The passing this past weekend of former Manitoba Premier Duff Roblin brought the man voted The Greatest Manitoban back to the front pages of newspapers and to the top of the newscycle.

For many Manitobans, it would have been the first they had heard of the former Premier for quite some time. Content to lead a quite and private life during his last years, Duff Roblin was not one to make a fuss nor did he want anyone to make a fuss over him.
 
Despite his private nature in recent years, Duff Roblin and his legacy can still be seen around our province and is still noted almost every spring, even though he served as Premier more than four decades ago (1958-1967).
 
He was proud of the more than two hundred schools that were built during his time as Premier, the upgrading of the province’s highway system and hospital modernization. While he did not consider it his government’s greatest accomplishment, the vast majority of Manitobans would probably most closely associate the former Progressive Conservative Premier and his government with the creation of the Red River Floodway (known fondly as Duff’s Ditch).
 
Almost every spring it seems the Red River Floodway is put into service to lower the amount of water coming from the Red River through Winnipeg. Many times it has prevented catastrophic loss and millions upon millions of dollars of damage within the City limits. While Premier Roblin faced ridicule during the Floodway construction, it will be his most known and remembered legacy.

On a personal note, I first met Duff Roblin in the mid-1990s. At that time, I was struck by his very mild, humble and unassuming manner. He was in every sense of the word, a gentleman. A few years later, after listening to Mr. Roblin give the keynote address at a Party fundraiser, and I remember being struck by how eloquently and statesman like the former Premier presented himself.

Until his final days Mr. Roblin remained very interested in public affairs and was recently commenting to close friends on the preparations that were taking place within the P.C. Party for the October 2011 election.
 
It is ironic I suppose that on the day of his passing, the Red River Floodway was put back into service as a result of the heavy rains that drenched Manitoba over the past week. It was a final reminder of one of the legacies of Premier Roblin.
 
The passing of Premier Duff Roblin, The Greatest Manitoban, is both an occasion to be grateful for his accomplishments and to mourn the loss of a great statesman for our province.