S

I WA PEOPLE AND PLACES

Retired union member wins
Diamond Jubilee award

He’s an extradordinary guy who has
been given special recognition for
years of community service. In mid-
December of last year Al Boyko, a
retired IWA Local 1-85 member, was
a honoured recipient of the Queen’s
Diamond Jubilee Award.

= Al Boyko received award
from MLA Gillian Trumper.

The award made the 67 year-old
former MB Sproat Lake bridge
builder, logger and job steward one
of the very few trade unionists in
the country to be chosen. “There
were many business-type people
who donate money and so on, who
got the award, so I’m very proud of
the fact that | came from a union
background,” says Al. He deserved it.
Al has dedicated over 33 years to
keeping the tradition of Loggers’
Sports Days alive. He's also a past
VP of the Canadian Sport Loggers’
Association, having worked up and
down the western provinces and

American states.

It's his second time to be connect-
ed to Queen Elizabeth. In 1971 Al
demonstrated his axe-throwing
capabilities for the Queen and
Prince Phillip during a royal visit to
Port Alberni. After missing the first
throw, he hit three bullseyes.

“The Queen came over to ask if |
was nervous and | said yes!,” he
laughs. “Her and the Prince seemed
like ordinary folks — it was just like
talking to your neighbours.”

Local president Monty Mearns
was one of many in the community
who signed a letter of endorsment
for Al's entry. “Al has always done a
lot for the community and loggers
sports. He’s been helping those in
need for decades,” says Mearns.

In addition to loggers’ sports, Al
has volunteered his technical know-
how to building small bridges in
local parks and has assisted local
First Nations by teaching them to
split large cedar trees to make totem
poles, two of which are on display in
the Vancouver International Airport.

4 He was also a
member of a
local search and
rescue squad for
years. At 5’ 6”
and 160 Ibs,

Al competed
S| most of his life
| against bigger
men, winning
several world
championships including splicing
contests. Retired from active com-
petition, Al still travels the circuit as
a coordinator and announcer. He
knows how to keep a Loggers’ Sport
show on the move. Way to go All

Al Boyco in 1974.

PHOTO COURTESY CAROLYN FENTON - WEYERHAEUSER

= AtWapaweektka Janice is seen with fellow mill workers and IWA Local 1-184 members (|. to r) Brian Heury, and Wes McKenzie.

LOCAL 1-184 MILL WORKER PLACED FOURTH IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Wrist rasslin’ is her game

PERHAPS IT’S THE WRIST AND ARM strength and
endurance that she gets from flipping lumber around
for hours on end. Or perhaps it’s her natural “tomboy”
strength: it’s got to be those things plus a lot of sheer
guts and determination that have made IWA Canada
Local 1-184’s Janice Vancoughnett into a world class arm
wrestler.

Sister Vancoughnett, who works as a “Tech 3” opera-
tor at the Wapawekka sawmill in Prince Albert,
Saskatchewan placed fourth in the 2001 World Arm
Wrestling Championships held in Gdansk, Poland in
December of that year. Not bad at all for someone who
only took up, the sport for the first time, months earlier!

During her final match, Janice “pulled” against the
defending world champion from Great Britain who had
fouled out in a previous contest. “It was a real eye open-
er for me,” she says about the high level of competition.
“At this level there is so much riding on both physical
and mental preparation. I learned a lot.”

Janice attributes her strong showing to “beginner's
luck” which is humble to say the least. During the year
of competition she started with a local club in Prince
Albert and then participated in “circuit tournaments”
going on to the provincial championships in the Spring
in Saskatoon where she took first place. Then it was on
to the nationals in the summer of 2001 where over 80
competitors from across Canada were competing in
men’s and women’s categories.

In that competition, held in Prince Albert at the
Northern Lights Casino, Janice defeated an opponent
from Ontario to take the gold in the 65 kg. final.

The obvious question is: how did she get into the
sport? “I always liked sports as a kid (she took up figure
skating between the ages of 3 - 18 years) and was kind of
a tomboy growing up,” says Janice who was raised in the
First Nations community of Lac La Ronge
Saskatchewan, about 220 km. north of Prince Alberta.
Growing up with an older brother and two younger sis-
ters, kept her busy — and on her toes!

Janice’s natural strength developed from skating and
outdoor activities. She also had to do her fair share of
chores and other “grunt work” growing up, she laughs.
Her upper body strength came naturally and working at
the Key Lake open pit uranium mine, in northem
Saskatchewan, for seven years, also helped build her
physical strength and strong, but unassuming charac-
ter.

Today she’s a 33 year-old mom to two daughters: 9
year-old Taelor and 6 year-old Tiana. They're both lots to
keep her busy in her off-work hours, Janice is also proud
of her non-status Cree heritage.

When Weyerhaeuser partnered with Woodland Cree
First Nations bands in northern Saskatchewan to start
up the Wapawekka sawmill in the summer of 1999,
Janice was one of original workforce members, and a
new member of IWA Canada Local 1-184.

Today as a member of a work team, she does various
duties as a mill opera-
tor. “You have to be
pretty quick and alert on
the trim line,” she

points out. “There’s 48
lugs a minute coming at
you of 2x 4’s and 2x 6's
up to 16 feet long.” That
type of work builds
wrists, biceps and fore-
arms, while standing
can build up strong leg
muscles.

Last year, Janice took
a breather from compe-
tition and hopes to get
back into the sport this
year. To do that she
needs to concentrate on finding a balance between work
(high production on rotating shift changes), family life
(kids, husband and family) and the sport itself. There’s
also a lot of out-of-pocket expenses attached to the game.

Local union financial secretary and fellow
Wapawekka worker Harry Groenen, whose 19 year-old
son Luke won a provincial title two years ago, says many
who follow the sport hope to see growing financial sup-
port from corporate sponsors in the future.

He notes that Wapawekka does show significant sup-
port for physical fitness by footing half the price of gym
club memberships for its employees. “Janice’s fellow
teamates have also helped out by showing a lot of peer
support in the workplace and moral support both in and
outside the workplace,” says Brother Groenen. “She
deserves that support. She’s a very humble person and
we're all really proud of her efforts.”

For local union president Paul Hallen, Janice’s
accomplishments are exemplary. “I think workers rec.
ognize how tough it is to get that certain balance
between the workplace, home life and recreation that we
all look for,” he says. “To take on family responsibilities
and go to work and train and compete all at the same
time, requires personal strength and support from fam-
ily and friends along the way.”

Good luck in future competitions Janice. Your fellow
IWA’ers will be “pulling” with you!

= Janice Vancoughnett in’01

24 it THE ALLIED WORKER APRIL 2003