The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Inside Colonel was a leader as a teenager Continued from page 1 3 · Thursday, May 20, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com the rapid rollout of humanitarian aid, development, governance and rule of law. His death makes him not only the 145th Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan, but the highest-ranking Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan, as well. Today those who knew him are remembering the man he was. Parker, a father of two from Oakville, joined the local 1188 Lorne Scots Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps as a 13-yearold, said Rod Hardman, then a Lorne Scots instructor. Somewhat shy at first, Hardman said, Parker developed into "by far one of the finest graduates we've had in the program" as he grew into a 6-foot-plus frame that made him an imposing presence by age 18. Even as a teenager, Parker "was able to relate to almost anybody," Hardman said. Determined, hard-working and quick with a smile or joke, he impressed with both his knack for organization, "You'd always look over your shoulder and he was organizing something, from the most mundane tasks to the most complicated" and his physical talents. He managed to complete a gruelling military course to become one of fewer than 50 Canadian cadets per year to earn the wings of an adult paratrooper. "Kids just gravitated towards him, naturally looked to him for leadership," Hardman said. "He had a way about him so that the kids understood that he was the guy to follow." "He'd be 15, 16," said George Chisholm, the commanding officer of Parker's cadet group, "and you'd give Geoff a job, and he'd be supervising younger kids and the job would be done. You wouldn't have to ask if it was done." Parker, a graduate of White Oaks Secondary School, moved frequently once he joined the military in 1989, spending time in Belleville, Petawawa and New Brunswick. At the invitation of Chisholm, now president of the Oakville Historical Society, he returned to Oakville from Petawawa in 2007 to serve as the reviewing officer for the cadets' annual inspection ceremony. He delivered a speech urging the cadets to use their skills to succeed in life. Despite his own success, he remained the amiable person Hardman and Chisholm had met as a child. "Somebody came up and said, `Hello Col. Parker,' and he said, `Just call me Geoff,' " said Hardman. "That's how he was." -- With files from Mitch Potter, Toronto Opinion............................................6 Health............................................19 Travel.............................................20 Kids................................................21 Sports.............................................23 Classified........................................28 Full Delivery: GNC,The Bay, Price Chopper, Food Basics, Longo's, Pioneer Family, Home Outfitters, Be Bath & Beyond, Wal-Mart, Future Shop, Best Buy, Loblaws Partial Delivery: Ashley Furniture, M&M Meats, Metro Canada, Rona Cashway, Zellers, Mississauga Booster, James Yurchuk, Food Basics, Holland Park, Sobeys, Michael Angelo's, Pharma Plus, Toys R Us, Fortino's, Luxury Railing, Blacks Photo, Bouclair, Staples Business Depot, Shoppers Drug Mart, Canadian Tire, No Frills, Superstore, Career Makeover, Sears, Mark's Work Warehouse, Niagara This Week For home delivery & customer service call (905) 845-9742 Mon., Tues. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed., Thu., and Fri. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. (open for calls only after 5 p.m.) Closed Sat. and Sun. NEW SUBSCRIPTIONS call (905) 845-9742 or subscribe online @ www.oakvillebeaver.com SHUTTERS · Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed · Serving Oakville with Shop at Home Service Authorized Eclipse Shutters Dealer CALIFORNIA & PLANTATION · Wood & Vinyl Shutters, Supplied & Installed · High Quality at Affordable Prices FREE Shop at Home Service SHUTTERS ETC. 905.691.4455 www.shuttersetc.ca