Hobby becomes retirement dream

SOME PEOPLE discover their true calling late in life, and that’s what happened to market regular Bill Jmaeff,

Making knives, a craft he took up to ward off the boredom of retirement, has become much more than a hobby to Bill.

Collectors from as far away as Ceylon and Germany come to him, looking for one of his specially knives.

Bill makes just about every kind of knife you can imagine, from small fold up knives to sabers and hunting knives,

Handles are made of ex- otic types of wood such as Australian rose wood and African calico, as well as oak and other local wood. Some of the blades are decorated with brass,

Nothing in Bill’s child- hood would lead you ta think he would develop a passion for this type of craft.

Bill was bom in Sas- katchewan, the son of a Russian father and prairic- born woman.

The family worked very hard, trying to makea living farming.

‘Farming is like a game of cards,’’ said Bill, remem- bering his childhood, ‘It’s always a gamble,”

He remembers how the farmers bad to suppart the town’s people during ihe Depression.

His parents would fll a wagon with pork and beef and eggs and chickens, geese, grain. They would give it to people in need.

“Some people were moved to tears, when they received the much needed supplies.” Bill says.

But farming wasn’t in

Bill’s blood. When he was 19, the family sold every- thing and moved to BC. Bill worked in the orchards, and then in the logging industry. He never really enjoyed these trades. ‘ Bill later switched to car- pentry work, and he found satisfaction in doing, con- struction.

Bill came to Terrace in the

“AT THE: MARKET: LYNNE CHRISTIANSEN

60s. He had always thought about living up north. He says he fell in love with Ter- race and decided to make it home.

When Bill retired he couldn’t take the idleness, In the summer he filled the empty hours with fishing, but winters were really bard to take,

Then one day, while at the dump, Bill found a metal head to make knives.

His friend Peter Nichol- son, knew something about making knives, so got Bill started in the right direction.

Now, eight years down the road, Bill says he really loves his craft and only wishes he had discovered it a lot sconer in life,

Aside from selling his knives, Bill just loves being down at the market It’s a really pleasant way to spend the moming just visiting wilh people, says Bill,

You can meet Bill Jmacff and see his beautiful craftsmanship at the Skeena Valley farmers market every Saturday morning.

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BILL JMAEFF found himself a little low on stock last week at the market. That's because some visitors from France bought out his collection of hunting knives. He

knives are popular with many international collectors,

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treasures

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 10, 1996 - B3

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