So many of us have been fortunate to hear colourful accounts of Andre’s time in the northern
Manitoba forests, with his trap lines and his knowledge of the denizens of the woods. We have
heard of his exploits as a stuntman. We have listened as he related epic accounts of bicycle
rides through the mountains, along the coasts, across the Moab, and both up and doing down
frightening slopes. The narratives and photos from his hikes through terrain such as Waterton
have been delightful. We know of and have witnessed the art he has created in his pursuits of
perfection in the field of photography, indoors and out.
But I have also learned of a trait that may be lesser known — Andre’s skill in foreseeing the
future.
For many years, Andre diligently managed the IT networks for an organization I had the
privilege of leading. Throughout, we enjoyed lengthy conversations about myriad subjects, and
in particular the developments in the IT sector, of which I was otherwise largely ignorant. In the
summer of 1999 or so, we were discussing budget needs for the coming couple of years. I was
whining about the demands the Office software developers were placing on our hardware. With
each issue or update of the Office programs, more and more processing and memory capacities
required ongoing updates of our hardware. Andre told me that the cycle was coming to a quick
end, that the concerns would no longer be about capacity but about security. This was many
months before I heard or read anyone else in the industry concerned with network security. He
engaged in the necessary research and had us well prepared to withstand the onslaughts that
followed. A prophet!
Neil Tidsbury
