The team having fun will win. That is Jerry Brandt’s philosophy, whether he is working as an industrial electrician, relaxing with his family, serving on Armour council or fielding calls as an Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) convener.

“If you tell everyone what they’re doing wrong every day, things are going to go wrong,” he explains. “If people aren’t having fun, the coach or boss is doing something wrong.”

He had plenty of opportunities to put this approach to work when coaching minor hockey, something he began doing in his early twenties.

For example, one novice team started its season with two devastating losses: 15-1 and 16-0.

“Before the third one I bet the kids my beard they couldn’t win a game,” he recalls. Then his smile widens. “They shaved me in the Humphrey arena afterward.”

Many of the young people he worked with have gone on to be coaches themselves, and they haven’t forgotten Brandt.

“A lot of those kids I coached 30 years ago still call me Coach,” he says. “It’s very touching.”

In the early 80s Brandt also became a referee because there was a shortage in the area.  

He would still be refereeing, he says, except that an old knee injury came back to haunt him and he required a series of operations.

That didn’t end his involvement in hockey, however. When Mye Sedore, assistant to the OMHA representative in Parry Sound died in September, 1992, Brandt was asked to assist as a convener. He’s been doing that job ever since.

“A lot of it is answering phones and providing information about the rules,” he explains. “I basically assist Bob (Beaumont), our area OMHA executive representative.”

His home life (with wife Diane and four now-grown kids) and hockey have kept Brandt busy, but he has managed to do even more for his community.

Brandt has also been a councillor for Armour Township for about 20 years, with just one “sabbatical.”

Having been on various governing committees since high school, Brandt felt it was natural to be involved at a township level.

“I’ve had a lot of enjoyment over the years in making Armour Township a better place,” he says. “Not all our roads are paved, but we’re working on it.”

Brandt hopes to be able to see the township through the changes it will face with the four-laning of Hwy. 11.

On top of all this, Brandt also has a full-time job.

Hired soon after Domtar (now Panolam) was built in 1977, Brandt became a construction and maintenance electrician and then an industrial electrician. He has an industrial maintenance ticket for Panolam as well.

“I can honestly say there’s never been a day that I haven’t wanted to go to work,” he says. “It’s an excellent spot to learn and teach. The people are just great. There are lots of challenges every day, but always a way to overcome them.”

Brandt has found it exhilarating to work for an industry innovator, and he thinks the plant’s rec club has done a tremendous job over the years. “We’ve had a lot of fun,” he says.

Although he’s eligible to retire, Brandt says that won’t be happening in the near future. “ I can’t retire until I’m done, and I’m not done yet,” he explains.

Brandt’s roots in Burk’s Falls are deep — his Swiss great-grandfather settled there in the late 1800s — but Brandt notes that Huntsville is also very important to him.

“I spend a lot of my time in Huntsville,” he says, “mainly because of sports and recreation. And I love paddling in Algonquin Park every year.”

This entire area is great, in his opinion. “By the looks of the four lanes (on Hwy. 11) more people are understanding that, which is good.”

Years ago, on his way to work, Brandt often drove down Hwy. 11 without seeing a single car until he got to Emsdale.

“Now often I have to wait five minutes just to get out onto the highway,” he says. “That’s just one sign that we will prosper.”

Is there someone you’d like to see profiled in this space? Please call Paula at 789-5541 or e-mail pboon@metrolandnorthmedia.com.