'I like to put the smiles back on people's faces'

As necessity is the mother of invention, Steve Seebach is the local MacGyver who makes it all come together.

Years ago Seebach, who now manages 5th & Tabor Automotive, worked for a company that built hand controls and wheelchair lifts for the disabled.

That changed to a home-based business he loved but then things changed.

"That was until 2007 when I broke my neck on the job and became disabled myself," said Seebach. "As a disabled worker I was not able to do those hand controls and wheelchair lifts any more."

During his rehabilitation for the broken neck, Seebach met Nadine Lindstrom, a local lady who worked for a company called Tetra, a society started in 1987 by Sam Sullivan, former mayor of Vancouver, who became a quadriplegic after a skiing accident. The society recruits volunteer engineers and technicians to create assistive devices for people with specific needs who are not able to find a solution otherwise. Seebach was hooked.

"I build and fix things for seniors and disabled people that can't do it for themselves," said Seebach. "I do this because I like to put the smiles back on people's faces. I like to help them do something they couldn't have done before. I've done all sorts of adaptive apparatus for disabled people."

The last device he created was a fishing rod holder for a man who could no longer hold his rod on his own, explained Seebach.

He started with a tool belt holder and two nylon dog collars and then added a triangle-shaped weed-eater handle for some stability.

"When I gave it to him, he was unbelievably excited," said Seebach, who looks after Lori, his wife of 22 years who had a benign brain tumor the size of a golf ball removed 18 years ago and as a result is now brain injured. "I'm an avid fisherman myself so to be able to see somebody else go out and some tight lines, reeling in fish, it's exciting for me."

Seebach also volunteers for the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) and has done so for the last five years, and spend about 10 weekends each year in practice.

"I love to fly and then I get to communicate with so many different people," said Seebach. "We practice everything in a four-seater Cessna and once a year the big yellow buffalo aircraft comes from Komox and we do a training session in that. This year we did a two-hour stint out over McBride Valley and back and it was just beautiful."

Despite his restrictions when it comes to the aftermath of a broken neck, Seebach feels he can still contribute as part of the air search and rescue team.

"I can sit in an airplane and just be a spotter," said Seebach, who is an avid weekend fisher and hunter and has a huge pond in his backyard for koi that keeps him occupied most days.

"The pond is 14 feet by 19 and five feet deep with a six foot wide waterfall at the top and that's the first thing I see when I step through my backyard gate and that's my backyard hobby," said Seeback. "That is something just for me."

The Citizen's The Volunteer City series will feature local volunteers each week who have previously received little or no public recognition for their efforts. If you know someone who fits that description, send me a note at [email protected] or give me a call at The Citizen (250-562-2441).

Flip through The Citizen's Volunteer City series, featuring stand-out volunteers in Prince George: