I must start this column with some sad news. I learned this morning that the Canadian Ground Water Association has ceased operations. This is a sad and bad deal for drillers everywhere. I have been privileged to attend their conventions known as CanWell, which I believe are held every other year. Those I attended were in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Toronto. I was always warmly greeted by drillers in Canada and found these events to be very interesting. The CanWell held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1996 held the best drilling demonstration I have ever witnessed. The CGWA had just about every type of drill rig that you could imagine operating in a provincial park. This included some unusual types, like direct push and dual rotary. I thoroughly enjoyed that convention, especially the drill rig demonstration. Incidentally, they had bulldozed away about three feet of snow, and this was after we had started mowing lawn in Michigan. Winter lasts a long time in Manitoba, I guess. Let’s hope our Canadian friends can get reorganized and hold some more CanWells.
Those of you who have read my columns over the years know that my father was a pump man who got into well drilling also. In previous columns, I have indicated that in the old days—that is before World War II—well drillers around here drilled wells and plumbers, farm implement dealers and handymen installed pumps. He was in the later category, originally having been a farm boy who was recruited to go to work at a dealership that sold Allis Chalmers and, later, Oliver too, both brands that no longer exist—although I think you can still get parts through the AGCO dealers. He was an excellent mechanic, so the transition from tractors and other farm equipment to pumps and milking machines was an easy one.