CH is a non-profit service organization that serves individuals who experience disabilities across Ontario, Saskatchewan, and around the world. They have over 3,500 employees with a budget of multiple millions as the largest service organization in this sector in Ontario.

“He is doing a significant job there at CH. When he starts talking about the complexity of the tech system they have put together, he just rolls!”

Yet there had to be a pretty compelling reason for a guy who doesn’t enjoy the limelight to share his story—a tale he thought insignificant compared to other alumni whose career achievements appeared to far surpass his own. 

“Pump the brakes! I am not a PhD, I am not a doctor, I’m at best a network grunt. I did one thing really well but I’m not in the same ball park as them. I was not, by any stretch of the imagination, an academic juggernaut when I was at NCC.”

Dave Petkau, a friend and colleague, gave Bert a brotherly nudge, reminding him that many people could relate to his story. It would encourage students who are faced with similar challenges and would also give their parents hope — especially when certain conditions are not favorable to their success. That was all it took.

Following a tour of the impressive facilities at Christian Horizons (pre-pandemic), I sat down with Bert and Clare to learn more about this IT expert.

FACE OFF
As a child, Bert was confronted with a condition which often shoots children off on a downward spiral. He described himself as a very hyperactive, inattentive, and impulsive child. At that time, the lack of awareness about this disorder had a significant impact on how others perceived him and how he perceived himself. 

“Today we know that as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. A child psychologist perfectly described the inattentiveness, the impulsivity, fidgety, hyperness. He used all those words but not once did he call it Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The recommendations that he made - he was half right. The other recommendations… more discipline instead of meeting me where I was. I don’t hold a grudge…I think it was just his understanding of the times. It just wasn’t well-defined back then. The understanding of the brain is much better now.”

Dr. Heather MacKenzie, a friend of and consultant to NCC’s education resource team, provided further insight into this disorder:

“Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) results mainly from a different way in which the brain is wired. Some areas of the ADHD brain have fewer connections, principally to the frontal lobes, where executive functions are centered. Executive functions are involved in controlling and organizing behavior and thoughts, thinking flexibly, and remembering.

“In ADHD, sustaining attention, except for things of special interest, is challenging. Controlling impulses is also difficult. 

“Dr. Teeya Scholten, an ADHD expert in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, describes people with ADHD as having busy bodies, busy brains or both. 

“ADHD is fairly common. Around 10% of children have ADHD. It tends to persist in about four per cent of adults. About 14% of children with ADHD also have autism. 

“During the 70’s and 80’s, students with busy body type (hyperactive) ADHD were referred to as ‘naughty’ and ‘problem children’. They were often sent to the principal’s office for ‘a chat’ or disciplined in some way. Frequently, parents were viewed negatively also – ‘they just don’t know how to discipline.’ If the child had a busy brain (inattentive) type ADHD, they were often told they weren’t achieving to their potential. These students frequently experience anxiety.”

Understandably, Bert didn’t perform well academically during his formative years. His parents - Bert and Anne - searched for solutions. They enrolled him in a private school near their home in Orillia where Bert did much better overall. That worked well until the transition to secondary school. There were no private high schools in the area and Bert’s parents wondered if NCC might be the best option for their son, even though the school was 260 kilometers away.

“I remember coming for the Open House. I was a little nervous going away from home to what was explained to me as a very conservative school, but that Open House helped a lot. I remember walking to the boys’ dorm. There was about seven boys doing a work detention. They had to rake leaves for the whole week.” 

Mr. Danton, the Residence Dean, explained that the boys had pulled an April Fool’s joke and barricaded Danton inside his dorm apartment for most of the day. Bert enjoyed watching as the pranksters served their penalty, and his decision to attend NCC was sealed.

“I remember seeing that and thinking, ‘Okay, I’m going to get in trouble, and I’m going to have fun.’ That’s how I ended up at NCC.”

Bert lived on campus for five years. The NCC community became his surrogate family. Coping with the challenges of ADHD in NCC’s rigorous academic program was difficult and Bert felt that his scholastic abilities were sub-standard. He credits teachers, fellow students, staff, and coaches for encouraging him to believe otherwise.

“Sharon Whissell treated you like you were an A student, whether or not you were an A or a D. She showed me not how to write, but how to construct a research paper. It was amazing. Today I still use her techniques when I have to write reports.

“Mr. Legge and Mr. de Waard both taught World Issues—everything from world hunger and famine to economics. That course definitely shaped decision-making as an adult - where you donate money, how you vote politically, social welfare programs, and that kind of thing to help people get on their feet.”

HOCKEY
Marc de Waard also mentored Bert much like an older brother would, both in the classroom and on the ice.

“At NCC, you’re in the middle of nowhere. It was very sheltered. I didn’t have the pressure for drinking or partying. The cool thing was to play sports. That for me, and where I was at that time, was excellent. Mr. Devereux put a hockey rink in behind the old snack bar. On weekends and at nights for three months I was out there. That was amazing.”

Banter from the Press Box

BERT: “I remember in grade 10, you cut me from the hockey team.”

CLARE: “Did I really? Why would I have done that?!”

BERT: “Because I wasn’t one of the top 15 skaters, but you let me come to practices… when someone was sick or wasn’t going to be there. I was also out on that outdoor rink behind the snack bar every chance I had. I probably had as much ice time or more as the guys on the team. It wasn’t getting flooded consistently. There was sand and deep ruts. The ice was horrible and rippled. I still went out there. Because the ice was so bad, my skating improved.

“After Christmas, I joined the team for a tournament in Sarnia. I only got a shift or two per game, but I was good with it. I was on the team. On one shift I remember being with Dean and Kent Warkentin. I got an assist on one of Kent’s goals. That moment was huge for me.

“The season continued and the invitations to practices were sporadic, but I kept going to the outdoor rink.

“Then John Campbell broke his collarbone. You needed a new 15th skater so ‘Bert, can you help us out?’ This was one of the best memories of high school for me. Grade 10 — you put me on with Derek Fretz and Troy Sider at centre.”

CLARE: “Wow, great hockey players.”

Then came the year end hockey tournament...

BERT: “I was finally on the hockey team - grade 10. I ended up getting three goals in that tournament - two in one game and one in the next game! My skating was much improved. The adrenalin, wanting to do well, hitting everything, getting loose pucks. I ended up with five assists. Kent had more goals than me - but I had more points than him. I still have no idea of how that happened. Kent was in grade 13. He was the man on campus, and it was just one of those moments. Wow, I did that! It was another huge moment for me. I’m sure Troy and Derek were a big part of my success that day!

“The bus went back to the school loaded up with students. Christie Gooderham - a grade 13 student - saw me. Her eyes lit up. ‘Bert, congratulations on your two goals!’” To which Bert replied, “I got three.”

BERT: “For a kid in grade 10 who got cut from the team, and was called up, and then being recognized by peers - that was the best day ever! This is what you’re capable of now.”

CLARE: “For her to say that to a grade 10 young guy… ”

BERT: “In grade 11, I made the team but you and Mr. de Waard asked me to move from forward to defense. I wasn’t happy about this. This was going to be the season I was really going to light up the lamp. I protested but you kept coming back at me with ‘what’s best for the team.’ I reluctantly went to defense. My effort fell off due to the disappointment and difficulty of learning the new position. Consequently my effectiveness suffered. I
was giving up on plays.”

“Marc de Waard would talk to me. ‘Don’t give up on the play. Try and get back in there. They might lose the puck and you might be able to get it back! Don’t give up. Just keep working at it.’ And Mr. Devereux taught me angling, body position, poke checks, and more on that outdoor rink. With their encouragement and advice, my play improved—I learned a new position. While I didn’t get the goals I had anticipated, I did learn to play shutdown defense, and took pride at keeping opponents off the score sheet. The life lessons I learned those two seasons stick with me to this day.”

CLARE: “And I do apologize for cutting you from the team!”

BERT: “I don’t know who you would’ve cut instead of me. That’s sports - you learn from your successes, you learn from your failures, and if you have the right people to mentor you and walk you through those experiences—that’s the difference.

“If I had gone to a bigger school, I wouldn’t have made the teams. I was too uncoordinated, too gangly, and at that time didn’t have the competitive fortitude - but I learned it there.”

THE FLYING DUTCHMEN
Bert shared his passion for hockey with his brothers Derek and Jason.

“The plan was when I was in grade 13, Derek would be in 11, and Jason would be in 9. We’d all play hockey together. Jason was the best athlete. He would be centre man, Derek and I would play wing. That was the dream. We’d even go so far as calling ourselves The Flying Dutchmen—our line name.” 

The brother’s dream came to a standstill during Bert’s grade 12 year.

“Jason’s behavior was changing where he was very much like I am. He started getting very pensive and reserved. In the spring of ’86, doctors discovered a germinoma tumor.”

Jason underwent intensive treatment to battle cancer. He was well enough to return to school the following year, but had to finish grade 8 where he had left off. That meant he didn’t attend NCC until after Bert graduated. The Flying Dutchmen never left the bench.

Bert joined his family in supporting Jason throughout the treatments, while continuing to persevere academically. He slugged it out during his final year at NCC in grade 13.

“The friends I had at NCC like Dean Warkentin, Dan Keefer, Darrell Brooker, Vince Wallman, they were consistently on the Dean’s list. They knew how to pound it out academically. I was not that student. I saw their work ethic but at that time, I didn’t have it in me. They were all applying to go to university and I didn’t think I could go. Mind you, I had Marc de Waard, Marv Klassen, and Sharon Whissell saying ‘You have it in you to do university.’ I just didn’t believe them.”

COLLEGE
After graduating from NCC Bert tackled a Landscaping Design program at Fanshawe College. To his surprise, he did really well.

“That got me thinking. Maybe they are right. Maybe I could do university. That thought was entering in.”

Bert graduated and went to work in landscape maintenance, all the while thinking that university studies just might be doable.

Around the same time, Jason faced yet another intense battle with cancer. With Bert and family by his side, Jason endured over 25 aggressive radiation treatments after surgeons removed a sarcoma tumor. He fought hard and thankfully pulled through, moving on to finish high school and attend college.

LINE CHANGE
Bert benched his landscaping career soon after NCC classmate Steve Sider encouraged him to apply for a job opening at Community Living (CL) in London - a family-based association assisting people with intellectual disabilities. 

“Steve, I don’t know the first thing about people with developmental disabilities. To which Steve replied, ‘It doesn’t matter - please apply.'

“I applied - and I got hired. There was a gentleman I supported who experienced challenging behaviours, requiring intrusive supports to keep him safe. He had 2-1 staffing all the time. I took a course on how to do verbal redirections, physical controls, restraints, and holds. I was partnered with a Developmental Social Worker. This guy would do all the verbal redirections and cueing. I was just there for physical support. If he started physically escalating, I was there to restrain and keep people safe. For the first eight months, I was just sitting there watching and soaking it all in. Six months in, I was able to start doing the verbal redirections with him and having success. Then the staff member who trained me left and I got his job. That two years that I worked with this gentleman was fantastic. I learned so much.”

While working 24 hours a week at CL, Bert made the move to pursue higher education, studying part time at Western University. In 1997, Bert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in psychology. 

In 1999, Bert began working with Christian Horizons working as a Developmental Social Worker, then as Program Manager. He was in charge of two CH homes in Waterloo - Houses #7 and #8.

Shortly after that, Jason broke the news to Bert: another tumor had surfaced. This came as a shock, especially after Jason had enjoyed a clean bill of health for a number of years following his treatments in 1990.

“It turned out he had another sarcoma different from the first one and had surgery to remove that. He was five treatments over his lifetime limit for radiation. That spring, he was doing good—then he had a grand mal seizure on our front lawn. It turned out to be a glioblastoma - that’s not the one you want if you could pick. At the same time, I’m working managing Waterloo #7 and #8 houses, and I start dating this girl named Deb, and my brother’s cancer and…when you know, you know.

“Deb and I got engaged in August and planned to get married in December. Jason was at our wedding; he was my best man. Three and a half weeks after the wedding, he passed away.”

If that wasn’t enough heartache, more devastating news soon followed. Bert’s mother Anne had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

“You have the most exciting thing happen in your life, you get married, and then your brother passes away—and now your mom. You just ran two and half marathons and now you’re starting up another one with your mom.”

The family rallied once again. Anne underwent treatment, only to have the cancer return. Sadly, Anne passed away in 2008.

A few months following Jason’s passing and his mom’s cancer diagnosis, Bert knew he had to walk away from the intense emotional demands of social work. 

“I was pretty burnt out. I didn’t have the right mindset. I came to the realization that I didn’t have it any more to do that job. It was going to take me a while to get my head back.”

2nd LINE CHANGE
With the support of his wife and colleagues, Bert left Christian Horizons and began the hunt for a less emotionally demanding occupation. A career aptitude test confirmed his keen interest in internet technology. Bert attended Trios College for IT training. Not only was it something he really enjoyed, but it also provided a good distraction while waiting for the shock waves of loss and grief to subside. 

Bert finished the course, eventually landing a job once again with Christian Horizons—this time in their IT department. To ensure the L-R: Jason, Bert, and Derek VandeKuyt - The Flying Dutchmen 11 The Collegian Summer 2020 Special thanks to Dr. Heather MacKenzie. Check out Heather’s resource books available on Amazon, or visit her website: selfregcentral.com For information about ADHD, visit Dr. Teeya Scholten’s website: https://www.empowermentplus.org Check out the ministry of Christian Horizons at: https://www.christian-horizons.org Bert and daughter Lara Coaching hockey Bert and son Ethan stability of this new career, he completed a network security program at Conestoga College. He doubled up on his course load, finishing the 5-year program in 4 years.

Bert went on to hold positions at CH as Network Support Technologist, Network Services Administrator, and Manager of Network Services. In 2016 he became the Manager of Information Technology Security.

Last fall, Bert and his IT team were tasked with moving the entire network from Christian Horizons’ old head office to their new location in Waterloo - with minimal blackout time. Bert developed an incredibly detailed migration plan for this very complex network, taking two months with his team to prepare so the slightest detail would not be overlooked. Unexpected contingencies arose, but the end result turned out to be a pretty seamless move of the network systems with only a short blackout window of 24 hours in which the systems went dark. 

“We followed the plan. It was incredible. Our whole department really did it. There’s a lot of things in the background that happened… we got it done. There was a good plan in place.” 

“There are positive aspects to ADHD. People with ADHD also have cognitive dynamism, or the ability to generate original ideas. They have intense and energetic concentration, letting them become completely absorbed in activities they enjoy. They tend to be nonconformists who may feel like outsiders but this also means they can resist social influences. They have an abundance of energy which, when channeled, can lead to tremendous productivity.”

Bert enjoys working at Christian Horizons where ADHD works to his advantage. His intense focus in IT serves to benefit thousands of people who experience developmental disabilities, helping them live rich, purpose-filled lives.

Bert can’t say enough about his wife Deb and her tremendous love and support through life’s ups and downs. He is grateful to his parents, brothers, teachers, coaches, colleagues, and friends for reminding him of the possibilities and encouraging those leaps of faith. 

He may not have been an “academic juggernaut” during his NCC days, but he didn’t throw in the towel when things got tough. Scoring three college diplomas and a university degree is a testament to Bert’s skills, courage, and determination. Bert is the proud father of daughter Lara, 17, and son Ethan 15. He coaches both of his kids in hockey, along with a like-minded tribe of stick-toting youngsters, reminding them to stay in the game and never give up.

In hockey terminology, Bert’s story would certainly fall into the “barn burner” category. 

(Bert had fun at NCC. He never did get caught in that infamous food raid in the cafeteria).