“What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes part of us” – Helen Keller
While I was feeling comfortable with the conversation that I had with Gord on the subject of job hunting, I didn’t know where to start. If we were living in Ontario, I would have gone back to the same employment agency which helped me to find the job with Beaver Lumber Company. I wasn’t aware of the fact that there were any employment agencies in Fredericton which could find in other cities or provinces. Typically, when people left the provincial government, they went to work for some companies in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Halifax was a major economic centre in Atlantic Canada, with a large concentration of government services and private sector companies. Major employers and economic generators included the Department of National Defence, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Saint Mary’s University, the Halifax Shipyard, various levels of government, and the Port of Halifax.
My hesitation for concentrating on Halifax for job hunting had to do with the fact that Nova Scotia was one of the Maritime Provinces. I figured it couldn’t possibly be any different from New Brunswick when it comes to the local culture and we already had enough of that.
It took a little while but I came across something interesting. Sherritt Gordon Mines was looking for a director of computer services for their mining operations in Lynn Lake, Manitoba. I had no related experience to qualify for this job but for some strange reason I decided to apply for it.
On one Friday afternoon in late January in 1982, I remember getting a call from Sherritt Gordon Mines. The guy was calling from the Toronto Office and he sounded very posh. He said they were interested in my background and he wanted to talk briefly about my experience. I said to him that I had no industry-related experience to qualify for the job and I didn’t even know why I decided to apply for it. He said the industry experience is important. However, what’s more important to us is that you have superb credentials for going strange places and troubleshooting in order to reorganize computer operations. Furthermore, you seem to have an interesting combination of skills – highly technical skills as well as realistic management criterions. I said to him, I don’t know what to say to you.
He continued. We have two datacentres in Lynn Lake which were badly managed by the previous director. We believe you would be able to help us. We have a team of technical staff in Toronto to help you, but we need a leader there to get everything reorganized and functioning effectively. He said you don’t have to say anything to me right now but think about it and I will give you a call on Monday to see if you are interested in the challenge. We spent a few more minutes talking about the company and Lynn Lake.
As soon as I got home, Lynda took off to a sorority meeting and I ended up having supper with the kids and watching their favorite TV shows.
When Lynda got home, I was sitting in the living room and reading a book. She said you didn’t have to wait up for me. I said I had too many things on my mind to talk to you about. She said just give me a few minutes, I ‘ll get changed and we can talk.
When she got back, I asked her about her sorority meeting. She said it was just another excuse for us girls to get together and laugh. I said I am really pleased that you found sorority as an excellent source to make friends. She said she is happy, too. She said what’s up. I said I heard from one of the companies where I had applied for a job. She said that’s good news, isn’t? I said in a way but I don’t have any experience working in the mining industry. She said who are they?
I explained to her that, based on the information I was given by the guy on the phone, the name of the company is Sherritt Gordon Mines. They are based in Toronto and are a leader in the mining and refining of nickel and cobalt from lateritic ores with operations in Canada, Cuba and Madagascar. The Corporation was the largest independent energy producer in Cuba, with extensive oil and power operations on the island. Sherritt licenses its proprietary technologies and provides metallurgical services to mining and refining operations worldwide.
She said what seemed to be the problem then?
I said the job is located in Lynn Lake. Lynn Lake is 1066 kilometers northwest of Winnipeg in Manitoba. A historic mining community. It is known as the Sport-fishing Capital of Manitoba and has many lodges and outfitters to serve visiting fisheries. Lynn Lake’s story begins 120 miles south of the present townsite, where Sherridon was established around a rich body of copper ore by Sherritt Gordon Mines, in the 1920s. As the ore started running out, the company began looking for another ore body and by 1945 Sherritt had laid claim to one of the world’s richest nickel strikes. Eventually a site was chosen between two lakes and surveyors were commissioned to plan the town, complete with residential areas, churches, an arena, a clubhouse, roads and lanes.
Over the next three years during the 1950s 50,000 tons of buildings and equipment that constituted the town of Sherridon were transported by tractors in 70-75 hour trips to what would be called Lynn Lake.
The town was named Lynn Lake after Sherritt Gordon’s Chief Engineer, Lynn Smith.
I continued – they are looking for a director of computer services to manage their two datacentres in Lynn Lake.
Lynda said the job sounds challenging but you don’t seem to be excited. I said the guy who spoke to me on the phone is Director Human Resources for the whole corporation. He was very kind to me. I am not sure if he had already spoken to somebody at my previous employment places but he was very complimentary.
She said once again, what seems to be the problem?
I said it doesn’t matter to me where I work as long as I am making a living but I am concerned about you and the kids. I am sure they can’t possibly have a sorority chapter there. I got the feeling that the total population of Lynn Lake could be very small. I am not sure what kind of school system they must have there. It may not impact Adam that much but Maxine is going to be in high school.
Lynda said I understand your concerns. My question is would they be prepared to let us go to Lynn Lake and figure out whether we would be interested in the job? I said it’s quite possible. He’s going to call back on Monday and I can explore that possibility with him.
Lynda said let’s sleep on it.
As expected the guy from Sherritt Gordon Mines called on Monday afternoon. He said how was your weekend Mir. I said the weather here in Fredericton wasn’t too bad for January but we didn’t do anything special. He said hope you had an opportunity to discuss the opportunity in Lynn Lake with your family. I said of course I did it appears to be an interesting place. I am encouraged to continue to explore the possibilities.
He said I am glad to hear that. Here is what I propose, he said. You need to visit Lynn Lake with your family to look around and determine whether it comes close to a place where your family can be happy. I am sure you must have done this before you decided to take the job in Fredericton. I said its funny as my wife had suggested the same thing. He said you married a smart lady, Mir.
He said how about we plan to get you out of Fredericton on February the 6th which’s a Saturday and bring you back on Tuesday the 10th. I said it sounds like a plan. He said tell me how many of you would be flying. I think just two of us, me and my wife. He said I know how to spell your name but how about your wife’s name. I gave him the details he needed to make the necessary reservations. How about if I tried to get you on an Air Canada flight, would that be acceptable? I said no problem. He said I will have to get back to you with details about where and when but for now please leave it with me. I said it sounds reasonable and we hung up.
When I got home, Lynda was curious to see if there were any developments. I said, guess what? We will be travelling soon and kids will be staying with the Scotts. She said that sounds like a smart plan. I said, furthermore, I didn’t even have to suggest it. The first thing he proposed was that we visit Lynn Lake before thinking about making any decisions. Lynda said it only makes sense. She said they seem to be really interested in hiring you otherwise they wouldn’t spend that kind of money on our travel. I said I agree with you. She said have you had an opportunity to discuss the salary and benefits that would go with the job? I said not at all but I can only imagine that the salary and benefits would have to be much better than we are getting here in the government. She said I hope so.
The next day the guy from Sherritt Gordon Mines called and provided me with a detailed plan which included:
- Taking a flight the first thing in the morning on Saturday to Toronto;
- Staying overnight in a hotel near the airport;
- Having brunch on Sunday and chatting with a couple of senior folks from Sherritt Gordon Mines along with Human Resources;
- Taking a flight to Winnipeg in the afternoon on Sunday and then catching a connecting flight to Lynn Lake; and
- Meeting somebody at the airport who will look after us for the rest of our tour.
Lynda said it’s nice to know that Lynn Lake has an airport.
Lynda made arrangements with some friends as well as with her sister to see us at the hotel on Saturday while we were in Toronto.
On Saturday morning we took the kids to the Scotts before we headed to the airport. The flight wasn’t bad and when we got to the hotel in Toronto, we were checked in right away. As we didn’t have anything to eat on the plane; I decided to take Lynda for lunch in one of the nice restaurants in the lobby. We had a nice lunch and continued to talk about Lynn Lake. We both were nervous about the whole idea of our trip but we both wanted to give it a try. We went back to our room and rested for a little while before our friends showed up around 4:00PM.
We entertained our friends in the restaurant with drinks and refreshments until 6:30PM as Lynda was expecting Estelle and John to arrive soon for supper.
Estelle and John showed up around 7:00PM and we had a nice supper in the same restaurant in the lobby where we had lunch. Estelle was surprised about our new venture and she was referring to the time when they were in Fredericton and we had asked them to move to Fredericton to be closer to us. Lynda explained to them the whole reasoning behind our new venture.
It was very nice to meet those “Big Shots” from the company on Sunday. They seemed very humble and friendly. They both seemed to have gone through my resume as they said nice things about my past accomplishments. I knew that one of them would be my boss.
The duration of the flight to Winnipeg was less than 3 hours. For the connecting flight, we had to wait only for a couple of hours. I suggested having supper at the airport. I didn’t know what kind of place Lynn Lake was and what kind of food would be available there for supper.
A relatively small plane flew to Lynn Lake. We stopped several times before we got there. When we arrived only five passengers were left on the plane. The guy from the company was waiting for us. It didn’t take too long for us to clear our luggage. We noticed that there was only one guy working at the small airport. He was doing multiple tasks.
We thanked the guy for taking us to the hotel. He said he would be back first thing in the morning to pick us up. The reservation was made for 8:00 AM. He also said the number one guy working in Lynn Lake would be meeting us for breakfast.
When we checked into the hotel, it was a miserable place but we decided not to say anything. We wanted to just rest as we didn’t know what kind of day we would be having tomorrow. The walls of the hotel were so thin that we could hear everything clearly they were saying in next room. There appeared to be two hunters staying in the next room and one of them was load. He was excited to describe in detail to his friend how he shot and killed some animal. Lynda couldn’t help but shout “Shut the hell up” so loud that he heard her loud and clear and stopped his narrative.
We got up early to get ready and Lynda dressed up for the breakfast with high heels as she wanted to impress the number one guy but I decided to put shorts on. When we got to the restaurant, we were shocked. It was a greasy small restaurant almost full with native Indians who were seriously engaged in loud conversations. Finally we saw a table with the sign “Reserved” where we parked ourselves. Right away two gentlemen from the company showed up and they told us their names and what kind of jobs they had with the company. They appeared to be nice folks. They wanted to know how our flight was. While we were having our breakfast they explained our agenda for the day.
The plan was:
- The number one guy’s wife would meet us at the office to take Lynda around and show her various parts of Lynn Lake and I would spend time talking to the computer guys at the datacentre who would be working for me;
- We would meet for lunch around 12:00 PM at the same restaurant (It seemed they didn’t have any other restaurants);
- After lunch I would be flying by sea plane to the other datacentre where I would be spending my afternoon with the folks who worked there;
- Around 4:00 PM I would be brought back to the office where I would be spending an hour talking to the number one guy about the company and the corporate procedures, etc.;
- Around 5:00 PM Lynda and I would be dropped off at our hotel for a little rest; and
- Around 7:00 PM we would be picked up again to escort us to Mr. Number one’s home. There they would entertain with drinks and supper.
I remember having a nice conversation about the datacentre including the computer and computer related activities with the guys. It wasn’t a huge operation but whatever they were doing was critical to the business of mining. I talked about their skills and asked if they had any plans for their career advancement. They seemed to be pretty happy with what they were doing and said if anything comes along they would look into it.
I was escorted to the number one’s office who was kind enough to drive me to the restaurant where we met his wife as well as Lynda for lunch.
Lynda appeared to be pleased. We chatted about Lynn Lake. They both had been there for a couple of years and they loved it. Their kids were grown and living in different places and they used to go and visit them now and then. His wife was very nice and she kept telling us that she had a group of women who used to get together every week and play bridge and she thought we would be a great addition to her friends. She appeared to like Lynda and her accent and Lynda was listening to her with great interest.
After lunch Lynda went with his wife to further explore the place and I ended up on a small seaplane to go to the datacentre.
Folks working at the second datacentre were very nice and friendly, too. It appeared as if they were waiting anxiously for somebody to come and take over the leading role. They also had some questions about my education and experience which they seemed to like. As far as the computer processing was concerned, this datacentre was established to serve another mine but the overall processing logic wasn’t that different from the other datacentre.
I was brought back to the office around 4:00PM to spend some time with the number one.
As soon as I entered his office, he asked me if I had the receipts for the hotel. I said I got it here but there’s no rush I can wait until we get back. He said let’s deal with this now. I gave him the receipt and wanted to explain that most of the charges belonged to me. Our friends and relatives came and spent some time with us and we decided to treat them. He said not to worry.
It took barely five minutes before he opened the safe and started counting money. I was just watching and wondering if they don’t believe in writing cheques or something. I thought maybe they don’t even have a bank here in Lynn Lake. Finally, he said here’s the money. He said on top of the total hotel expenses, I have added another $500 for the expenses that may occur on your trip back home plus babysitting charges for your kids. He gave me a bunch of hundred dollar bills and before I took it I said it’s too much. He said please take it. By the way, he said the employees in both datacentres liked you. They think they need somebody like you to improve the overall facilities in both datacentres. I didn’t know what to say as in my mind I wasn’t sure if I was going to take the job.
In any event, we ended up discussing the corporate culture and he shared with me his experience when he joined Sherritt Gordon Mines. He also said you will be directly reporting to Toronto but I am here to help you with all administrative activities to make sure that you have everything for your datacentres here in Lynn Lake.
Around 5:00 PM Lynda showed up with his wife and we were escorted to our hotel. We were reminded that we would be picked up again around 7:00 PM.
As soon as we got in our hotel room, Lynda said she felt so appalled about continuing to pretend that she liked every place they took her to. She said they were such nice people and she wanted to be their friends but there’s no way we could live here. Here are the facts:
- The total population of Lynn Lake is close to 200 people and the majority of those people work for Sherritt Gordon Mines;
- There’s a one-room school where all grades are taught. She said I know this used to be most common long time ago but not now;
- There’s one room from where a couple of cops and the fire station are operates;
- There’s one small place called hospital; and
- Thanks to the Hudson Bay Company still existing and operating there. They are the only source for mail ordering anything as there are no malls in Lynn Lake.
I briefed her about my meeting with the number one guy and his generosity. I told her that on top of everything else what made me feel worse was that the number one guy told me that the employees in both datacentres were looking forward to having me as their leader ASAP.
I said we have no choice but to keep pretending that we haven’t made up our mind yet. That’s what we did during a nice supper with the number one family. However, I had a feeling that somehow they got the message.
The next morning we were taken to the airport and we said our goodbyes and thanks for a memorable time to those generous folks in Lynn Lake.
