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| Ray Burns - The News |
Stanley Dudka served with distinction in the Second World War. He was wounded and captured in France and later decorated by King George VI. Dudka was also called as a witness in the war crimes trial of Kurt Meyer who was on trial for ordering the execution of Canadian prisoners.
A lifetime of service offered to Canada could be recognized with a lasting legacy for Stanley Dudka.
Dudka, who was born in New Glasgow and lived there and in Stellarton, has been nominated by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to have one of the new mid-shore patrol vessels named after him.
Dudka was a first-generation immigrant - his mother was from Poland and his father from the Ukraine - and his story reads like one of a man who loved his country.
He volunteered for the army in the Second World War and there his story almost ended.
He was wounded twice during the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944, and was captured by the Germans the following day. That wasn't it for Dudka though, he escaped, made his way back to the Allied lines, and then later returned to action.
Dudka was honoured for outstanding conduct in the field of battle with the Military Medal presented by King George VI in March 1945 at Buckingham Palace.
Following the war he returned to Pictou County and a career as a coal miner. He continued his trail of service by becoming a draegerman who worked in mine rescue.
In 1958 he joined the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and, through a career that spanned 30 years, he assumed more and more responsibility in the department, settling disputes, instituting procedures, enforcing regulations and making a name for himself as a professional that cared about his job and the people he worked with and for.
"He entered the public service to better his country. He always took the high road instead of the hard road," his son Steve said. "He looked out for the betterment of his country. His name on the side of a ship would be a worthy legacy. I think he'd be pretty tickled. I don't think he'd believe it at first."
Dudka retired from the department in 1988 and died in Halifax in 2008.
During his time with the DFO he would spend eight to 10 months of the year, in total, at sea, and that's where he felt he did his best work.
"We accomplish more at sea than we ever could on land…getting out on the water among the fishermen where the problems begin. And, even if we do not apprehend violators, we are a deterrent," Dudka said for an article published in the early 1980s.
The Dudka family, Stanley and his wife Alice had 12 children so it's a big family, are hoping that the public will throw their support behind this effort to have their father nominated.
"His story reflects what Canada is all about," said Steve.
Sonya Dudka, a daughter, said she's flattered that some people would want to honour her father this way.
"It's terribly flattering. In jest I've said to people that I know what all those actors say about being nominated. It's an amazing honour that people think that highly of him. It's humbling. He's the type of Canadian we would want to remember. It would be nice to see this through to the end."
Sonya said her father lived his life with "honour and justice" and it would be a fitting tribute for him and the area he came from.
"There's a lot of people who would recognize the name and honour it. Pictou County would celebrate too."
She said that her father earned every accolade that would come his way, through his dedication and through the very fact of the danger he faced as part of his job - but never made a big fuss about.
"Sometimes he'd come home in rough shape."
She remembered one time in particular she came home from university and the windows in her father's fisheries pick-up were smashed.
"He just said 'Yes, there were some difficulties. Some fishermen were upset.'"
In his own words, Dudka downplayed his life and the dangers he faced.
"You adapt yourself to that sort of life - the adventurous kind," he said in an article published in 1983. "As you get older you try to use your experience and wit, but you never back down. Once you've been intimidated, your effectiveness is done. And I'm not a man to be intimidated," he added later in the article.
Another daughter, Kathy Dudka, said her father drew on his courage to do his job, sometimes in the face of danger.
"He had no fear of death, that's what gave him the strength to do his job."
The family is hoping that county residents will let their support be known by sending an email to Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans at: Shea.G@parl.gc.ca or by visiting to the website at: http://www.gailshea.ca.
