One of the fun activities the Rotary Club has engaged in recently is a reclassification talk, allowing seasoned Rotarians to speak about their work experience, their life experience and their Rotary history.
Today was Joe Hrankowski's turn, and he turned in a sterling performance, as we knew he would. Joe first explained why he had a fist full of notes, to talk about himself and he said that his wife Vicki said that if he didn't write down what he wanted to say, he would forget something important. Joe had to agree that she was right, and therefore wrote out the important points.
Joe was born in Gimli, Manitoba in 1945, and entered the welding trade at a relatively young age. He worked at that for a while, but always wanted to be an RCMP officer. So he applied at age 18 and was admitted in 1964 at age 19. He learned a lot of horses and actors in his training. He married Vicki in 1967, and they have two children.
Joe spoke about the challenges of being an RCMP officer, the many transfers. He studied at Carlton University and obtained a BA in Politics, and was eventually promoted to Inspector in 1984. He was responsible for security of all embassies in the Communist bloc, which was very interesting work. He left security after 14 years, was promoted to Supt and stationed in Ottawa, and then in 1996 promoted to Chief Supt in Vancouver. He retired from the force in 2000 after 36 years service.
Joe spoke about retirement to Medicine Hat, how the Paradise Valley golf course was a critical piece of the decision making process and the last move. He has owned 17 house and moved 18 times.
He spoke about his time in Rotary, starting in Gimli, MB and the roles he has played in Medicine Hat. As Director of International Service, he led a Group Study Exchange team to Ukraine in 2004. He also travelled with Chesley's and Mackay's to India, to see the 3-H project our club organized. He spoke about his challenges with hearing, and how that has affected his ability to participate in some activities. But he has been happily retired now for 23 years and is grateful for his time in Rotary (good friends, good projects and giving back to the community).
After answering a few questions, Joe was thanked by President Melanie.