Robert M. Drake

My dad is my hero because he is an easygoing person and an all around guy. Even if I don't tell him that he is my hero, he still is. My dad loves to garden, he works in the garden all summer long. My dad does not grow vegetables like a lot of other people, he loves flowers. He grows native plants and shares his plants with other people. He believes that we should be growing our native flowers, plants and trees all over Canada so that they will not become extinct. My dad reads garden books all winter long. He studies the plants and flowers and then decides what he will be putting in the garden in the summer.

My father is a great reader and he loves books. He has a huge library in a larger room in the front of the house. Dad buys great books for all of the family. I have never gotten a book from my dad that I didn't like. Ever since I was a baby my Dad has been surprising us all with wonderful books.

I guess you could say that my dad is a classical kind of guy. He also loves music of all kinds - maybe a bit more of the classical music, but that's ok with me because he has taught us all to appreciate all different kinds of music as a family.

Acting is also one of my dad's favourite things to do. He was in a lot of plays before I was born and my mother says that he was really good. My dad acts funny every day. He is always making jokes and he makes other people laugh. I guess the best thing I like is to watch him garden, and I have learned a lot from what he does. My dad likes to have a very, very nice yard with a lot of plants and flowers. We have the most beautiful garden on our street.

My dad was born in London, England. He moved a lot when he was young. He lived in Scotland for a long time where he went to private schools since he was in his first grade. My dad lived at school and came home on weekends and holidays. Being from England, my dad has a very dry sense of humour. He is quite funny in an English kind of way. Everyone likes my father. My father was born during the war in 1937. He remembers the planes going over England, the bombs dropping, and sleeping under a metal table with his two brothers. My father went to medical school and became a doctor and immigrated to Canada to practice medicine. Being a coroner is one of my father's other jobs. He enjoys being a coroner and investigating the deaths of all his cases.

My father is 68 years old. He and my mom have seven children. I have four brothers and two sisters. He loves to take us up north to a lodge and to camp. Dad thinks family time is very important and has taught me the value of having a close family. Dad loves steam trains and has taken us on train rides whenever there is an opportunity. Dad likes to try anything whether it be food, kayaking, visiting different countries or meeting all kinds of people. Just last week I went to a Gala in Windsor where my Father was honoured for his work in helping others with schizophrenia in our community. I was very proud to see him receive this award, and was very proud that he is my dad and my hero.