26
|
WINTER
2017
BrendaMartinek
remembers...
I first came to this area in1964,
looking for a chalet or old farm-
house to rent. It was on that visit
that I met Joe Martinek at the
DorchesterHotel inCollingwood
and we were married three
months later.
Joe,Billand theirparentscame to
Canada in 1952 and ‘53, the
boys first and then their parents. I
believe Joe’s parents bought the
80 acres (Tyrolean Village Re-
sorts) through power of sale in
about1956. Thebrothers started
theplanof subdivisionand roads
in 1962. When I came on the
scene there where 2 chalets al-
most finished, both being pan-
abodes.
TheMartineksmet Jozo near the
beginningof their involvement at
Blue - theywereallCzech.
Theywere negotiatingwith Jozo
about the water line when Jozo
waskilled in thathorrificaccident.
In my first year, I remember a
poma lift at the north end of
TorontoSki Clubanda T-bar on
AppleBowl. That first winter was
abadone for skiing—toomild—in
those days before snowmaking,
if theweatherwaswarmandwet,
there would be no skiing—just
mud fields and Jozo would be
scramblingaround trying tocome
upwith a solution. Februarywas
rainy that winter soweendedup
skiingatDevil’sGlenbecause the
snow lasted longer there.
As we expanded, we built eight
tennis courts at Tyrolean Village
and then in1974, we put up the
tennis bubble with two indoor
courts. Theywere very busy but,
expensive tobuildandexpensive
tomaintain.
We needed gas running all the
time tokeep it up (inflated). There
were a few disasters—when the
power wouldgooff—the bubble
would comedown and the lights
wouldall crashdown, smashed.
I took over managing the rentals
in1977. That was a crazy time—
busywithmyownkidswhiledeal-
ing with renters and complaints
aboutnoisealongwitheverything
else including police calls. I re-
memberwhenamotorcyclegang
arrivedonesummer. Ialwayskept
in touchwith the local police if I
knew bike gangs were coming
but this time we didn’t know—
some guy in a suit and tie had
made the reservation and paid
cash.Then theyallarrivedon their
motorcycles, moved into three
units and proceeded to com-
pletely trash them. We couldn’t
seewhatwasgoingonbecause
the units they had rentedbacked
onto the ravine. They threwall the
furnitureandanythingwood—rail-
ings and such—out the back and
hadahugebonfire. Theyburned
it all. That was the end of the
gangs. They never came back.
That incident was the exception
however,mostof the renterswere
fine. Imet a lot of great people.
In those years, Collingwoodwas
still a ship building town. You’d
drivedown themainstreetandall
you could see was a huge ship
and thehotel on the right. They’d
have a side-launch which was
pretty amazing. Woolworths fi-
nally came in—big shopping in
Collingwood.We always hada
Fish &Chip or the Bamboo Ter-
race but we had to go to ‘The
Depot’ in Craigleith if we were
looking for “finedining”.
How thingshavechanged!
*
In the early 1950s Albert and
MaryMartinek alongwith their
sons, Joseph andWilliam, left
their nativeCzechoslovakia for
the slopes of BlueMountain.
With them they brought an
artisan's familiaritywithAlpine
Chalets, personal triumphs in
Olympic ski competition and a
European flair for good living.
The family built their first chalet
in the early 1960s at the base of
BlueMountainResorts. Over the
years, Joe andBill continued to
build and expand, creating
Tyrolean VillageResorts, a
thriving business that is still
family owned and is now in the
capable hands of Denis andPaul
Martinek, sons of Brenda and
Joe. Exciting growth continues.
Bill (age12) and Joe (age5)Martinek
Courtesy: BrendaMartinek
75 years of blue
