G10 - Daniel Philip Shiels & Judith Louise Vandaele
Daniel Philip “Dan” Shiels was born near Bernice, north of Napinka, Manitoba, on September 5, 1951. He was the third child of George Edwin Shiels and Betty Jones.
His story, however, would eventually become very much a shared one. Dan and Judith Louise “Judy” Vandaele built their life together through family, careers, community involvement and many years of volunteering.
Growing Up on the Farm
Dan grew up on the family farm near Bernice. Like many farm children of his generation, he learned about work at an early age. His first paying job was for Harold Bugg of Napinka, herding cows for 10 cents a day.
As he grew older, the jobs grew with him. During his summer holidays, he worked for Gerald Brigden for $40 a month, and in his final year of high school he worked weekends on the Elliott brothers’ farm.
After graduating from high school, Dan still had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. He knew only that he could not see himself working for the local farmers forever. Dan graduated from Melita Collegiate in June 1969.
Finding My Way
After graduating from high school, Dan still had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. He knew only that he could not see himself working for the local farmers forever, so in September 1969 he headed west to Calgary with his future brother-in-law, Chris Switzer.
The two found work doing manual labour for a bricklayer, but their introduction to working life was a hard one. The company went bankrupt and they lost a month’s wages.
Dan was a very quiet and shy young man, and the only job he could find was selling encyclopedias door-to-door. He never made much money at it, but years later he would describe it as “the best job I ever had because it taught me how to talk.”
As Dan put it, “With that job, you learned to talk if you wanted to eat.”
After about a month selling encyclopedias, Dan went to work for his uncle, Oscar Lindbloom, at Wilson Arches. In November 1970, he returned to Winnipeg. The direction he had been looking for was about to appear.
A Career with Manitoba Hydro
In November 1970, Dan returned to Winnipeg and began working for Manitoba Hydro. What started as his next job soon became something much more.
“When I joined Manitoba Hydro, it was a career, not just a job.”
Over the years, Dan was given opportunities to learn, take on greater responsibilities and work with many people who influenced his life. The quiet young man who had once struggled to sell encyclopedias door-to-door had discovered that communicating with people was one of the skills that would serve him well throughout his career.
Dan remained with Manitoba Hydro for many years, building a career that provided both challenges and opportunities while helping support the family that he and Judy would build together.
After nearly 38 years, Dan retired from Manitoba Hydro and began a second career as a consultant with Manitoba Hydro International that would last another 10 years. One of the highlights was meeting with Canadian Governor General David Johnson when Dan was General Manager of the Saudi Arabia Branch Office.
Dan & Judy
Dan and Judy grew up only about 10 miles apart, but they never met. Judy attended high school in Deloraine and Dan went to Melita. She was even a friend of Dan’s sister Patty, but Dan was so shy that their paths never crossed.
That changed in the fall of 1972. Dan’s friend Larry Farmer and his girlfriend Karen — Judy’s cousin — were going to the movies and invited Dan and Judy to join them. It was a blind date and Judy was unaware till she got in the car.
It was love at first sight. They were soon spending virtually all of their free time together and were engaged by Christmas, with plans for a June wedding.
Then Manitoba Hydro intervened. In January, Dan was selected for a permanent position in Gillam. The company would pay their moving expenses only if they were married, so Judy’s father offered a very practical solution: move the wedding up.
Dan and Judy were married on February 17, 1973 — and three days later they were on their way to Gillam to begin their married life together.
Dan & Judy — A Team
Dan and Judy have always supported one another, and volunteering became an important part of their life together. Whether the activity belonged primarily to one of them or the other, they usually found a way to become involved as a team.
For more than 20 years, Judy was in charge of the Girl Guide Camp in Whiteshell Provincial Park, while Dan served as the volunteer maintenance man. Together they spent countless weekends helping keep the camp operating, maintaining the buildings and grounds and preparing everything for the girls and their leaders.
Life at a wilderness camp also produced some memorable moments — including more than a few encounters with bears.
The Bear in the Kitchen
One weekend near the beginning of the camping season, the shutters had not yet been removed from the buildings and everyone was busy working outside. Judy was in the kitchen cooking a turkey for supper.
When a meal was ready, Judy would normally ring the camp firebell in a few short bursts to call everyone in. This time, however, the bell just kept ringing.
Everyone came running.
When they reached the kitchen, they discovered why. Judy had not been alone — there had been a bear in the kitchen with her.
Judy had rattled pots and pans to scare the bear away and, once it had left, turned to the firebell to summon help.
After that, everyone knew there was a considerable difference between Judy’s “Supper’s ready!” bell and her “There’s a bear in the kitchen!” bell.
Giving Back to the Community
Volunteering was not limited to the Girl Guide Camp. Dan also served for three years as President of the local Community Centre, where he and Judy became involved in organizing rock video dances for teenagers in the neighbourhood.
Judy was the video jockey, looking after the music and videos, while Dan looked after the floor. The dances became extremely popular and provided local teenagers with a place to gather, socialize and enjoy themselves.
On one memorable evening, 300 teenagers packed the Community Centre while a reporter from the Winnipeg Free Press was there to see the program in action.
Dan and Judy worked closely with the Winnipeg Police, who felt the dances were helping keep young people off the streets by providing them with a safe and supervised place to spend an evening.
Brothers
Family has always been an important part of Dan’s life. Growing up with his brothers and sisters on the farm created memories and relationships that remained with him long after everyone had left home and begun lives of their own.
The years also brought painful losses. Dan’s brothers Dave and Bill both died in separate car accidents, leaving memories of two lives that ended far too soon.
The Family We Built
Through all the changes in their lives, Dan and Judy’s greatest shared accomplishment was the family they built together.
Careers, volunteering and community activities filled many of the years, but family was always at the centre. Looking back, many of the things that seemed ordinary at the time — family gatherings, holidays, camping trips and simply being together — became some of the memories that mattered most.
Our Travels
Dan and Judy’s life together also gave them opportunities to see parts of the world they could once only have imagined. Some journeys were for pleasure and others grew out of Dan’s work, but whenever possible they travelled together. From Africa and the Middle East to India and beyond, the places were memorable — but sharing the experiences made them special.
Looking Back
Dan considers himself fortunate in life and attributes much of that good fortune to the influence of his parents. George and Betty taught their children the value of hard work, responsibility and helping others — lessons that stayed with Dan throughout his life.
He began working at a very young age, eventually found a career rather than simply a job, and along the way built a life with Judy centred on family, community and volunteering.
Looking back over the years, the accomplishments matter, but perhaps more important are the people Dan and Judy met along the way, the friendships they made, the family memories they created and the opportunities they had to give something back.
The Story Continues
More than three centuries have passed since Micheal Shiels left Ireland and began a new life in Scotland. From there, succeeding generations crossed oceans, settled new lands, raised families and faced the challenges and opportunities of their time.
Their lives were very different, but each generation left something for the next — sometimes a farm or a family Bible, sometimes a photograph or a handwritten story, and sometimes simply the values and memories passed from parents to their children.
This website was created to preserve those stories. Not just the names and dates, but something of the people themselves — where they came from, how they lived, the hardships they faced, the things that made them laugh, and the lives they built.
The direct family line followed here has reached its present generation with Dan and Judy. There is no G11 chapter to follow, but that does not mean the story has ended.