Originally from New Brunswick, Bernie Godin came to Fort St. James to visit his sister in 1973, got a job at the mill and ended up staying.
“They didn’t give me a map to get out of Fort St. James, so I’ve been here ever since.”
Godin has played an important part keeping seniors active and involved in the community over the years.
He was in a local band called Stacey and the Pacemakers with a focus on mutual aid. The band played for Christmas parties at the senior’s centre and raised money for charities.
“We did a lot of stuff at the Legion, raising money for the food bank and things like that. Sometimes we would raise $500 or $600 from selling tickets on different things until we all retired,” Godin said.
“We did the Christmas party for 10 years for the seniors because they never had much. Before that they just had a Christmas dinner and then everybody would go home. They really enjoyed us playing for them and it made a difference. They’d all get up and dance. It made me feel good to do stuff like that for other seniors because I’m 75 years old now, so I’m a senior too.”
After retiring from the band Godin continued visiting his friends at the senior’s centre and the hospital to keep them company.
Godin is a jack of many trades and he’s both musically and mechanically inclined. He’s involved with the gun club and keeps himself busy with mechanics, building projects and his instruments.
“I play music every day and on Sunday sometimes I’ll get a couple of friends to come over and play some music,” Godin said.
“I try to keep busy learning new things on the keyboard or just learn some chords so I can sing a song but I don’t stick to one thing.”
More recently in light of Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine, Godin organized with his fellow seniors to hold a rally on Sunday (March 27) in support of Ukrainians at the senior’s centre.
Nak’azdli Whut’en First Nation donated yellow and blue ribbons, local artist Pat Gauthier sold artwork and they raised a combined $350 at the event. Funds raised from the senior’s event will be donated to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation and Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
“I’m just one of those people I guess that cares about what happens in the world,” Godin said.
“If you care about a lot of things then you want to get involved and try to make a difference.”