Sam Mullins

In the 70s and 80s, the Walkers and Staley's built a beautiful friendship. Andy remembers working as the Walkers' paperboy. And then when Al and Barb had their first two daughters, Jill and Sheena, they enlisted Andy for some childcare.

the two families grew to be fully entwined. It was a life of Sunday dinners with kids running around. Christmas at the farmhouse. Church socials. Al and my dad skied together. And the two couples even traveled to the UK a few times together.

the two families grew to be fully entwined. It was a life of Sunday dinners with kids running around. Christmas at the farmhouse. Church socials. Al and my dad skied together. And the two couples even traveled to the UK a few times together.

Sitting with Andy, he's almost confused, like he's flipping through a photo album from another dimension. So much happened before the nonsense, as he calls it, came to overshadow everything. There was an age gap between the two couples. Albert and Barb were many years the junior. And the gap was most notable looking at their careers.

Sitting with Andy, he's almost confused, like he's flipping through a photo album from another dimension. So much happened before the nonsense, as he calls it, came to overshadow everything. There was an age gap between the two couples. Albert and Barb were many years the junior. And the gap was most notable looking at their careers.

Bob was solidly mid-career when they met, whereas Albert Walker was still trying to figure out what he wanted to be when he grew up. He'd been a man of many jobs. He worked in a candy factory, a men's store. He was in management training at Zellers, which is sort of like a Canadian Walmart. He sold insurance for a time, once in Scotland. He worked for a big feed and supply company.

Bob was solidly mid-career when they met, whereas Albert Walker was still trying to figure out what he wanted to be when he grew up. He'd been a man of many jobs. He worked in a candy factory, a men's store. He was in management training at Zellers, which is sort of like a Canadian Walmart. He sold insurance for a time, once in Scotland. He worked for a big feed and supply company.

He worked as a cattle herdsman, pig farmer, market gardener, and then for several years as a librarian. Walker was really searching. He was limited by his lack of schooling, but was always described as ambitious, thirsty to become a somebody. His big break though, came from the most surprising of places.

He worked as a cattle herdsman, pig farmer, market gardener, and then for several years as a librarian. Walker was really searching. He was limited by his lack of schooling, but was always described as ambitious, thirsty to become a somebody. His big break though, came from the most surprising of places.

While Albert was bouncing wildly from career to career, Barb, right under his nose, was building their bright future from the dining room table. She was always good with numbers, so she started a side hustle doing taxes for a handful of local farmers and folks that she knew through the church. And this is where everything shifted onto a dark and ruinous track.

While Albert was bouncing wildly from career to career, Barb, right under his nose, was building their bright future from the dining room table. She was always good with numbers, so she started a side hustle doing taxes for a handful of local farmers and folks that she knew through the church. And this is where everything shifted onto a dark and ruinous track.

Everything that would go down with the Staley's and then later in the UK with Elaine and Ron Platt and Noel, none of that would have happened if it wasn't for Barb's innocent little business. Picture Barb doing her taxes at the dining room table, the percussive clack of the calculator, when one day Albert, who had never shown much of an interest in his wife's work, looked over her shoulder.

Everything that would go down with the Staley's and then later in the UK with Elaine and Ron Platt and Noel, none of that would have happened if it wasn't for Barb's innocent little business. Picture Barb doing her taxes at the dining room table, the percussive clack of the calculator, when one day Albert, who had never shown much of an interest in his wife's work, looked over her shoulder.

Laid bare on the table before him were the numbers and assets and incomes and most intimate of financial details of her clients, people he knew. And the numbers surprised him. He couldn't believe how much money and savings and assets these humble rural folk had amassed. This was the moment that Albert had an idea. Walker's Financial Services. It used to be so simple.

Laid bare on the table before him were the numbers and assets and incomes and most intimate of financial details of her clients, people he knew. And the numbers surprised him. He couldn't believe how much money and savings and assets these humble rural folk had amassed. This was the moment that Albert had an idea. Walker's Financial Services. It used to be so simple.

You went to a bank for a checking account, a trust company for a mortgage, a broker to buy stocks, and an insurance agent to buy insurance. Life isn't that straightforward anymore. That's from an old brochure I found in the box. Walker Financial Services was the weapon with which Walker would begin his career as a criminal. It was incorporated in the province of Ontario in 1978.

You went to a bank for a checking account, a trust company for a mortgage, a broker to buy stocks, and an insurance agent to buy insurance. Life isn't that straightforward anymore. That's from an old brochure I found in the box. Walker Financial Services was the weapon with which Walker would begin his career as a criminal. It was incorporated in the province of Ontario in 1978.

Walker's vision was to turn his wife's tax business into a scalable, one-stop financial shop. Investments, bookkeeping, all of it and more. This was a whole hog career pivot. He literally went from being a junior-level librarian to the front man of a full-service financial institution. And did a good job of doing people's taxes.

Walker's vision was to turn his wife's tax business into a scalable, one-stop financial shop. Investments, bookkeeping, all of it and more. This was a whole hog career pivot. He literally went from being a junior-level librarian to the front man of a full-service financial institution. And did a good job of doing people's taxes.

Around the time that Walker Financial was born, both the Walkers and Staley's moved away from the town of Ayr. But the bond between them didn't suffer. Albert saw to that. I think, if anything, that was where the friendship continued to grow. In the ensuing 10 years, the families were as entwined as ever. When the Staley's daughter Kim got married, Sheena was part of the ceremony.