Bill Rutledge always offered a helping hand

The staff of the Dawson Creek District office enjoy a long-standing reputation for helping people in their community and raising funds and donating food to those less fortunate. So when one of their own became seriously ill in November 1999 and was no longer able to care for his home and property, they stepped up to the plate once again.

Bill Rutledge, then 30, had been a compliance and enforcement technician in the district for six years when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Due to the serious nature of his illness and the fact his parents live in Alberta, someone had to care for Bill’s acreage and two horses. District manager Danny Way and Small Business Tech Rob Arisman stepped in and boarded the horses.

To help raise money for horse feed, the district’s compliance and enforcement people organized "Tooney Tuesdays" for several months last year: Staffers cooked and sold hotdogs, barbecued burgers and beef-on-a-bun for $2 each at lunch hour.

Rob, who used to share Bill’s house, checked Bill’s place regularly and helped make sure his bills were paid and other affairs kept in order. Many other staff people helped look after the acreage and provided family support by visiting and offering encouragement to Bill during his hospital stay.

Unfortunately, Bill’s health is such that he will not be able to return to work at the district office. Late last year district staff helped organize a garage sale to sell some of Bill’s possessions and help his Dad prepare the acreage for sale.

Bill is in therapy now at the Ponoka Rehabilitation Centre, and will eventually be set up with home care near his parent’s home in Whitecourt, Alberta.

"It’s hard to believe that ‘Big Bill’ will not be coming back to work," Rob said.

"He is a likeable, quick-witted person who loved his job and loved hunting. If you needed a hand with something, Bill was there to offer his help. He will be missed by the staff here in Dawson Creek as well as all the people he worked with over in the Charlottes, where he started his career with the Forest Service in 1991.

"If anyone happens to be going through the Ponoka area, I encourage you to stop and say hi to Bill."