Celebrating Garry Gurke and his Work to Preserve Nueltin for Future Generations!

Ask Garry Gurke how old he is and a typical reply you’ll get is “older than dirt” followed by a sly smile. Ask anyone who works with him and they’ll say he’s young. In speaking with him it is apparent that the guy has seen and done a lot of things. At the ripe old age of 57 he’s just getting started.

Garry grew up appreciating the wilderness and enjoying outdoor adventures. While growing up in the Province of Manitoba he inherited his love of fishing from his father. The Province to this day enjoys huge land mass and an abundance of waterways.

When Garry grew up he shared his love for the wilderness with his young family. But being close to the land the saw another side of the wilderness he enjoyed so much. He watched as some of his favorite fishing and hunting spots began to lose that isolated feeling. It was getting harder and harder to harvest game and fish. What was once a way of providing for the family became a pass-time. Garry and Lois bought a small country hotel. The hospitality business seemed to be the perfect fit for the young couple and their genuine personalities.

The weekend adventures he took the family on continued to shape the way he looked at the world. He began to think of ways he could share the wilderness with more people and make conservation his life’s work – hopefully making a little money along the way.

Garry found Nueltin in 1982 and waited 5 years for the place to come up for sale. It was an operating camp when he got the place – but it needed some work. Garrys tells the story about early June 1987 – when his wife Lois first came to Nueltin. A DC-3 landed on the lake on skies and when they stepped out of the plane into waist deep snow she asked “What have you gotten us into now!” That first year the family spent at Nueltin they had 14 guests!

Through the 1990’s, 2000’s and to this day Garry spends every summer – and often a good part of the winter at Nueltin Lake developing or improving facilities for his clients. The companies’ clientele base has continued to grow from those first 14 and now Nueltin attracts people from all walks of life and all over the world.

Garry has always invested more than his time in the operation. Re-investing profits on continual improvements to the facilities, equipment, aircraft and of course the air strip. The amount of money put into the operation over the years is astronomical.

In 1989 he started moving equipment into the lodge overland in winter. Consequently the Gurke family finds the popular TV programs about the north amusing. Most of the events on the programs are routine – or even a little boring to a family that has spent their lives like the Swiss Family Robinson – minus the palm trees and plus a good deal of harsh conditions and hard work.

The runway was key. The cost of using float planes – and the clientele’s need for convenience made development of the strip a necessity. That strip has seen many generations of aircraft from the DC-3’s and C-46’s of yesteryear up through Hawker Sidley’s, convairs and more modern planes like the ATR-42.

The stories about how this lodge have come together are numerous and very entertaining. Back before Satellite Communications XBS radios where used to conduct business. It was sometimes very interesting when the freight plane arrived with groceries – you never knew what you’d get! When Sat phones did come in Nueltin was among 3 customers in Manitoba – the others being remote communities. The dish was huge and cost a tremendous amount. When the communications company pulled the service off line sometime in the 80’s Garry bought a Cessna 172 so he could fly out every couple days just top make phone calls!

In more recent years Garry has focused much of his energy on other projects along with Nueltin. He has been involved in numerous youth angling initiatives, built a small air service and bulk fuel company that has serviced the north out of Lynn Lake, MB.
In 2010 Garry was honored with the Spirit of the Earth Award for his work with youth. He considers his 20+ year struggle to have Nueltin turned into a park among his proudest moments. He continues to fight for more protected areas while also advancing social and economic activities in the remote parts of Manitoba and Nunavut. To him it’s all about balance.

Garry’s home base is Alonsa Manitoba where he and his wife reside. His 2 kids live close by. Dana works in education and his son Shawn has worked with Garry at Nueltin his entire life. Both kids have raised families of their own and Grandpa is making sure the grandkids grow up with an understanding and appreciation for the wilderness and those who call it home. The Gurke family are proud of their heritage and have traced their roots back to fur trade area explorers who had a hand in building Canada as a nation.

If so inclined Garry would love you to pick up the phone and give him a call. If you are lucky enough to book a date at one of his lodges and after you get your arms ripped off by huge fish - take some time to share a glass of whiskey with him. He’s an expert in hospitality, has lots of personality and more than a few stories to tell.