George Kenneth Rowat

George Kenneth Rowat. July 21, 1912 — January 23, 2002. , Farmer, bush camp foreman, tugboat operator, retail lumberman, husband and father, fisherman, hunter, town councillor, mayor. George Rowat was part of a generation who started life in an era of great potential and who worked hard to build their community. , Rowat worked first on the family farm, then for Dryden Paper Company as a wood harvester and hauler and later as a camp foreman. In those early years, wood was felled by hand, then hauled from the bush with a horse and sleigh. In 1951, George Rowat, together with Paul Wilson, started New Dryden Lumber Company, a retail lumber yard located on Princess Street. In 1967, Rowat left the business to his eldest sons and began a period of public service, first as a town councillor and then as mayor beginning in 1968, in which position he served for the next ten years. , During this period, much was accomplished, including Rowat's spearheading of the town's purchase of the Hodgkinson farm to create a recreational space. The property that was developed included a public curling rink, golf course, sports fields and a public park on Wabigoon Lake. An act of imagination that foresaw and met the needs of future generations stands as Rowat's most significant public achievement and as a model for community leaders today. , George Rowat married Winnifred M. Findlay in 1937, and they had five children, Malcolm, Charlie, Carolyn, Derek and Russell.