Olli, an early retiree as an engineer from Shell Oil Company, and Lynda, a former accountant, believe that retirement should be fun. The couple makes their home base in a townhouse in Chilliwack, British Columbia. Although their adventures led them to full-time RV in Europe for five years, when they visited Lynda’s cousin in North Dakota in 2000, the couple discovered an enjoyable retirement endeavor at the International Peace Gardens. Established in 1932 to commemorate the long-standing friendship between Canada and the United States, the Peace Garden is situated on the international boundary line near the geographical center of the North American continent and bordered by the Manitoba Forest Reserve on the north and sweeping prairies of North Dakota on the south. Lynda and Olli were captivated by the formal plantings of shrubs, flowers, and trees and the natural surroundings with trails and picnic shelters. In the gift shop window, Olli noticed a sign advertising for the services of a camp host for the following year at the Peace Garden’s campground.

Upon inquiry, Olli and Lynda determined that spending a season stretching from Mother’s Day through mid-September in the inspirational surroundings of the Peace Garden would be a relaxing destination. Olli’s wide grin and good-natured joking proved to be a welcome icebreaker for campers choosing to spend a few days exploring the area.

In addition to welcoming guests, Olli elected to pick up garbage and clean the washrooms. He offers firewood to campers, and often jokes to older gentlemen that the wood comes with the campsite for those on their honeymoon. On occasion, a camper comes back with the fact that he’s been married for over 50 years.

“But it helps to get us acquainted,” Olli states with his characteristic grin and a bit of mischief in his eyes.

In exchange for hosting, Lynda and Olli receive a free campsite with hookups and Olli is reimbursed for his truck’s diesel when he uses it on campground business. Immediately upon reporting for their first season of hosting, Olli developed rapport with the Peace Garden’s superintendent, John McQueen.

Regarding their friendship, Lynda states, “This is John’s park, but the campground is Olli’s sandbox! He works hard to accommodate everyone, even squeezing four units into one site when large groups come into the campground.

“Olli is a ham radio operator and other ham operators have spread the word about his friendliness,” she goes on. “Sometimes we get cards addressed to ‘Olli and Lena.’

She explains that during their first seasons as hosts, they had no sewer hookup. “Olli never let up on John McQueen that we were having to move our fifth-wheel every few days to the dump station,” she continues. “When we arrived in 2004, workmen were finishing up a sewer connection for the host site, the only one in the campground.”

One day early in their volunteerism, the gift shop manager knocked on Lynda’s door and asked if she could help out in the absence of one of their clerks. Since that time, she has worked for wages 40 hours every two weeks in the shop that stocks tee shirts, postcards, gifts, and souvenirs.

“I enjoy meeting the people who attend the International Music Camp, the Masonic Auditorium, the Peace Chapel, the Legion Athletic Camp, or the Annual International Festival for Peace,” she says. “It has to be fun or I wouldn’t do it in my retirement. And the extra money pays for diesel fuel in our truck.”

Lynda points out that many visitors spend only a day at the Peace Garden, touring the formal gardens or taking one of the self-guided walking or driving tours into areas primarily maintained in a natural state. “The gardens and picnic shelters are also popular for weddings, family reunions, and corporate meetings,” she continues. “Some visitors spend time in the Interpretive Center and the Peace Chapel. On Sundays, the Pavilion overlooking Lake Storman hosts a Sunday buffet. The people coming into the gift shop from both the United States and Canada, as well as other countries, bring a mix of cultures and personalities.”

John McQueen states that the Peace Garden has approximately 40 seasonal positions. To the visitor, the Garden is filled with color flowers, groomed beds of lush shrubbery, and green grass. John McQueen says that to the workers, the Garden is a place of long grass, broken water pipes, and seedlings ready to plant.

“We have positions, ranging from jobs in the nursery and greenhouse to actually planting the formal bed, weeding and watering,” he says. “It’s hard work. We also have some positions in maintenance, which includes mowing in our busiest season of May and June.

“We charge for chairs used for weddings, so someone has to set them out,” he continues. “We use four people at the gate, offering day passes and tours. And people like Lynda are hired as clerks in the gift shop. Individuals are paid in either American or Canadian dollars, depending on their residence.”

McQueen admits that accommodations for Workampers are limited. But with people like Olli and Lynda Karhukangas proving that Workampers bring friendliness and dependability to the facility, the development of additional sites for employees is a possibility.

For those interested in applying for either volunteer or paid positions at the International Peace Garden, contact executive director, John McQueen at the Canadian office: Box 419, Boissevain, MB ROK OEO, or in the United States, RR1, Box 116, Dunseith, ND 58329. Phone: 1-888-432-6733. Web site: www.peacegarden.com