ROBERT GOLINOSKI

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ROBERT GOLINOSKI In February of 2019, Manitoba lost a true-born son when Robert Golinoski passed from this world and on to whatever adventure waits beyond. He came by his love of the prairies honestly, being born at home in Plainview, SK. From the beginning, Robert was a dreamer and somewhat of a puzzle to his practical-minded parents. Although their son had an encyclopedic memory, it tended to be focused on many unusual things. A trip to fetch wood might result in his straying in hours later, minus the wood, but with a tally on the latest chicken hatch, or which plant he'd discovered near the woodshed. Robert was an avid learner with a keen desire for accuracy, a fact quickly noticed by his 19-year-old teacher at the one-room country school. As a 12-year-old he was known to carry selected volumes of the family's encyclopedia set three miles to school just to prove his point. Only Robert knows whether he achieved success in this endeavour. This kind of attention to detail carried over to his adult life. His ability to recall fascinating snippets of Manitoba history - and that of some of its more interesting residents - provided hours of entertainment. One of his favourite stories was about the Criddle family. Many friends and acquaintances were taken for a day-long car ride to see the historic farm and learn about this interesting pioneer family. One of Robert's strengths was in mentoring people and it suited him well in his career as director of a provincial government student assistance program. He was highly respected by both staff and clients and experienced great fulfillment, knowing he made a difference in others' lives. This desire to help people led to the formation of an acquired family, whom he guided with patience and wisdom. His goal was to help them live fulfilling lives, something he nurtured until his passing. Robert formed many close friendships over the course of his life. He had many adventures with his good friend, Andy. Andy was a practical-minded man, who sometimes provided a foil to Robert's vivid imagination. On one driving trip, they stopped for lunch. Conversation around the table turned to loons. Not crazy people, or the coin, but the bird and how beautiful their song was when you heard it echoing across the lake. Andy, a man of few words, listened to the others fantasizing about the loon's many virtues and he piped up with "Good eating bird, loon." Which effectively silenced the table. Robert recounted the story for years. It was just that kind of story. Robert pursued his interests with a passion. His love of horticulture started early in life. At age nine, he visited Aunt Rhodie in Saskatchewan. She had recently received peonies from the Indian Head Horticultural Research Station. He had never seen such a magnificent flower and he just had to pick one. This attack on a peony bush in its prime wasn't appreciated by the adult gardeners. His punishment was to watch his little sister have her picture taken with his prize possession. It couldn't have scarred him too badly - peonies remained an attraction for him for the rest of his life. He had a great eye for the structure and function inherent in landscape design and particularly loved to sculpt with plants. Some of his gardens can still be seen in Tuxedo and St. Vital. It wasn't unusual for his friends to arrive home and find a gift of an interesting plant - along with advice on where best to plant it. He helped the Friends of the Conservatory for many years, propagating plants for the annual sale and sat on the board of the Prairie Gardener. Many people will remember his fondness for Lisianthus, a beautiful flower that was tricky to grow but well worth the effort. At the annual spring sale, he could be found walking among the purchasers, expounding on the assets of this plant, while only permitting those that really appreciated them to buy one. Another interest of Robert's was a little more unusual - he admired chickens. His attraction to this humble bird - he'd argue that they were not as humble as you'd assume - began at the age of three. He spent a great deal of time with them and often carted one around under an arm. One day he came to his mother and told her a chicken was missing from the barnyard. He was too young to count, so how did he know? He even described the bird in detail. Apparently he was gifted with the ability to tell one bird from another. As Robert would say "But what can one do with that?" Where most people saw a scruffy bird digging in the dirt, he saw the iridescent gleam and graceful fall of feathers, disguising the fierce heart of - well, a dinosaur. Robert saw the velociraptor within the bird decades before scientists confirmed it. Many years later, his love for poultry lead to a friendship with a local farm owner and ownership of a killer rooster. Named The Great Ooter, this magnificent black beast spent a great deal of time trying to attack people - and sometimes succeeding. Many will remember Robert's tremendous love for and knowledge of Manitoba. The Carberry Sand Hills, the Roselle Valley with its beautiful little ford over the river, Leary's Brick Factory and Negrycz farm were all favourite stops on the tour. He taught many that Manitoba is a beautiful place to live. It will be impossible to travel the back roads and not recall his stories. Whether it was relating to his life's adventure, commenting on art, talking about the latest book he read, or discussing politics, Robert always used wit and insight to generate conversation. His life centered around friends and family and he continued a keen interest in reading the latest books and keeping current about the political scene until his death. Robert touched the lives of many, during his 78 years. He'll be working on acquiring an entirely new set of facts, now. We'll look forward to the details.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 30, 2019