Honoured by Mr. Stan W Nichols.
After I carved a small armoured horse (#27 – Ad Astra) for the horse Carousel, I decided to work on the next Carousel which was to consist of wild animals native to our area except for a hypocampus (half horse and half fish). When I turned up, the project was well underway and I was pointed to a large cube of glued-up basswood and told that there was a pair of bear cubs in it.
Edna Scott, our Carousel expert, provided her usual small model of the bear cubs to use as a pattern. However, I was to meet another carver who I had not had the privilege of knowing before. Bob Beach was a recently retired MTC employee who left North Bay and spent his entire career in the New Liskeard District. When he retired in 2001 he moved to Powassan.
As it turned out he was right handed and I am a south paw, so we found that we could both work on a large carving without interfering with each other. We found the cuddly bear cubs complete with a honey pot in their lap. The carving was painted by Edna Scott’s group of painters and it is on display in the Waterfront Museum.
After the bear cubs, we carved a Wolf pup and then a River Otter. Unfortunately, Bob died suddenly of a heart attack in October of 2004 when the Otter was about two thirds finished. I managed to finish the carving and it has been duly mounted on the beautifully decorated animal Carousel.
Bob was a superb carver and a wonderful person to know and work with. Carving had been his hobby for many years. Another sample of his is a Blue Heron and a Frog in the enclosure on the horse Carousel.
Bob, we miss you.