Vernon resident John Remple is in the business of birdhouse building.
Over the past five years, Remple has built around 4,400 birdhouses for classrooms in Vernon and in Grand Prairie, where he lived previously.
He started the projects because his neighbour in Grande Prairie had twin boys, so he made birdhouses for their classroom show-and-tell. The teacher of the twins later called Remple and asked if he could build 30 more for the class.
“It became a fun thing to do and a hobby,” he said.
The 79-year-old keeps his hands busy with the carpentry projects since he retired.
Watching the kids colour the birdhouses is his favourite part.
“I like to watch the excitement of the kids,” he said. “The different colours and different ideas the children have (are amazing).”
He especially likes the colouring contests put on by classrooms.
“Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, where teachers get the whole class involved,” Remple said.
He gets to watch the children be creative and design different styles and paints.
“The paint usually ends up more on the kids than the birdhouses,” he said with a chuckle.
While living in Grande Prairie, Remple’s friend provided the material. A simple two-by-four inch board can make three houses, Remple said, adding that he can build up to 50 birdhouses a week.
He’s never been involved with carpentry before, but is now building houses among other projects.
“I haven’t cut my fingers off yet,” he said.
Last week, 30 birdhouses were donated to Sorrento elementary in Sorrento, B.C. and about 100 have been donated to schools in the Vernon area such as the Vernon Christian School.
“He’s a pretty special person,” neighbour Lynda Doyle said. “It’s nice for him to be recognized.”
The walls of Remple’s basement are lined with thank-you posters from schools in Grande Prairie and he plans to have a dedicated wall for the classrooms of Vernon.
“When I watch the kids do this, it makes my heart bubble,” he said.
The only downside is that he gets a lot of slivers.