By Bob Odette

George Funk is a craftsman. The retired General Motors Draftsman and Tool Designer has just completed two scale models of the Lighthouse and his dedication to detail is evident in the exact replicas he has constructed in his home workshop.

George and his wife, Elly, live on a canal at Lighthouse Cove and his 1/12 scale model of the famous local landmark sits in the corner of his backyard, guiding boaters in the canal away from the dock that edges his property. The models (he built a second one for his neighbour across the canal) are so faithful to the real structure at the mouth of the Thames River that the red door at the base even sports a tiny padlock.

Approximately 200 hours of research went into the project, and that was all before he even touched a piece of wood. George gives a big thank-you to Jerry Campbell of the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA), the current owners of the 190-year old structure, for allowing him to visit inside of the tower to take pictures and measurements, as well as providing him with copies of the schematic drawings with the minute dimensions. With all this information, he used his draftsman skills to draw up extensive scale plans for the models. Everything he needed to work from is in two 3-inch binders.

The models were built in three sections - a lower half reflecting the real Lighthouse’s stone base, an upper half built with a brick like exterior, and the red light housing at the top. Starting in May of 2007, he completed one base that summer. The following winter, he built the two upper sections, including the red light housing at the top. Earlier this year he completed a second base, finishing both projects just this past August.

The authenticity of the models are the result of his craftsmanship and a little luck. While wintering in Florida, he found some miniature stone and brick like material, which he used for the exterior of the models, at a Home Depot. The frame is made of wood, with exactly tapered wood slats serving as a base for fiberglass walls upon which the brick and stone facades were applied with construction glue. The top light housing is made of wood also with tiny metal bars braze welded into a railing.

Inside the top is an LED light commonly used for lake marker buoys. They are run off a solar charged battery with the solar panels inside and on top of the light. The LED light is rated for 100,000 hours, which is more than enough to keep the “every-four-second” flash going for years. Chrome mac tac inside the red housing ensures enough sunlight to charge the batteries.

The first model, says George, took him 307 hours to complete, while the second took 271 hours. He plans on building two more at half the scale of these two. He said anybody who wants a model like the two already made, he would be happy to provide them with the plans. “I won’t build it myself,” he laughed, “but I’ll help them do it.”  

By Bob Odette

CAW Local 1941 has announced its support for Matt Daudlin in the federal election in Chatham-Kent-Essex. Local Vice President, Mike Byrne, said, “We must do everything in our power to defeat the Conservatives, which means not only voting for Matt Daudlin, but also campaigning for him.”

Byrne explained that it’s not that they are Liberals, but that they are strategists. Their focus is to unseat Conservative incumbent Dave Van Kesteren.

Byrne pointed to the numbers from the last federal election which Van Kesteren won by 5,000 votes. At the time, the NDP candidate, Kathleen Kevany, got about 10,000 votes, described by some as votes for her personally, not for the NDP party itself. Byrne said that since Kevany is not running this time, most of those votes could be considered up for grabs. He hopes a majority of those voters could be persuaded to switch to the Liberal side in a best case scenario in defeating the Conservative candidate. “All we need is half of them,” he commented.

CAW National President, Ken Lewenza, is urging local union leaders to get involved in the election campaign. The union sees its mission as unseating the Harper government.

Local NDP supporters have expressed their dissatisfaction with the union’s strategy. Derry McKeever, a staunch supporter of the NDP party, said he was disappointed. McKeever told the local press that the decision of Local 1941 may come back to haunt them. He pointed out that the Liberals were responsible for NAFTA.

Later in the week, CAW 1941 did come out in support for Taras Natyshak, the NDP candidate in Essex. Byrne pointed to polls that put Natyshak in second place after Conservative candidate Jeff Watson and ahead of the Liberal’s Susan Whelan. “It’s about issues,” said Byrne, “not about party politics.”

He said union members understand that 60 per cent of voters last election voted against the Conservatives in the riding, but due to vote splitting between the Liberals and NDP, the Conservatives still won.

“We can no longer afford to divide our vote on a battle for second place,” Byrne said. Local 1941 President Sean O’Donnell said their main objective is to stop the Conservatives from doing any more damage to the manufacturing sector.

The election takes place Tuesday, October 14.