The Emo Walleye Classic may have left a lot of people with interesting memories, but for Paul Allan of Emo, it was an experience of a lifetime.
On Friday, Allan and his partner, Jim Steele, were on their way downstream from near the dam in Fort Frances when they suddenly were flagged down by an OPP boat.
“I didn’t know what to think at first,” admitted Allan. “I was wondering if we were in trouble or something.
“They told us one of our wives was in labour in Winnipeg and since I knew they weren’t talking about Jim, I just went back to the dock, checked in our fish, and then headed for Winnipeg,” he added.
The news came as a surprise for Allan since his partner, Jeannie Sheppard, wasn’t due for another five weeks.
“Basically, I rushed to Winnipeg, but as it turned out, there was no hurry because the babies weren’t born until early Saturday morning,” he recalled.
That’s right. Twins.
The couple now are the proud parents of healthy girls—Jocelyn Brook Allan and Janelle Rose Allan, born at 1:25 a.m. and 1:30 a.m., respectively.
Jocelyn weighed in at 5 lbs., 3 oz. and measured 49.5 cm while Janelle tipped the scales at 4 lbs., 12 oz. and measured 44.5 cm.
Since Allan knew he would be unable to compete in the derby the next day, he decided to try to bend the rules a little bit.
“I called in with my catch for the day and asked the committee to take the girls’ weights, but for some reason they didn’t accept it,” he laughed.
Steele went out again Saturday with new partner, Ed Bullied, and finished 38th overall, but Allan said he and Sheppard are the real champions.
“This is a little better prize, I think,” he remarked.
Mother and daughters are all doing well, although the twins will remain in hospital for two weeks as a precaution since they were born prematurely.
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
