Steve Wahobin completes yet another labour of love.
Steve Wahobin, known as “the handyman” in Anzac, has completed yet another labour of love. The decade-old stairs at Bill Woodward School were in desperate need of repair, so Steve stepped up using his carpentry skills to make them look brand new.
Steve has been a valued CP employee for 12 years and is our resident journeyman carpenter at Long Lake, maintaining a camp housing 300 people. He works extremely hard to keep the camp in top shape at all times, but his true passion off duty is woodworking.
“I like working with nice wood. The results are always satisfying,” Steve says. His work days are long, but he found time in the evenings to complete the stairs for Bill Woodward.
Of course, the most satisfying part of the project for this humble carpenter was the final presentation. “The teachers were excited,” Steve says. “I felt pretty proud.” He even heard a group of kids point and say, “CP built those — Steve built those!”
Made with maple and birch, the stairs are approximately 45 inches high and lead up to the gym stage at the school. Steve replaced the whole section of spindles and handles and spent many weeks perfecting the final touches.
Bill Woodward School Vice Principal Amy Savill says: “Steve did a beautiful job. He made the stairs custom to fit the space and even added wheels so they are functional. Steve was very flexible and would come in after hours to work on them, so classes weren’t interrupted.
“CP has been fantastic,” she adds.
Steve doesn’t do this type of work for recognition. He does it because he loves helping kids and he loves woodworking. He has made trophy cases and cabinets at the school and will continue to support the district in any way he can.
Steve is also active in the Anzac community and has enjoyed volunteering with CP in the past. From helping elderly people around their homes to helping the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation, you can count on Steve to put his skilled trade to work for the community.
“I owe many thanks to CP’s CEO, Dave Czibere, for getting me involved in volunteer initiatives,” Steve says.
The new stairs were made at the perfect time with CP’s new logo incorporated into the wood structure. Leaving CP’s mark on the stairs, Steve has also left his mark on the Anzac community, and when asked about future projects, he says: “Whatever comes ahead, we’ll tackle.”
We truly appreciate Steve’s great work and are pleased he is part of our team and part of the community.
