It takes all kinds of people to make up the good dads of the world.
For this Father’s Day, we talked to a few people in Bradford West Gwillimbury about how their dads have influenced them.
“He’s my backbone”
Kuldev Sandhu hates Father’s Day.
“If you’re not being with your father 364 days of the year … and one day (he’s) the centre of attention… What’s the point of pretending?” said his son, BWG Coun. Raj Sandhu, explaining his father’s reasoning. “Families should be close.”
But like it or not, his family celebrates the day every year with a get-together, lots of food and gifts.
“He didn’t get to choose that,” Sandhu said, with a laugh.
This father and son, however, are very close, and Raj Sandhu said he also recognizes his late grandfather, Kapoor Sandhu, as a significant male role model in his life.
“My childhood was spent with my dad and my grandfather. I lived with my grandfather while my parents were here,” he said, adding his dad moved to Canada from India in 1971, and he, his brothers and mother joined him in 1975.
"(My dad's) biggest thing is to give back to society, earn your living, be honest, and keep your word. Your word means everything," he said. “That helped me in my own life and with my own kids.”
Sandhu’s grandfather was also a village elder in India, which inspired his own career in public service.
“Whenever he went to deal with issues, I went with him. That’s where I got the bug from,” he said.
Sandhu keeps his grandfather’s cane in his office as a reminder of the lessons he taught him, and he looks up and thinks of him every council meeting when BWG Mayor Rob Keffer calls for a moment of reflection.
Sandhu said his father, who was president of a Toronto-area Sikh council at one time, is “very proud” of his role in local politics.
“He always wanted me to take after him. Deep down, he wanted to run for some kind of public office” but was held back by his lack of English, he said.
But at the end of the day, Sandhu said his dad still thinks of him as his baby.
When Sandhu was 19, he wore a turban and had a long beard. He and his dad were in the checkout line at a grocery store when his dad told the cashier he had to go grab one last item but his “baby” would stay there.
“Meanwhile, there’s a 19 year old standing there with a beard bigger than my dad’s,” Sandhu said, laughing.
“Me and my dad are like friends. I talk to my dad every day. I feel he’s my backbone. Some weight is lifted off when he’s around.”
“I just like him”
Celina Medeiros’ dad likes ice cream and soccer and giving her toys.
“He takes us everywhere we want. Once he took us to the beach,” said the 10 year old. “I got my feet in the water, and I got my new sandals that day.”
What is special about her dad, Rui Medeiros, is how much he supports her, she said.
“If I’m going to soccer, he says, ‘Do a good job,’ and he just cheers me on,” said the Grade 4 St. Angela Merici Catholic School student.
She said her dad has also taught her manners and how to be respectful, such as saying thank you, excuse me and “stuff at the table.”
But they always have fun together.
“I have lots of baby pictures of my dad and me. We were in Toronto. I was six months old (when we) moved to Bradford,” she said. “We were making silly faces and saying goodbye to the house.”
Celina said she is excited to make him gifts and visit him on Father’s Day.
“He gives us anything, and I love him so much. He’s very kind,” she said. “I don’t know — I just like him.”
“My dad was a mentor”
For Bruce Chambers, his father’s passion for preserving the past carved the way for his own career in furniture making and antiques restoration.
“My career is all based around one of (my parents’) major interests,” which includes art, architecture and antiques, he said. “My dad was a mentor. He was good with his hands. I picked up a lot of skills just by watching.”
His dad, retired dentist David Chambers, also got him started in a workshop by showing him how to use different tools and not being afraid of them.
“It was all there for me,” he said.
Bruce Chambers got a taste of antiques restoration early on in his childhood home, the Brazel House on 7th Line in Bond Head.
“It’s a handsome two-storey brick building. (Restoration) was all new to (my dad) when we moved here,” he said.
They worked on the home together, pulling it apart in in sections and putting it back together, like a jigsaw puzzle.
The pair still work together on projects for Bruce Chambers Period Furniture Ltd.
They recently recreated and replaced the front doors and restored the windows at the 149-year-old Auld Kirk Presbyterian church, which reopened its doors last weekend.
“It is remarkable that I’m able to make a career out of my passion. Anything to do to preserve the past … fits really well with our values.”
Beyond his career, Chambers said his father also taught him how to find a good work-life balance.
“(He taught me to) get up early in the morning and get to work on time. He (also) taught us how to break and take a nap every now and then,” he said. “Especially nowadays, everybody goes full steam all the time. We’re not machines. I’m able to find a bit more of a balance than other people.
“It’s all about being a role model. If you don’t demonstrate… your words are hollow.”
