subject: Happy Canada Day eh! [print this page] Happy Canada Day eh! Happy Canada Day eh!
Today is Canada Day in Canada. The 1st of July is set aside for Canadians to remember our entrance into Confederation. We became a country! Today will be marked by parties and fireworks and all kinds of festivities for people of all ages to enjoy. It's time to remember who we are as the people of Canada. Diverse in many ways but united as one in country.
Businesses are closed and many have the day off as a statutory holiday. Some, unfortunately must work but hopefully will get to enjoy the evening festivities that lead to a grand finally of fireworks. The city I live in is celebrating another anniversary and that being that the city is 100 years old. It's a young city in many ways when you compare it to others but no matter as this city will be around for at least another hundred years. Timmins was built from the discovery of gold and gold has been continuously mined here for 100 years and every day more is discovered. Most recently a new discovery has been made in an area thought to be negligible in gold. Turns out the area may be as rich as the other areas so prominent with gold. There will be lots to celebrate this year for we are fortunate to have what we have.
As a middle aged man, I can remember so many great moments I had working for one mine in Timmins. It wasn't a gold mine. It was a mine that produces zinc, copper, silver, cadmium, lead and some by products. This mine had a reputation that if you worked there you had it made. It paid the highest wages of any other mine in the area and you felt fortunate to work there. I was lucky to work in a few different areas and got to experience first hand many aspects of the mining process from grinding the mineral into a fine powder to pouring zinc ingots for shipment to the mines customers. I also got to work with some great people.
I fondly remember my working in the anode shop. This shop was responsible for making anodes and cathodes used to make an electrical circuit in a bath of acid in order to extract the zinc from the acid solution. I worked with a fellow that I got along with very well. We did lots of things together. We were great as a team as we both had the same energy and drive to fabricate those anodes and we hold a record for the most anodes produced in one day. Making those anodes was a dangerous job as we would pour molten lead into molds to make the anode and then weld a top piece that created the path for the electrical circuit to flow though in the acid bath. Yes, it's a fond memory as this fellow is the very best friend anyone would be blessed to have. We worked and played together. We fished, we went on trips with our wives and had great get together s.
That was just one memory. There are so many that I could talk about. Yes, I'm happy to be part of Canada today as we celebrate this great country and what it has and will continue to offer. We can stand tall for we have achieved so much along side our fellow man. We will achieve so much more despite our differences we are united! Happy Canada Day! Bonne Fete Canada!
