Photos and interview by Earl Hartlen

LIKE a lot of retirees, Ian Robb of Port Dover has picked up a hobby since the end of his career. His pastime is crafting art from old tobacco slats. The Maple Leaf interviewed Mr. Robb to learn more about his work.

“I make signs and flags. Everything is made out of recycled tobacco sticks. I started this about five years ago. I was in the tobacco industry, so I sort of carried this along and brought home some sticks and started making Canadian flags,” he said.

Gesturing to a sign depicting Canada’s flag topped with the words “not for sale,” he said, “I made this one mainly because I wanted to get back at our American friends that we are not for sale.”

Mr. Robb sells “quite a few” of his pieces from his garage under the moniker Stickman. His daughter helps by selling them at her business.

“She has an organic farm up by Ancaster, she has a little store there and she sells quite a few things out of there, mainly the Canadian flag made out of recycled wood.”

Before retirement, he worked at Simcoe Sound in the ’70s and at Sylvite Agri-Services for a long time afterward.

“I was with them for 20 years. I worked the three counties: Norfolk, Oxford and Brant. Did a lot of sales. I’ve always been in sales.”

His father, Scotty Robb, was a well-known constable with Norfolk County Police. Norfolk County Police provided policing services for the county’s rural communities before the municipality disbanded it and contracted Ontario Provincial Police for the job.

“When you say that now, a lot of people don’t know about Norfolk County Police. It was a different era.”

To contact Mr. Robb about purchasing one of his art pieces, call 519-909-5021 or email irobb8489@gmail.com.

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Originally published April 16, 2025