Duane Martin Retirement Speech

Retirement Speech December 22 2006

It's been a great ride.

In looking back over the years, I recall a discussion with a Sr. Manager,

at the Ottawa airport, as we were waiting to fly home at the conclusion of

first round of officer safety hearings and receiving advice to just "try

and relax, Duane it's only a job".

Only a job: having the Prime Minister of the day buy you and warden

colleagues a beer after an exceptional days' climb on Mt. Edith Cavell;

having a casual encounter with a young Japanese tourist, providing him a

home cooked western meal and a tour of the local sites and receiving an

Xmas card from the Finance Minister of Japan thanking us for the

hospitality provided to his son; climbing with a team of fellow wardens, by

headlight, through the night, to rescue a local climber who had fallen 130

feet into a crevasse, knowing with certainty it was a body recovery, but

discovering he was alive and your rescue efforts delivered him to medical

attention in time to save his life; participating in an all expense paid

high altitude mountaineering expedition in Kluane, camped beside climbers

who had taken 3 months off work and who had spend $20.0 to travel across

the globe to participate in the same activity you were getting paid for;

participating in the seamless teamwork of a warden team on a fire, rescue,

mountaineering course or investigation; experiencing the awe and wonder of

foreign tourists who had saved a life time to see the Rocky Mountains - a

place where you lived and worked each day; participating with an incredible

team of park wardens in unravelling the mystery around a 5 year old

poaching and sharing in the satisfaction, after 18 months of effort, of

hearing the court sentence the individual to a $10.0 fine and 6 months in

jail; recognition from the Commanding Officer of the RCMP Training academy

for the "everlasting contribution for both agencies to continue to share

and develop for future generations"; the fear of facing Murray's Mr. Happy

Face in PDT; sitting in a back country cabin with a glass of "Twang" in

hand, in front of a cracking stove as you dry out after a 6 hour ride

through a driving rain (or a foot of snow - right Frank?); standing on a

cabin porch looking up at a star filled sky, listening to the distance

clank of horse bells, feeling like you are the only person on earth - and

being content with that; riding to the top of a pass and marvelling at the

vista that lays before you; travelling to US national parks, "flashing the

shield" and being rewarded with the life long friendships of fellow

national park protectors; experiencing park landscapes and parks people

from coast to coast; working with an incredibly capable and committed team

of trainers, imparting knowledge and passion for your work to park wardens,

new and old, for over two decades; having the Governor General of Canada

pin a Peace Officer's Exemplary Service medal on the uniform you have worn

with pride and distinction for 34+ years and saying "we really appreciate

what you have done"

Just a job? Ya right!

Regrets? Not a one (well actually one - it appears that I was the only

Parks Canada staff member that never got the memo advising that there

actually was a way to collect Aeroplan miles all those years we were told

we were not allowed to collect them - Donna and I leave with just enough

points for one nice trip - I just have to convince Air Canada to start

flying into Red Deer!)

The health care system has gifted me a new hip joint on the 2nd of January

so I will be pretty close to home for the first three months of the new

year but then I expect to pretty much get on with the next phase of my

life. Donna and I have no plans, at least in the short term, to leave

Calgary and I hope to re-engage part time in the funeral service industry

(a job in a former life) and having just partnered up with Murray Hindle in

a Training and Conservation Enforcement Consulting company we hope to use

the skills and knowledge gained in Parks Canada to our personal benefit. I

likely will also have more time to spoil our grand daughter.

It has been great. I will miss being part of the team, but I assume that my

park warden blood will take a number of years to thin out to the point I

won't care anymore, so I hope folks will keep in touch. If you are in, or

passing through, Calgary and time permits, the coffee pot will be on or I

will dust off a bottle of Lemon Hart. If not, give us a call or drop an

occasional email to let us know how things are going.

Thanks to all (or at least most) who have touched our lives while part of

the Warden Service family.

Cheers

Duane Martin