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The guy who can fix anything keeps plugging along

Tom visits with Ghislain and Linda at their farm in Telkwa
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Ghislain works on a snowmobile in his shop in Telkwa. (Tom Roper photo)

I met this character back several years now and always appreciated his sense of humor, his candor. That means he’ll tell you what he’s thinking whether you want to hear it or not and his ability to diagnosis any Ford problem found on planet earth.

My son Dave and I were back on the farm attempting to replace the clutch on his Bronco 2.

“We need a pilot shaft or this is not going to fit,” I said.

“Where would we get that on a Sunday,” asked Dave.

“Let’s go back into Telkwa and I will check with this guy, Ghislain (a.k.a. Giver), he may have one,” I said.

And would you believe it, he did.

I had a chance to go out to Ghislain and Linda’s farm last week just for a visit and find out how this interesting couple were doing. I got to know Ghislain back in the Huckleberry days where he started as a mechanic and ended his time there as an operator.

“How did you get into this country,” I asked.

“Well I came out of Quebec as you might assume by my accent and name,” said Ghislain. “My Dad was a miner and we moved west to Stewart to work for Granduc mines in 1974.

“I finished High School there and got my first job running garbage truck for the town. I loved that place, it was always a kind of gold rush town. The outdoor area is spectacular and some of the best sledding in the world is right there. I worked on both movies, Bear Island and The Thing as the sled transporter, I got to know Kirk Russell quite well.

“My Dad taught me mechanics at an early age. If someone could make it, you can fix it he would say. So that’s how I got trained, sort of the school of hard knocks. I ran grader for the mine and highways. If you can survive that country, you can plow anywhere, they get snow, sometimes 10 feet or better.

“I met Linda in 1992, her and a couple of friends were in town for spring break. She encouraged me to come down to Smithers for a visit and that was my chance to get my 68 Vette out on a road trip. We hitched up a couple of years later and settled in Telkwa.

“I was always able to find work and always able to keep a steady flow of friends coming by for advice or repairs on every make and model of sleds, ATVs, and trucks. Fords seemed to become my favourite.

“As our parts accumulated in the yard, it became evident we needed more room and we decided to buy a small farm off Walcott road next to Hungry Hill.

“In Stewart no one throws anything away and seems in Telkwa I was the same way. Linda jumped into this farming plan with both feet. She quit her job at Forestry and started building up stock in cows, pigs, ducks, chickens, whatever it took to keep the wolf from the door.

“She spent alot of time taking her wares to the Farmers Market. We had a couple of kids along the way and taught them the farm lifestyle. They had their own tool bench and learned the tricks of the trade at an early age. As long as you are not afraid to take something apart, with a little bit of trial and error, usually you can get it running again.

“Linda home-schooled the boys through elementary and they completed high school in Smithers.”

The boys have moved to Smithers now, both are working and supporting themselves. Things at the farm are plugging along, a little quieter now, but Linda still puts on a hearty Sunday soup for friends and family.

Ghislain still has several sleds and ATVs pulled apart and in the process of repair. There are 10 or 15 Ford trucks sitting ready for sale and even the Ford tractor is ready to go for spring farming chores.

Thanks for this Giver and I will be back for advice some Sunday, I would sure like to try Linda’s soup.

Keep on trucking you two.