I moved here to Powell River 24 years ago on a beautiful blue sky sunny day with my wife Karen. We fell in love with the town and area the first time we came up from Vancouver to check out the town.
We loved the beauty of the area, the amazing hiking trails, great canoeing and the friendly people.
I worked at the Coast Hotel (Town Centre now) for 2 years.
Then I worked for Malaspina University College for 3 years as the restaurant supervisor (at Brooks School). I was given that job because I had spent the previous 15 or so years working at many other hotels in catering/banquets departments. There I transformed the restaurant into a booked-solid restaurant where the students could rely on a steady stream of guests to learn their cooking skills with. We also had the school cafeteria on a daily basis for the students and staff. In addition to that we also did special functions such as lobster dinner for Valentine’s Day, Christmas dinner, private parties for school and College, Oyster Festivals for 500 people and we also catered school graduation. It was an amazing experience to work with so many fantastic students and staff. I loved working at there.
After that I opened our own restaurant in the Old Courthouse in Townsite where we also did catering. We tried to make the restaurant a place where people could go for special occasions when they wanted a fine dining experience. It was a small restaurant and in the end it was too small to make enough money to keep the lights on. The catering end of things did fairly well so my wife and I continued part-time on for another 3 years or so catering some weddings and private parties for groups up to approximately 150 guests.
When I closed the restaurant I started my present business, Robin’s Home & Yard Care Service, doing lawn care, hedge trimming, gardening, landscaping, irrigation installation & maintenance, window cleaning, gutter cleaning, power washing, handyman services and house painting. I mainly paint and only a bit of gardening / yard maintenance now. I’ve been doing this biz for past 17 years now and will continue with it for many years.
https://www.facebook.com/PowellRiverHousePainters
Along the way I also learned to make websites and use other online platforms to promote businesses and organizations. One of my clients for that was PR Community Forest which I made a new website and looked after that part for a number of years. Unfortunately, technology changes so quickly and so much that I suggested that they find a new webmaster to help them as I didn’t have the time to give them the service they needed in regard to building their next website. The new person did a fantastic job of making them a new site. I still do a bit of website development but only for myself or for friends.
Around 2011 I went back to work at the University here in town in the office for a year part time.
As to Community service we are supporters of local SPCA and some other groups when needed.
I was Chair of Friends of the Film Society for a year back around 2008.
I was on the board of the Third Crossing Society for a while back around the time when the last government was doing a feasibility study about putting a road through to Powell River.
Through all of these adventures I’ve met some amazing people and look forward to many more years here in town.
Some of the things I like to do when I’m not working is reading, hiking and working around our home and yard. I love all kinds of music and enjoy going to listen to live music whether it is classical at PRISMA or the Music Academy, rock n roll, blues, jazz or country.