Each of us is an individual.
Well, sometimes, maybe!

On the one hand there are notions of “standard” lives, and “standard” people (Baby- boomers, The X generation, The A generation, The Post-Modernists), notions which prompt movers and shakers to sniff out our similarities and use them to entice us into living lives not always of our own choosing, to holding attitudes that don’t stand up to the scrutiny of our own critical thinking, to spending and acquiring things we don’t need; the culture we live in therefore encouraging us to adopt a “sense of self” without encouraging much in the way of our personal input.

On the other hand many people, modestly, manage to carve out their own personal nitch and are able to say “This is me. This just isn’t like you.” Their differences aren’t necessarily that great, but they cherish them nonetheless. Then there are those who really break the rules, who stand out by refusing to play the game, or by competing for the prize - whatever it may be - or by looking to hold the most current opinions.

Tim Kulchyski, of Westminster congregation, both by instinct and by happenchance is such an Individual. He was born in Atikokan, Ontario (iron mining) and raised in Bisset, Manitoba (gold mining). Post high school Tim earned a university degree with a major in History. With the continued interest in History he worked for a period in the archival field. However this just didn’t suit so he returned home to Bissett.

But, what does a young man with a History degree do for work in a small mining town? Basically mining or logging. Because his father was a miner and because Tim had worked in the mine prior to university (both underground, operating scoops and trucks, and working in the cage lift) he returned to cage work in the Bissett mine.

But, this, too, didn’t satisfy him. “Day after day, you work the same shift, do the same repetitive job, go home at night. watch TV or go to the pub and drink”. For Tim that wasn’t a life. He finally struck out on his own doing work for which there are no university or Red River College courses; work which can only be learned by apprenticeship and experience. He worked toward and became a Geophysical Field Technician. This is where Tim found his center because it allows him to work largely on his own , in rugged bush country such as he knew as a boy, setting his own pace, establishing his own personal standards and experiencing pride in what he does, and does well. And because his industry paid off he eventually was able to purchase his own technical equipment and became an independent technician, answerable mainly to himself.

To digress briefly, what is a Geophysical Field Technician? With reference to Tim’s own work he is both a prospector, staking claims on crown land for mining companies, a line cutter (check here for pictures of that activity) surveyor and mapper . The equipment he owns is a proton magnetometer/gradiometer with which he can discern mineral deposits, and map their incidence to help mining companies decide where they should drill to find profitable ore. In a word Tim contracts with Mining companies to provide them with geological data and to stake the claims where his data points the way. It is both solitary and physically demanding work with all the pluses and minuses of working outdoors. (Little black flies, anyone?) But it is also exacting work in that the reading he takes with his equipment and the maps he creates from his data can be the beginnings of million dollar investments in mineral exploration. Tim takes pride in the detailed and information-dense maps he creates. And that pride is well founded in view of the constant stream of requests for his services. He also mentions the half a year he spent in China teaching their geophysical people how to run a modern IP survey. (IP survey? Check it out ).

Tim Kulchyski’s family means a great deal to him - proud husband to Nancy, proud father to Johnathon - even though his work often takes him away from home. He was raised a Roman Catholic but now takes a fairly broad view of matters spiritual. He also has an instinct for questioning - dogma and other people’s absolutes don’t always sit well with him. If there is another side to an argument Tim will find it! He is not a wealthy man, economically, and he doesn’t regret the life-choices he has made that have made that his reality. “When I’m too old to do this work, we own a farm near Dryden where we can grow our own food and be happy.”

So much about Tim’s life style is not what readers of this article might personally relate to. In fact, his life is, in a sense, a challenge to contemporary living. I asked Tim how he views life . He answered, simply, “Life is being happy within God’s grace.” Amen.