91 Give Me a Job Any Job

What once seemed like a long road, when it was finally completed melted into the memories and the satisfaction of a job well done. I had paid my dues and graduation was now over, but the reality of the present dictated that I had to find a job and the sooner the better.

My motivation for entering university in the first place was to acquire that all-important key to a world with no working in the rain, no need to work outside in the mud and cold, no noisy engines, and no lay-offs because of weather but a steady job with a steady paycheck. I now had the key, but my key had Biology written on it and it seemed that there were very few doors that had locks cut to that key.

So it was off to my folks, (what would we do without somebody that loved us,) for at least three months with a wife and now two kids. I felt sorry for my parents but they hunkered down and carried us until I was able to finally land a job.

After sending out numerous résumés I was very excited to travel down to Victoria for three job interviews. Sandy and I took off post haste to see what awaited us in Victoria. In my desperation I applied for all three even though I was only interested in the one at the Pacific Forestry Centre.

I knew I had flunked the aptitude test for selling life insurance but I was immediately hired as an orderly at the Rest Haven Hospital, which I said yes to pending the outcome of the interview at Pacific Forestry Centre.

My interview at the PFC was much more formal but had to be delayed for several hours because of an accident. It seemed that just prior to my arrival Dr. Joe Baker had been analyzing soils for nitrogen in his chemistry lab when suddenly there was an explosion that blew the glass out of the fume hood, besides blowing all of the lights out along with the windows in the room. As he was looking into the fume hood at the time, it blew him out into the hallway, leaving him just about blind.

After some delay someone finally explained the drama that had just taken place and my interview finally began. Even though it had gotten off to a rough start I felt good after being questioned by my future boss, Dr. Rod Carrow, another scientist, Dr. Les McMullen, who I would eventually work for, and a man from the personnel department.

It was with a light heart that Sandy and I returned home to my folk’s place to prepare for the job working as an orderly. But we hadn’t even got packed when I received a phone call from the PFC saying I was hired, and so began a thirty-year career with the PFC and three years of part-time work as an orderly at the Rest Haven Hospital.

It seemed my skill as a rear gunner was sorely needed, at the Rest Haven Hospital and we could sure use the extra money. As it turned out I worked at the hospital up to sixty-five hours a month, three five hour shifts each week and usually one full shift on the weekends.

It just about put our family into financial ruin when the hospital finally found an orderly to work full time as it meant I was not needed anymore. God always has a way of smoothing out the rough spots as a good friend, Mena Werner, came to our rescue by giving us a temporary interest free loan which we were able to pay off three years later when my wages improved at the lab.