There is nothing more beautiful than a life well lived.

Here is a link to the actual song, "The Farmer"
http://beckyanderson.bandcamp.com/track/the-farmer

Submitted by Becky Anderson

I was fortunate enough to grow up with a dad that epitomized the phrase "Family Man".  Dad was a large gruff man, with a marshmallow heart that he was quite adept at hiding -- until one got to really know him. 

Growing up on a small mixed farm, each of us kids had an opportunity to spend many hours with Dad.  He shared his love of animals and the land with us; taking care to show us that each of us has a responsibility to properly care  for the land and animals that sustained us. 

As busy or as tired as he might be, he always found the time and energy to play a game of catch after working in the field all day; turn a Saturday picking roots into an event with a weiner roast that half the neighbours might show up to; or taking a Sunday off for exploring the country and perhaps a little fishing, all the while asking us to confirm in which direction we were heading, or what road to take to get home. . . sneaking in a few life skills while we all thought we were just having fun. 

As the years went by, and our family grew, Dad always had a single request for any celebration; all he ever wanted for his birthday or Christmas or Father's Day was a family get-together.  

From my father, I learned that family comes first, that you don't always have to like each other but you do ALWAYS have to love each other; and to love and honor our country in every way, shape and form.  We lost Dad in 2006 but his legacy lives on in the lessons he taught us throughout his life. . . the very same ones we strive to teach our children and grandchildren.

Submitted by Brenda Hoskin, Red Deer

My father became a glider pilot at 16, and a Spitfire pilot at 22.

In between, he escaped Nazi-controlled Holland, sabotaged a German-controlled ship, was flown to Russia in the belly of an RAF fighter-bomber, travelled 40 thousand kilometers via Russia, Iraq, India, Brazil, and Canada, to reach Britain and sign up (including 30 thousand kilometers of U-boat-infested oceans, at the very height of the U-boats' glory days), was interrogated as a suspected spy, (kept in the same prison as Rudolph Hess), served on a submarine, won a medal for his escape, and was shipped to DeWinton and Medicine Hat, Alberta, to learn to fly.

He flew Spitfires off aircraft carriers, shot down German fighters, proposed to an Irish woman he'd met in a bar the night before,  moved his family to Calgary, and ran a country hotel in Carbon, Alberta.

Read more at http://members.shaw.ca/billymac2/willem/

Submitted by Bill MacLoughlin

My dad and me during a family holiday on the Isle of Skye about 1964. Yes, I am crying because the water was cold!

I used to be a disc jockey for CHUB Radio in Nanaimo BC back in the 1970s.  It was a 10,000 watt AM station broadcasting in the central Vancouver Island region and across in Vancouver.  We needed someone to do the Canadian Scottish Show while the host was away for a few weeks, so I asked my dad (a  meatcutter with a Scottish accent) if he would do it and convinced him that he could.  What a hoot!  He did a dang good job, though he got a wrong record on the turntable and even had one going on 45 RPM when it should have been 33 RPM.  He made it through the entire hour without cracking up.  It was only supposed to be for two programs, but the host got sick so he did two more. 

A few years ago I found an old box with a reel-to-reel tape recording of one of those programs and had it transfered to CD.  Although he died a few years back, age 78, it was great to drive down the road while listening once more to my dad on the radio: "This is Bill Forbes with your Canadian Scottish Show on CHUB Radio."

Submitted by David Forbes, Medicine Hat

CKUA's father figure, Jack Hagerman was born in 1927, the same year that CKUA started on air. He has shaped CKUA in so many ways - his first program was 'Music for Driving', in 1949, and currently you can hear him host 'The Old-disc Jockey', as John Worthington. His musical knowledge is legendary: he can hear a tune recorded decades ago, and be able to name each musician who played on it.