Former fisherman discovers talent for turning discarded metal into delightful animals

Adam finds out how a former commercial fisherman started turning discarded propane tanks into creative animals.

NORTH SAANICH, B.C. — Gary Wagner never imagined he’d end up trying to turn a propane tank into a pig, when he quit school at 14 to become a commercial fisherman.

“As long as I’m on the water, I’m happy,” Gary smiles.

Gary worked on the east coast for a while, before he fell in love with Pam.

“We had a good time together,” she smiles.

But then Gary went look for work out west.

“We kissed each other,” Gary says. “And off I went.”

It didn’t take long for Gary to get hired on a halibut boat, or for Pam to just show up on the dock one day.

“I didn’t even know she was coming,” Gary recalls with a laugh. “I loved it.”

So they got married, started a family, and Gary supported them at sea for almost 50 years, until he was diagnosed with cancer.

“It was not good,” says Gary, who had to get major surgery on half his face. “It was a sort of a shock.”

He was also forced to retire earlier than he hoped.

“I got tired of sitting around feeling sorry for myself,” Gary says.

So, he decided to turn his bad situation into something good for others, and Gary started volunteering his time help others in whatever way he could.

“(My kids say) if dad can’t fix it, it can’t be fixed,” Gary says with a laugh.

Then his wife Pam wondered if something could be done about a bunch of old golf clubs that weren’t accepted at the charity thrift store and were destined for the dump.

No one would have imagined that Gary would deconstruct them and rebuild their components into quirky bird statues.

“I’ve never done anything like that in my life,” Gary says.

It was so satisfying to be so crafty, Gary started turning all sorts of unwanted things into all sorts of wonderful creatures, which he completes by painting them with bright colours.

“I don’t think about it,” Gary says. “I just do it.”

After he began turning discarded golf balls into eyeballs for lady bugs, leftover aluminum siding into wings for bumble bees, and outdated propane tanks into pink pigs you could put plants in, Gary was surprised that strangers started asking to buy them.

“I built it,” Gary laughs. “And somebody likes it besides me!”

But Gary being Gary, he decided to sell his creations at cost and make no money.

“I just do it for the joy of doing it,” Gary smiles.

Like he once worked tirelessly to fish food, Gary’s now working creatively to spread joy.

“And that’s what life’s all about,” Pam smiles. “Sharing happiness.”