Working with Gary for close to 11 years obviously means that at some point we got to know each other. I started working with OCWA in 1990 and he was my mentor and main support during all my time in Longlac. Working in water and sewage brings its own demands of skills and knowledge. Gary's attitude toward work was an asset for him to become a very good operator. He actually wanted people to ask him what he did, he would reply "I'm an operator", the response would be "What kind of an operator?'; his favorite answer was " A Smoooooth Operator" as in a popular 80's song. He never got tired of that.

We developed quite a repertoire of words and quips throughout the years such as:

"Puck-a-pucka" - A 3" trash pump.

A "pikature" - A photograph.

"Billy Joe Bob" - My moniker for Gary.

"Johnny Velu" - His moniker for me.

A "Thawer Outer" - a steamer to thaw out water lines.

A "Freezer Upper" - a cryogenic cuff to freeze water lines so repairs can to be effected.

The "Duck of Sewage" - a parody of the illiterate phrase "the Duck of Death" labeled to Richard Harris by Gene Hackman in the film "Unforgiven" by Clint Eastwood.

When seeing someone sweep a floor, Gary would invariably say "That's how I got my start".

When taping up something with black electrical tape, he would say ""John Carbis showed me that." John was an electrician that did much work in the Northern Area for the MOE's Operation Branch back in the day.

There are much “gallows’ humour" related to our occupation which not everyone may appreciate, but nonetheless came with the job.

Gary was punctual, always arrived early and never left early. Cold, heat, snow, thunderstorm, power outages, process upset, emergency evacuations, sewer back-ups, watermain breaks, frozen services, hauling sludge from sewage plants, lift station overflows, major mechanical issues, aging and changing technology and regulation changes  were experiences and situations I learned to deal with alongside him. He never quit on any situation. He uncomplainingly attacked every problem with the same systematic and patient approach that was resolved usually by ingenious and efficient solutions.

The Friday garbage run, where we would trade family and buddy stories were one of our favorite time. At times discussions became quite cerebral, Gary had a very practical view of all of life's events and surprises. It was difficult to disagree with his view of things since he was well grounded and knowledgeable in his beliefs. We chuckled at the end of our association that it was time to move on because we had been repeating the same stories to each other for quite a while by then.

We had a saying; "What can they do to us now, "Make us run the bagger?"" The bagger episode was a trial for him and I since it was a futile exercise to dispose of sewage sludge generated by the Longlac Sewage Plant. A similar bagger unit had been installed at a smaller plant in the area and worked well since it was appropriately engineered and had proper infrastructure. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the installation we involuntarily were provided with. It became an onerous task that occupied most of our time, taking us away from other important duties and put us in a dangerous working environment with labor intensive tasks. After a certain period, Gary decided to undertake a path that would determine whether this unit was productive or a failure. We designed a method of systematically optimizing the unit to a point that it became obvious that we were spinning our wheels and that better, simpler and effective methods existed to dispose of sludge. His careful administration and documentation was the most instrumental tool that finally convinced the owner and operating authority to admit the "bagger" should move on to a better world as a traveling pilot project. My back thanks Gary for this every day. It was a miserable winter and spring with this execrating machine, thus the phrase at the beginning of this paragraph.

Before the Walkerton tragedy, Gary was following guidelines, not laws, to ensure the safety of water distributed from the Longlac Water Treatment Plant. He meticulously operated and maintained the plant to ensure proper disinfection of the water so no one in Longlac would have to worry about safe drinking water. Walkerton would not have happened on Gary Oja's watch.

A humble, determined and loyal community man will be sorely missed by many. Even though we spoke with each other only sporadically since I left Longlac, it was always with fondness when we did. His family was always foremost in his mind, they will miss him dearly and my heart goes out to them since, when he was around, you felt safe and comforted. He would take charge in any situation and find a solution. You were never left in the lurch when he was present. He did this with compassion and thoughtfulness. Rest well, my friend Gary, your memories live on with us and assuredly you are cherished by Jehovah god, who promises us a glorious future in a place that will not have any of the evil this world sometimes demonstrates.

I’m sorry I won’t be present at the wake and funeral, but my respect and spirit is with you all.

Jean Veilleux