Stuart Kolbinson, 1919 - 2000

text, Valla Eiriksson  Nov. 2000 

Stuart was a remarkable man, always studying. He was a master storyteller, craftsman, historian, philosopher, musician, linguist, pipe-organ builder, farmer, Pipe Major, businessman, and a collector of anything that had been made by hand and was part of a tradition. He believed that to really understand something, one had to become an expert, learning the origins, the psychology, and all the fine details of its history. He applied this philosophy to every aspect of his life. The unusual facet to this, is that Stuart always shared what he had learned with others, bringing people into his projects and dreams as co-creators.

By 1954, Stuart had new pipes, and had been recruited to start a Pipe Band for the "D" company, S.L.I. He had friends who were willing to join the band, and he shared with them what he was learning. Their regalia was the beautiful Highland Full Dress. When all had passed the required examinations, Stuart became Pipe Major of the 2nd North Saskatchewan Regiment Pipe Band. They debuted in Kindersley on November 11, 1955, Remembrance Day. The pipe band with Stuart as Pipe Major existed until 1970. After that time, the band played without a Pipe Major. They opened many community events, welcomed political leaders, played for weddings and funerals, and always led the procession to the Cenotaph. One of his former students and a band member, Cmdr. Lynn Moffat, now a Pipe Major and Commanding Officer in his own right, says that Stuart was one of the best pipers in Canada.

1955 was a momentous year. That summer, the band was in Winnipeg during the summer months for the Army Band School. One evening, Stuart wandered into Grace Church, where as an apprentice with Franklin Legge many years earlier, he had first seen the organ. He asked the caretaker if he could play the instrument. The caretaker replied in the affirmative, and asked Stuart if he wanted to buy it! The great church was soon to be demolished, and the organ with it. Stuart always credited his wife, Mary, for the fortuitous turn of events that helped him realize his fondest dreams.

He dismantled the pipe organ, and it was shipped by boxcar to the farm at Kindersley. The great windchests, thousands of pipes and console rested in the hayloft of the barn until 1960, when the addition to the farmhouse was complete. The room was designed to have the best acoustics. For years, people from all over North America journeyed to see a cathedral-sized organ on a Prairie farm.

During this time, Stuart was elected to chair the Kindersley and District School Unit Board; he chaired the Board for ten years, until 1969. During his tenure, several new schools were built, including the largest high school in that part of the province. He changed the way the Board operated, making the committees autonomous and with the power to make decisions. Chairing the School Unit Board also meant traveling. along with Board information, Stuart collected even more stories of the land and the people. From the Indians and the settlers to their descendants, to Stuart, each human being held a precious part of history. Stuart was a gatherer and a keeper of memories.

Stuart loved the sound of bells; if an old church or schoolhouse was to be torn down, he negotiated to buy the bell. We can put names to several of the school bells in his collection: Alsask, Loverna, Empress, Rosana. And the bell from the old Roman Catholic Church in Kindersley. There are others, whose provenance is now lost.

During the 1960's, Stuart bought and restored a 1907 Case steam engine, and then a thresher to accompany it. He had gone harvesting with his father and his uncles in the old days, and these gigantic iron monsters fascinated him. Like his father, Stuart carried a deep respect for tradition, and he strove to keep old craftsmanship and handiwork alive. He wrote and received his 3rd Class Steam Engineer's ticket, so that he could take her "on parade!" Many Kindersley and District neighbours, relatives and friends shared in the labour and excitement, the day the 1907 Case was brought back to life!

There always comes a point when one feels ready for a change. In 1971 Stuart moved his family to Victoria, leaving the farm and the bitter Saskatchewan winters behind.

The Music Room was built as an addition to the Victoria house. Once again, the great organ was dismantled and shipped, to be restored, rebuilt, and renovated. In a 1993 CBC interview, Stuart remarked "the hands that built this instrument are gone, but the organ will still play long after you and I are dead."

Since 1970, Stuart had commuted weekly to Vancouver, where he was a property manager for a Robson Street hotel. He retired in 1975, to devote himself to his family and his beloved pipe organ. Here, too, the visitors came from all over the continent to see and hear his life work. He began to write in earnest, and produced plays, short stories, and finally, his memoirs. He made two trips to Iceland, to further his knowledge of his ancestry. He traveled through Europe and Russia, England, and then a trip to France to see the great cathedrals and the pipe organs they contained. He played the Sortie at a High Mass in the cathedral of St. Sulpice.

Stuart was a kind man, with a ready smile and twinkling blue eyes. He made friends everywhere. He could converse easily with anyone; that was how he learned and collected his stories. He was in turns, a bard and a renaissance man. He had a phenomenal memory, a gentle wisdom, an easy laugh, and he cared genuinely for all people. True as he was to Icelandic tradition, his work and his memory will live forever.

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Here is a list of questions that he wrote down for his physician:

1. If my eye problem is due to age-related degeneration, how is it that it manifests itself so suddenly? I was checking the electro-pneumatic motors in one of the pedal-offset chests in my pipe organ when a motor came loose and struck me a light blow on my forehead above my eye. Immediately afterwards I noticed I could not focus my vision and had to abandon the project.

2. Especially after waking, I feel as if a piece of chaff was under my eyelid and seems to move from side to side.

3. Although happy that my problem is not of the "wet" variety and I don't need laser treatment, is there any advice which might reduce the likelihood of further damage, especially to the other eye?

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In October 2000, the cancer that had started in his esophagus had migrated to his lungs. He died at 3:20 am, in the early hours of November 29th, with three of his daughters keeping vigil. The next day, as his body was being taken out of the house, the grandchildren rang all the bells; the school bells and church bells that Stuart collected and loved.