1978-Back into the workforce (I bounce around quite a bit!)

As soon as we graduated and with a list of employers Ken furnished us with I went around to many marine-related businesses to apply for a position.
The owners were encouraging and I was in good spirits as I looked forward to my new career.

I didn't have long to wait before a call came from Ken in early January.
He had a lead at a downtown marine shop looking for a possible apprentice to join the operation.

I rushed down to Coal Harbour next to the Bayshore Inn one cold and damp January morning where I met Gus Olston, the manager who seemed impressed by my credentials and hired me on the spot to begin the following day.

With our training we qualified as second-year apprentices who were competent to handle many repair jobs with minimal supervision of a journeyman.
My first morning in the backlogged shop I was given my first assignment.

Gus threw a shop manual at me, pointed to the tools and a box of parts and informed me I was to retrieve one of the two transmissions from a 48 foot Cris craft cabin cruiser, rebuild it on the bench and reinstall it.

 Another young fellow and I with a heavy duty child's metal wagon in tow and box of tools headed off through the fog and along a maize of wharfs that made up the Coal Harbour yacht club located next to the shop.

There was another "yard" next to Austen Marine that dated back nearly 100 years.

Mention's Shipyard looked the traditional old time establishment with several wooden hulled fishing boats in dry dock and ancient equipment and large rolls of heavy,rusted  chains strewn about.

We passed through Mention's yard and soon my companion pointed to a handsome craft similar to the photo and in we went down to the engine bay
where two big 390 Ford V8s nested.

We unbolted one of the Borg Warner Velvetdrive transmissions from its position at the end of the engine and with much straining lifted the very heavy unit to the deck , onto the wharf and into the red wagon.
We were soon back in the shop where my "chum" wished me "Good Luck" and went off about his chores leaving me to figure out this challenging task.

I had never even seen a Velvetdrive let alone work on one, but read over the instructions and began taking it apart.
Resembling a car's automatic transmission very much I remember the clutches and gears I laid out on the bench.

Looking back on my level of confidence leaves me shaking my head as I remember my frame of mind with no doubt as to my abilities. It didn't occur to me to lower my employer's trust of my ableness by asking for assistance and in a couple of hours it was rebuilt with no parts left over!

A few days later Gus took me aside to say I was doing a great job and was making $6.10 an hour.
I was amazed! I had never earned more than $4.00 an hour and that was at the dirty Ralph's auto wrecker.
The rest of the jobs I did were routine other than my assignment which was not involving a boat, but a very strange truck.

I saw parked in the yard a familiar green 1950s Ford cab over (very similar to the photo) garbage truck that belonged to a Vancouver eccentric legend known as "Hector the garbageman".
The pea green truck was adorned with stuffed teddy bears and driven about operating as a private disposal service.

My job was to rebuild its hood mounting brackets by fabricating and welding some angle iron to replace the stress fractured original parts.
I thoroughly enjoyed this project and my friends who knew the truck were impressed.

A week or so later I was eating lunch in the lounge area when I overheard one mechanic saying so and so was better and soon returning to work.
That Friday Gus said I wasn't needed for awhile and to await a call to return.
It never came. I had been hired as a temp! Oh well...