About two decades ago, Andre Sutherland Begin was given an assignment in an English course that set him on the path of the storyteller.

At the time, Begin was attending college in Nanaimo, taking conservation officer training, when he was given the assignment to memorize a poem.

鈥淚 recalled hearing The Cremation of Sam McGee in grade school. So I downloaded that and I memorized it,鈥� said Begin.

He鈥檚 still got Robert Service鈥檚 famous poem memorized, along with many more, that he has been performing for 18 years. Senior鈥檚 homes are especially important to him, like Village by the Station in Penticton, which he visits monthly.

鈥淥ne of my storytelling partners, her mother lived in a retirement residence, so I went there to give them a show,鈥� said Begin.

That start was followed by visits to other retirement centres around Nanaimo. 鈥淭hen I found the Travellers Lodge. They house dementia and Alzheimer鈥檚 Syndrome patients, which is my charity. My father passed away from Alzheimer鈥檚, as well as an aunt and an uncle. So I went there on a monthly basis as a volunteer for six years.

鈥淎nother reason I do it, about a year ago, I was diagnosed with Alzheimer鈥檚.鈥�

Begin combines his dramatic recitations of Service鈥檚 poems with real tales of Service and how the poems came to be. But Begin鈥檚 reasons for continuing are simple.

鈥淚t is just something I enjoy, and the elders enjoy it. I took it as a challenge to memorize more and more of his poems. I have about an hour show I do now, I have about 20 poems in memory,鈥� said Begin. 鈥淚 like the rhyme and the rhythm and the history of it and the stories behind it. I鈥檝e also studied the history of Whitehorse and the gold mining.鈥�