With Father’s Day just passed, many people in town will be pausing to reflect on some of their most cherished memories either with their dads, or as fathers themselves.
A place that’s full of these types of stories is the Squamish Men’s Shed, a place where men get together to use their skills as handymen and build things.
But perhaps some of the best things they have built aren’t items that require a hammer or a saw.
For some, building memories may be just as important.
Mike Miller, a member at the shed, shared that some his fondest memories with his dad took place on the baseball pitch.
With a bat in his hand, his feet on the plate, and his eye on the pitcher, Miller would often hear a sound ringing out from the bleachers.
It was the voice of his dad, Bert.
“Come on, Mikey!” his father would shout. And even though many of those attempts to hit the ball ended with the umpire calling out the third strike, Miller never forgot the love he received from his dad during his days playing in the PeeWee leagues. Sadly, his father passed away in 1973 at the age of 61. But his flame still burns bright in Miller’s mind.
“What I remember about my dad was his support of baseball,” he wrote in an email. “Great memories.”
For Nelson Winterburn, another member of the shed, it’s the simple things of being a dad — and, more recently, a granddad — that stick out in his mind.
With two adult daughters, two teenage grandsons and an eight-year-old granddaughter, Winterburn has seen more than his fair share of parental duties.
“Simply coming to my backyard for a barbecue,” he said, of the simple pleasures of parenthood. “Those are the kinds of things.”
Another simple pleasure of Winterburn was the 2015 pink salmon run.
Going to the Mamquam River with his three grandkids, he and the children watched the fish waver through the currents on their way to spawn.
The boys even managed to catch a few fish. “I had a wonderful time,” Winterburn recalled.
But sometimes being a father is about more than just helping out your own kids. Sometimes being a good dad is about extending guidance to those who aren’t fortunate enough to have a positive male role model in their lives.
It’s something Winterburn realized after having been a long-time teacher in Squamish.
Winterburn recalls one moment when this happened.
There was one troubled youth in his class who frequently put up a front.
“This girl was trying to put on a big tough act,” he said.
But one day, to Winterburn’s surprise, she gave him a heartfelt thank-you.
“That’s one of my fondest memories of being a father figure, so to speak,” he said.
