One of Adrian Hammer’s creations.
A fascination that never runs out Although his workbench consists of only some tools, Adrian Hammer is capable of building extraordinary speakers. photo Francis Racine
They even sent me to Quebec to learn about the radar system.” As a true testament to the then young man’s genius, the class featured only two students, with four teachers doing their best to instruct the topic. “Even the teachers didn’t fully understand the radar system. That’s why they had to have so many teachers,” pointed out Hammer. “I struggled through the course, because it truly was difficult, but I did find it extremely fascinating.” While employed in an air force base, the man came across an American hangar. “It was very odd to see,” he explained. “I was told that the hangar itself was considered American ground and that those were American soldiers guarding it.” Being an avid learner, Hammer decided
to investigate and was shocked by what he learned. “They were guarding a nuclear bomb!” he said excitingly. “I could write a book on all the interesting things I’ve come across.” A traveller of the world Along with his wife Genevieve, a well- known French teacher, Hammer visited nearly every continent of the world. “You learn a lot from travelling,” he highlighted. “I lived in four different countries.” Sowhydidaman, born in theNetherlands, and his wife, a French native, decide to settle in Cornwall? “We were in Louisiana where my wife was teaching French,” he explained. “Her contract was up and so were our visas. I expressed to her that I wanted to go back to Canada but that I didn’t want to be in a
big city. I had lived in Toronto before and it just wasn’t my thing. We found Cornwall and after some research decided tomove here.” But growing up in Toronto, Hammer found himself discovering yet another of his passions: photography. “He started taking pictures when I was around eight years old,” his wife said, smiling. “With the cameras that looked like a box, a Brownie.” “I was always the one that had to take the family pictures,” he proudly explains. From there, the hobby quickly escalated, with Hammer creating his own dark room and equipping himself with a great camera. As a result, the Hammer residence’s many walls are home to several of his photographs. “I took that one at the Toronto Zoo,” as he points to a photograph featuring two lovers
FRANCIS RACINE francis.racine@eap.on.ca
It seems Adrian Hammer has always been a handyman, with a multitude of hobbies. Fromhis Riverdale home, theNetherlands native sits on his comfortable couch, staring out of his bay window, onto the calm subdivision road. “I used to be an electronic technologist, you see,” he said. “It’s a mix between an engineer and a technician.” The white-haired man always had a passion for aircrafts. It’s no wonder he ended up working for the air force. “I was always deeply involved in electronics,” he explained, lifting his glasses on his nose. “I worked with interceptors.
Le Journal, Cornwall
10
Le mercredi 10 février 2016
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