Chapleau like a 'western town with a frontier attitude' in 1937 but George Theriault returned to set up air base

After retiring from the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1953, George Theriault was looking for a place to set up an airbase, run a flying service and establish outpost camps for fishing and hunting.

Although he would have liked to return to his hometown of Timmins to establish it, the existing air services had sole rights to fly commercially in the area.

Chapleau became a possibility, Mr. Theriault wrote in his wonderful book 'Trespassing in God's Country'. He had first flown into Chapleau in 1937 when gold mining camps were active in the area.

He describes his first impression: " In 1937 the community of Chapleau was like a western town with a frontier attitude: even the stores had fashionable false fronts. The highlights of the main street were the Chapples (Smith and Chapple Ltd, now Village Shops) and the Queens Hotel. The hotel had little balconies on the front where the airmen sat and socialized after they finished flying for the day,

"All the famous bush pilots of the time - including Matt Berry, Phil Sauve and Punch Dickens - came to Chapleau at some point because aircraft supplied the mines in Swayze Township for at least five years."

Mr. Theriault, and his wife Joan, had two young children in 1953, were looking for a community with schools and a hospital.

He noted that Chapleau was "prospering" as a major centre for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Highway 129 had been completed and the town had become easily accessible for American sportsmen from Michigan and other states.

He arrived in Chapleau in 1954 with a Stinson Stationwagon on skis and a set of floats to change over in the Spring. He "bunked down" at the YMCA, and bought an old boathouse on the Chapleau River.

He brought his wife and children to Chapleau on May 5, 1954, "in a snowstorm". 

He sums up his decision to set up his business in Chapleau: "The town of Chapleau proved to be a perfect location for an air service. There was plenty of charter work as well as many excellent fishing and hunting possibilities. 

"The walleye and northern fishing was highly rated and the speckled trout fishing was better than I expected. 

"As I entered my first year of  operation, I was certain that I had made the right choice. Despite the long hours of work. it was a fulfilling experience to create something of my own. I was doing everything I enjoyed -- flying, exploring and fishing. Every moment was worth the years it had taken me to get there."

Over the years Mr. Theriault established outpost camps throughout the area, and he noted that all his children grew up "reading maps. Each took their turn sitting in the co-pilot seat acting as the navigator."

'Trespassing in God's Country: Sixty Years of Flying in Northern Canada' is a must read for anyone interested in our north country..

George Theriault died on May 26, 2015 at age 95. I leave you with the final paragraph from his book: "That's the most amazing thing: life just goes on  -- with us and without us. None of us are permanent fixtures on this landscape; we are all trespassers in God's country." Rest in peace George.

My sincere thanks to his son John for providing me with a copy of the book. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

George Theriault relaxes with prime ministers Mackenzie King and Louis St. Laurent

When George Theriault was in the Royal Canadian Air Force, on numerous occasions he was called upon to fly dignitaries like the prime minister to a secluded lake for a few hours or days of fishing, hunting or just plain relaxing.

In his wonderful book 'Trespassing in God's Country - Sixty Years of Flying in Northern Canada', he includes a chapter, 'Relaxing with the Prime Ministers'. In 1954, after retiring from the RCAF, he established the main base for Theriault Air Service at Chapleau. He had joined the air force in 1940 during World War II.

He reveals that before Prime Minister Mackenzie King retired in 1948, "I had several opportunities to socialize with him at his summer home in Kingsmere, a small lake in the Gatineau Park, where he loved to spend the weekends. He enjoyed the simple pleasure of sitting on his verandah and chatting about all the unimportant details of life."

Mr. Theriault gives an insightful look into the life of Mr. King when he was out of the public eye. One day he relates that the prime minister in "his very shy way" if he would do him a favour.

"He had some young children visiting from Ottawa, and he wanted them to see the country from the air in my J-3 Cub which I usually flew to the lake on weekends. He even offered to pay for the gasoline for the trips... Naturally, I agreed to the trips but wouldn't accept payment for the gasoline."

He tried to convince the prime minister "to come up for a spin but he politely declined saying that he only flew when he was on business. He preferred to have his feet on the ground when he was relaxing."

Just imagine sitting on a verandah with the prime minister today "sipping some cool drinks." Well, Mr. Theriault did, and was asked by Prime Minister King  what the average air force pilot earned as a yearly salary, then added how much would a similar pilot flying for Trans Canada Airlines (now Air Canada make).

Mr. Theriault replied that he made about $4800 a year, and a TCA pilot about $10000 a year.

One of the other air force officials present asked the prime minister his salary. Mr. King "was silent for a while , and then responded that he made under $10000; this was in the summer of 1948!"

Turning to Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent, who succeeded Mr. King later in 1948. Mr. Theriault wrote, "we found a boss who really liked to relax in a boat or canoe."

"If Mr. St. Laurent only had a few hours to relax and fish, I flew him in the Norseman to a private camp North of Ottawa ... we could leave Ottawa after 5:00 pm and return by 10 pm."

Mr. Theriault always enjoyed fishing with him "because he would just paddle a 16-foot canoe out onto a lake and sit for hours. There was no competition, no hurry to catch a fish. It seemed to be a way of meditation for him. After a few hours of fly fishing his whole countenance brightened and the weight of office seemed to grow lighter on his shoulders.

"Catching a fish seemed less important t o him than the experience of just sitting in the canoe moving his fishing line in and out of the water. In the privacy of nature, he seemed to allow the pressure of government business to dissolve. The hours spent with him in a canoe were beyond the realm of time. The transforming power of nature worked its magic on us both."

Mr. Theriault has provided an insightful behind-the-scenes look at  two of Canada's long serving prime ministers. "Trespassing in God's Country" in its entirety is a great read. Russ Bannock, the former president of de Havilland Aircraft of Canada noted that it is a "magnificent story of his (Mr. Theriault's} life as a Canadian pilot.

My thanks to George Theriault and his son John for making a copy available to me. My email is mj.morris@live.ca