A Chestermere family is encouraging residents to enjoy water activities, through a donation of an accessible kayak slip.
The donation was made by an 87-year-old resident, John Timmermans, who wanted to share his love of kayaking with the community and honour his late wife’s memory.
The slip is designed to hold a kayak, paddleboard, or canoe stable in the water so the user can climb in and out safely.
While secured to the dock, boaters can use the sturdy handles to situate themselves before taking off. The slip is more manageable than climbing in off the shore or while in the water.
Kayaking keeps John active, and it reconnects him to a time when he’d take Donna, his wife of 54 years, on long paddles around the lake.
After retiring, John and his wife moved in with their daughter and son-in-law, Laura Timmermans and Ian Warrack, who lived on the lake.
While looking for options to keep them active and busy, she suggested they try kayaking.
John immediately fell in love with the sport, but his wife wanted nothing to do with it.
John didn’t know how to swim, so Donna would sit on the shore of their lakefront home for hours, keeping an eye on him and waiting for him to return safely.
It took some persuading and the purchase of a double kayak, but Donna finally gave in.
John would take Donna out on the water, and together they spent their golden years keeping active while exploring Chestermere Lake.
As Donna’s dementia progressed, John would take her out multiple times a day to keep her engaged, as she’d forgotten the day’s earlier trips.
John loved to be out on the cool water, in the sunshine, with his bride.
Since her passing, he paddles on almost every day and keeps her memory alive.
He pulls on his red life jacket, complete with a safety whistle, and rolls his matching red kayak from his apartment at the Bay Club to Chestermere’s waterfront, ready for his daily float around the lake.
Without the new slip, continuing to enjoy the lake would be difficult for John.
“As he’s getting older, dad is having more difficulty getting into and out of his kayak, so I thought the launch might be a way of helping him,” Laura said.
Adding, “Dad can be a good example, and he can show others how it’s done safely. We hope this new launch encourages others of all ages to join him”.
Now that the newly donated accessible kayak slip is installed and ready for use, John can confidently float on, unassisted.
Lake users can find the slip on the north side of the floating dock at John Peak Park.
Anyone is welcome to use it free of charge.
