Klaus Djukastein (1934 - 2002)

Klaus Djukastein was born in Voss, Norway. He was the second child of six children and the eldest of four boys. He should have been the one to stay home and take over the farm but he quit school in the seventh grade and then ran away to join the Merchant Marine. He travelled the world and eventually moved to the United States where he worked construction without the proper documents. He was arrested in Nebraska and deported back to Norway. At the age of just over nineteen he immigrated to Canada where he remained for the rest of his life. In the early 1950s, Klaus was a lumberjack in British Columbia and then he moved to the Yukon to prospect for gold. In 1962, he met and married Thordis Griswold and had twin boys, Erik and Torfinn, within a year. They settled in Mayo where, after eight years, Klaus and Thordis separated. The boys stayed with their mother until they were fifteen and then Torfinn moved south to live with his father.¹⁾

During the 1970s and '80s, Klaus became a respected member of the mining community and was quoted in the Wall Street Journal. He mined for many years on Sulphur Creek, near Dawson, and Revenue Creek, near Carmacks. Two of Klaus's inventions were patented and made by companies he started with commercial success. The Derocker is a 12-ton piece of mining equipment and the Scat Mat is a 2-lb electronic animal trainer. Contech Electronics was founded with his son Erik and partner Brian Conrad and is a Victoria business success story. Klaus worked until January 1999. He was incorrectly diagnosed with Parkinson's and the symptoms forced him into early retirement. In 2000, while living at Island View Place, he was re-diagnosed with Lewey Bodies disease. Klaus was loved for his sense of humour and he loved practical jokes. He had an unusual use of the English language. A kind, quiet, gentle man known for his generosity.²⁾