The Carlson name in La Ronge is often linked to commercial fishing and taxies, but one Carlson has made a name for himself as a mechanic. Tom Carlson is a journeyman mechanic, who has been working for the Lac La Ronge Indian Band's Facilities Branch.

Tom has lived and worked in north all of his life. He apprenticed with NRT and worked his way up to shop foreman. During his six years at NRT he completed his Automotive Repair Technician through SIAST's Kelsey Campus in Saskatoon. From there, he moved to Cameco's Rabbit Lake Mine working in their automotive bay fixing machines at the mine site. However, the opportunity to work at home on a full-time basis was too good to pass up.

The band's Facilities Branch has expanded over the years considerably, both in terms of the number of workers being hired and the number of vehicles and heavy equipment that were purchased. The facilities management saw the need to have a mechanic in-house, one that could practically fix any of the band's vehicles, heavy equipment, and other machines- vans, school busses, sewer and water trucks, backhoes, loaders, etc. Even better was the fact that management would eventually hire a band member well qualified to do the job.

Tom is married to Donna; together they have two children. In his spare time he enjoys his role as an initiation coach (IP) coach, in the La Ronge minor hockey system, where he teaches tykes (pre-novice players). Tom is an avid recreational hockey player himself. As well he is a member of the La Ronge Snowmobile Club and the local Elks organization.

"I have always been a hands-on kind of guy. That's what mechanics is all about. You get your hand greasy and dirty, but at the end of the day it's a good feeling when you know you've just repaired a vehicle and put it back on the road again."

"I like to think my job is pretty important. The band has many vehicles that are important to the community. If a bus breaks down, kids can't go to school. If the water truck breaks down, the people hooked up to water tanks don't get their water. If the grader is down, roads are become unsafe, especially if there is a lot of rain or snowfall. If a water line freezes and breaks in a band building during the winter, you need to fix it, and so the backhoe has to be ready to go"

"When people get involved with trades- whether it's mechanics, plumbing, carpentry-they have to realize there are two things involved, one is the practical side, and one is the theory side. The practical side is what you can learn on the job, the theory side is what is learned in the classroom. At some point in time you will have to go to school. This is what all people working in trades must go through to become a journeyman. Sometimes it's not easy, but you really have to ask yourself how bad do you really want to achieve your goals"

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