A Tribute to a great builder: Gaëtan Fortin

by Benoït Bleau  (February 2019)

A great man left us on December 25th. A man of faith, courage, perseverance, commitment, devotion and of inspiration. A role model for all those who knew him.

Born here in Hemmingford in 1933, Gaëtan went to school in the village; and since classes only went as high as grade 9, he had to continue his education across the border, at Mooers Central School, where he graduated in 1950. He married Yvette Giroux in 1951, and they shared more than 50 years of love. Four children were born of their union, as well as six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Gaëtan was first known as a construction contractor. In 1960, he went into partnerships with his cousin, Gilles, the son of Léo Fortin. Their company, Régional Construction, specialized in the building of roads and the excavation and drainage of agricultural lands. There were times when they hired up to 200 men in the summer, and 30 to 35 during the winter to clear the snow. In 1975, he acquired a Hughes 300 model B helicopter to facilitate his movements between construction sites. He piloted it until 1987, when he retired to pursue his many passions. We must remember his rescue mission in the early 80’s. During a storm, Gaëtan flew his helicopter into the forest to save a man, whose life was in danger. His courage earned him a medal of bravery; but more than that, the pride and satisfaction of knowing that he had saved a life.

He was also, and above all, known for his role as a firefighter and paramedic. He helped establish the Hemmingford Fire Department in 1958. Before that, containing fires was the responsibility of a municipal councilman, but often it was handled inefficiently. That year, during the fire at the Patenaude Butcher Shop, the firefighters went to get the hose at the station, which they unrolled from the reservoir to the butcher shop. When they arrived at the pump, they realized that they had the wrong end! That’s when they decided to organize themselves. They found an old fire truck belonging to the City of Outremont. It was a 1932 Ford model that was selling for $1,500. Since the municipality had just invested more than a million dollars into the sewer and aqueduct system, there was no more money available; so, 15 firefighters each put up $100 to buy the truck, which they then transferred to the Village for $1. This good old Ford truck, of which he was so proud, remained operational until 1977. Within the Fire Department, Gaëtan was firefighter, engineer, captain, lieutenant, deputy-chief and chief. That’s the epitome of climbing the ladder!

Gaëtan was also a history buff and a collector. From the age of 15, he began collecting pieces with a historical value. Through his work, he often had the opportunity to acquire buildings, like the old town hall in 1963, for $63, of which he preserved the components. His first workshop had been the office of Martin Beattie Fisher, the deputy A Tribute to a great builder: Gaëtan Fortin by Benoït Bleau A great man left us on December 25th. A man of faith, courage, perseverance, commitment, devotion and of inspiration. A role model for all those who knew him. Born here in Hemmingford in 1933, Gaëtan went to school in the village; and since classes only went as high as grade 9, he had to continue his education across the border, at Mooers Central School, where he graduated in 1950. He married Yvette Giroux in 1951, and they shared more than 50 years of love. Four children were born of their union, as well as six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Gaëtan was first known as a construction contractor. In 1960, he went into partnerships with his cousin, Gilles, the son of Léo Fortin. Their company, Régional Construction, specialized in the building of roads and the excavation and drainage of agricultural lands. There were times when they hired up to 200 men in the summer, and 30 to 35 during the winter to clear the snow. In 1975, he acquired a Hughes 300 model B helicopter to facilitate his movements between construction sites. He piloted it until 1987, when he retired to pursue his many passions. We must remember his rescue mission in the early 80’s. During a storm, Gaëtan flew his helicopter into the forest to save a man, whose life was in danger. His courage earned him a medal of bravery; but more than that, the pride and satisfaction of knowing that he had saved a life. He was also, and above all, known for his role as a firefighter and paramedic. He helped establish the Hemmingford Fire Department in 1958. Before that, containing of the Quebec Conservative Party. In order to showcase his findings, he renovated this space to look like the 1930’s, and turned it into the Hemmingford Museum. He gathered items from each business, like the general store, construction companies, the railroad, Fournier & Stewart dairy farm, the school, St-Romain Church, and, of course, old equipment from the Fire Department that had been replaced by new technologies.

One of his last legacies was moving the old Fire Station, which dated back to 1884, to the land adjacent to the current Fire Station, on December 5th, 2010.

There is a lot we could say about Gaëtan, because he was a living encyclopedia and was devoted to transmitting the history of our community. It would be worth your while to listen to him talk about his museum on Youtube. We have put the link on our Facebook page, Info Hemmingford Bulletin Communautaire, so that everyone can discover the treasures that he had preserved. Thank you for your great generosity, Gaëtan. I am sure that you will continue to inspire us from above!