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akville has a new harborâ€" O master â€" but he isn‘t realâ€" ly ‘new.‘ Rod MacKay (pronounced Mackâ€"Eye) was officially named to the position last month, but he has been ‘acting‘ harbormaster since May of 1993 â€" when the legendary Gurth Bramall finally (reluctantly) hung up his slicker. Before that, MacKay was Bramall‘s rightâ€"hand man â€" for 17 years â€" an experience that prepared him uniquely for the job. The new harbor boss was trying hard to appear relaxed in an interâ€" view last week, casually leaning back in a squeaky chair, behind a desk in his roughâ€"hewn office on the banks of the Sixteen. He‘s kind of a shy man, it seems â€" when it comes to the press, at any rate â€" but a straight shooter. "Actually," he said, with a huge grin, "I‘ve been trying to avoid you." (A compliment!) It doesn‘t take long for the big guy to loosen up. He remembers his first boat launch into the harbor, way back in f/ April of 1976, he says. He‘d been \ a [ f hired by Bramall, along with a handful of other fellows, to ‘redeâ€" velop‘ and beautify the harbors according to the then â€" Master Plan. A lot of money, careful planning, and oldâ€"fashioned sweat went into making Oakville‘s two boat havens the showâ€"pieces they are. "I started when there wasn‘t much here at all," MacKay recalled. "This job is a big piece of me." That first spring, "I think there were 38 boats to launch," he Sheryl Gillson 1â€"800â€"263â€"0242 No Payments for 90 days! Call for details and a complimentary consultation g=â€"k /â€"U :E ; C Great Ideas Just Come To You"" Each franchise independently owned operated © 1994 DDSI. laughed. "I‘d never launched a boat in my life. Bramall dropped me off and sent me over to the crane operaâ€" tor. The crane operator explained the procedure. I learned." Nowadays, the town launches about 200 boats in a season and then hauls them all out again come October. It takes about three days to launch, and a full week to pull them out, clean them up, and put them away. There are a total of about 570 municipal moorings (depending on the size of the boats) in Bronte and Oakville Harbors combined. Born and raised any army brat on CFB Borden near Alliston, Ontario, MacKay had moved around with his family a fair bit in his youth, includâ€" ing three years in Europe. After completing high school in Barrie, he‘d taken a job with the Federal Government on Base Borden in the Roads and Parks Department. When he came to Oakville, ironically, he was rejected by the Parks and Recreation Department when he applied for a job, but caught on with the Harbors _ Development Authority. Today, the harbors fall within the purview of the Parks and Recreation Department. "Bramall kind of took me under his wing, back then, you might say," MacKay said reverentially. "Over the years, he taught me a lot about (See ‘MacKay‘ page 18) FLL ERING EEFAUTIFUL DFAS 1 | mss RIGHT To YOUR DOOR gy ame E Custom Window Treatments W Furniture N Blinds Shades M Carpet Area Rugs _ N Wallcoverings And More Visa accepted THOUGHTS New harbormaster a natural for the job Rod MacKay isn‘t afraid to get dirty to deal with problems Rod McKay at the ‘office‘: well qualified and trained for new responsibilities. (Photo by Peter McCusker) o e W o o e 2 1 e n 2200 P on ho mm n en nsfi isnscs for * see store for details 2nd Pair of Prescription Glasses or Contacts FREE Over 1,000 frames to choose from Ma]or Vision Care Programs Honoured Money Back Guarantee P _ * o VitaVioet _ FRE Eo Seratchkeslshnt on Your Next Purchase $54.00 Total Value OAKVILLE Oakullle Place BURLINGTON Burlington Maill (next to Sears) (Main enfrance next to Robinsons) (905) 844â€"0560 (905) 333â€"5677 "We Guarantee the Whole Sale !" Dan Catton President Peter Lambert f=~R O UE â€"_ â€"€ N:E E _R S Paul Stewart Karl Zimmerman 39 "Money often costs too much. â€" Ralph Waldo Emerson â€" 844'CH IP MIDLAND.M%YN m c Nss , 3 3 RLWVE CHIP THINKING is atrademark of Mldland Walwyn Cap.tal Inc j s 2 a a y a e x# . ts P# «en i W emw‘% hte?e LA 1 utha.um{.u NS 4 3 ) 0% 6 o se a a w on pP661 ‘gz 19quwordoag ‘puayeam 19ne0g ajiimfeo â€" ¢