From the lake shore to Hawaii
Roger was an entertainer, he loved attracting the ladies young and old alike. I can still see him twirling on the piano stool playing the keyboard with his feet while singing a rock and roll tune. The Carousel Room in the Cold Lake Hotel was like a base for the band. The owner, Jean Crook, and Roger’s birthday were on the same day in September which further solidified the connection between the band and management. Roger retired from the RCMP in Cold Lake then did a stint with the town and with Esso then wandered to Vancouver where the southern tradewinds must have wafted by with the scent of Hawaii on them. Roger hit the beach in Oahu where he was swept off his feet by the Aloha Spirit of Georgia Lynn, a native of the Hawaiian Islands. They were joined in Holy matrimony, and calling Hawaii home, embarked on a new chapter. With Roger’s skills as well as his boating endorsement from Cold Lake he landed a job as a harbour policeman, working his way through the ranks ending up with Lieutenant stripes. One of his most memorable days on the water came during the anniversary of Pearl Harbour. Roger had under his care the President of the United States, Mr. George Bush Sr. The President took a dip just off the shores of Waikiki while on Roger’s boat. Not too shabby for a Canadian boy. After departmental restructuring, Roger ended up in the wildlife division where he patrolled the shoreline from the land. I believe one of his toughest assignments came when he was obliged to police the Batwatch set. If a seal decided to come ashore to take an afternoon siesta while production was in progress, it was Roger’s job to see the production was halted and only resumed when the seal left the beach. Must have been tough watching all those bikini clad actresses I’m sure. Roger, well known along Oahu’s north shore, could always be found giving a tourist a lesson about the sea turtles which inhabited the shores he patrolled. Three years ago when Roger passed away, the department named a turtle after him. The turtle was outfitted with a transmitter and its whereabouts can be tracked on the internet, isn’t technology amazing. During the years in Hawaii we would visit during the winter and usually carry over a number of requests. If it wasn’t fresh water fish, it could be a turnip or a blackforest ham from Hamels in Cold Lake or deer horns and you always had to have a case of Blue Light. Roger would include a visit to Ministikwan Lake in his annual Canadian summer visits, he had come to know and love the peace and tranquility he felt at Ministikwan Lake after a number of gigs being played under the stars with the 11th Hour, usually combined with a pig roast or a hip of beef roast. One year Roger’s bride Georgia Lynn accompanied him on the visit during September. As it was her first trip to Canada and Roger’s birthday, we decided to have a band reunion in Cold Lake and also Georgia had never seen Roger perform live with the band, so it was to be all new experiences for Georgia. It started while exiting the plane in Edmonton, we had one of those early snow falls, she wanted to get right back on the plane, she had no interest in the snow as it represented the cold, something she wanted no part of. The next part of the trip was the four hour drive to Ministikwan, she could have made several trips around her Hawaiian Island. When they arrived at the house we were away, but Roger new his way around, well his poor Hawaiian girl didn requests acclimatize well. And remember, it requests only September so it requests cold (for us). In our house we have a wood cook stove in the kitchen, a wood heater in the front and a wood fireplace upstairs. When we got home, the doors were battened down and everything was sealed up tight. As we opened the door, the dogs and cats pushed their way outside grasping for cool air. Roger had every wood appliance fired up with a healthy bed of coals; not having to burn wood in Hawaii was one of the Canadian things Roger missed. He must have been trying to duplicate a 95 degree Hawaiian day, attempting to comfort his bride. As funny as it is Georgia has never yet made a return trip to Ministikwan Lake, but Roger loved both Ministikwan Lake and the Hawaiian Islands. Roger was set free on the North Shore of Oahu to Regimental Bagpipes and Donna Kay singing her rendition of Stand By Me. Along with family and friends, Roger ashes were dispatched to their eternal resting place. |
