I moved to Smithers almost 15 years ago. I was offered a job at a radio station and jumped at the chance. I had never been to British Columbia and I had never heard of Smithers. I was fresh out of college, needed a job and was up for adventure.
When I came to what was called The Peak (now The Moose) there was quite the crew working there. Everyone was young and fun. And everyone was incredibly welcoming and hospitable. In a world of staff shortages now, looking back, it was so incredible that we had a station manager, a salesperson, a receptionist, a reporter, a morning host, an afternoon host and a producer. And each was amazing at their job.
The producer, who also hosted a show sometimes, was Chris Duncan.
When I first met him, he seemed quiet. He had long, shiny black hair and was wearing a black t-shirt with a band’s name on it I didn’t recognize. He talked about his love of heavy metal. As a pop princess, I had so much to learn, and he was willing to teach me about a whole new genre.
This fall, he sadly passed away. I was heartbroken when I found out. I had a missed call from an old friend, the afternoon host at the time when we all worked together. Known on the air as Joey O2. I hadn’t spoken to him in a long time. When I finally called him back, he told me the unfortunate news and then we reminisced for a while. We had a lot of fun all together.
Duncan was a kind soul. He never spoke ill of anyone. He was always willing to help out.
There were plenty of late nights in that studio. I had to get the news ready for the next morning on the air and sometimes council meetings would go very late and I’d be there at midnight.
Duncan was often there working late too and we would joke about the building being haunted. Sometimes I think he stayed later than he had to so I would feel safe from the spirits. I’m pretty sure he even named one of the ghosts but I don’t remember anymore. I do remember feeling better when he was around.
He was always up for getting together outside of work too. There were backyard bonfires at Drew Dalby’s, dinner parties at Mandy’s and many, many Legion nights.
Duncan was amazing at karaoke. He would often sing with Dalby, their duets were incredible. They killed Jay Z and Alicia Keys’ "Empire State of Mind." I still think of them whenever that song comes on. It’s funny how much power music has.
Aside from liking a few posts on each other’s social media pages, I lost touch with him. I suppose you can’t keep up with everyone. Sometimes people come into your life during a certain time and then leave. And I think that’s OK.
For me, I met Duncan when I was new to a community and needed someone to tell me about its history and where things were. He also came into my life when I needed a friend. And even if we were only friends for a couple of years, he left his mark and left me with so many incredible memories.
