The Westmeath & District Recreation Association (WDRA) and the Whitewater Region lost a valuable employee recently to an illness.
Melle De Hann’s mechanical skills and tenacity will be sorely missed at the Westmeath Community Centre.
Mel was what I would call a ’Gem” of an employee – multiskilled and reliable. Mel came on board some years ago as our Operations Manager responsible for all mechanical operations and maintenance activities in the ice-arena, the upstairs hall and the ball diamond. He maintained a good relationship with community members and users of the facilities.
He was also on-call for emergencies after-hours and to work unusual hours where necessary. Being on the WDRA committee, I know for a fact his numerous extra trips to and from Lapasse were not charged for.
The greatest percentage of work effort occurs during the ice-making and ice-maintenance time of the year. Mel adjusted quickly to this new role. He had natural talents that were fully developed over time by studying ‘Refrigeration and Ice-making’ courses until he was certified and understood every in and out.
I enjoyed talking with Mel every chance I got. It seemed there was always a situation at the rink to talk about. I sure enjoyed listening and I did learn some things about the whole operation. I was most pleased when he trusted me to check out the Hall occasionally.
Last fall we made an agreement that he would describe to me the particulars of operating equipment in the Hall. I would have transcribed it into a maintenance manual for anyone to follow. Unfortunately, we left it too late.
President Brenda Grady thought of Melle as a smart, hard working man, with a kind heart and an incredible attention to detail. She will miss him both as an employee at the Westmeath Rink & Hall and as a friend. She has wonderful memories of how good he was to her son. Also, how he would tune her up when she didn’t get things done right away. He was always there when catering an event at the Hall or any WDRA function – to make sure everything was in order. We will all be less without Melle, but Heaven will be more.
The WDRA held monthly meetings and Mel always attended them. Sometimes he appeared to be in charge, pushing the committee for decisions to looming problems. He was usually one step ahead. Mel became effective enough to identify problems, get quotes for contract work and select a vendor so they just had to be rubber-stamped by the committee.
Neil Nicholson was most familiar with Mel’s work schedule and described him this way. There was not a single thing that was done at the Westmeath Recreation Centre that Mel did not have a finger in. In fact, it’s hard to think of the Recreation Centre without thinking of Mel. He was there caring for that building and the ice every day through the winter and in between fishing trips in the summer. He knew the compressors in the mechanical room by the sounds they made, the Zamboni had been stripped down and rebuilt enough times that he had memorized each nut and bolt, and the quality of ice he made was second to none. But he didn’t stop there, he supported every WDRA event or hall rental. He was there to unplug a toilet, rig up the two wells to ensure the kitchen didn’t run out of water, adjust the AC, catch a mouse, change a bulb, meet the piano tuner or make sure all the doors were locked up. In fact, it was rare that I ever went to the rink or the hall and didn’t see or meet Mel there. He took absolute pride in taking care of the facility for no other reason than he wanted to see it used for the community, specifically for the kids in the community. Even with his sometimes-gruff approach, it was really only a show. His heart was so big I often saw it overflow. Mel and I worked on many projects together, spending hours getting things exactly right and chatting about the next project. His fingerprints are everywhere in that building, his voice will echo on the ice or from behind the stage, but most importantly he will remain in my memory and in the hearts of many of the members of our community; where all the things he did for us really made the most impact.
Mel received plenty of praise for the good work he did, but none like at the Hockey Banquets, so appreciative the hockey players were on how well he kept the premises and of flooding the ice.
Mel and his wife Eileen supported all the events that took place in the Hall. Eileen was involved as volunteer in many of the functions.
Noticeably Mel showed a softer side when chatting the women. One of his favourites was Hazel Bromley. Hazel said about Mel, “He was always so kind and polite to talk too. He was generous to others in the community if he could help out. The Westmeath rink was lucky to have him.”
Mel looked forward for time to fish. As Phil Cottrell remarked, “Mel loved his fishing and loved looking after his boat. He fished a lot with his brother Corny as well as with Keith Bromley. He particularly liked to catch Walleye and Pike”.
Mel had high standards when doing any job. Sometimes setting up or taking down tables and chairs his patience ran thin with the rest of us. We knew that and took it with a grain of salt, still respecting him.
Speaking of chairs, I looked for feet for the chair-legs for two years. Mel got involved, sourced them in Pembroke and had them delivered in a week. He could have poked fun at me, but he didn’t.
One project Mel designed was the reduction of energy usage in the refrigeration system. Excess water from the circulation tank was routed and stored in two milk containers, then pumped from there into the 100-gallon heaters as required to supply hot water to the Zamboni for flooding the ice-pad. The total cost was $6,328, a payback within two years. The best part of all was two WPS classes and an Observer reporter were on hand for the initial demonstration
I lost a friend and a teammate with Mel’s passing but as well the Recreation Centre lost his talents, and the community lost his generosity.
