It was a beautiful August afternoon at Sandy Point Beach, the shores of Gull Lake where the inaugural “maiden voyage” took place, as a miniature replicated piece of local history set sail yet again.

Earl Jensen’s pride and joy so intricately remastered was his scale model of the Kangaroo.

“The original Kangaroo was built on the western shores of Gull Lake by the Cummings Sawmill (Thomas Cummings) in 1898, moving logs (in the belly of the boat) to the sawmill and planks to customers around the lake. Later on, in 1900 the boat would be converted to a steamboat, and when business was slack, the boat was used for dances and excursions. The last voyage of the Kangaroo was in 1908 when it was beached during a storm,” said Jensen.

Many years later the Rimbey Historical Society, with Mr. Smithson at the time, had indicated the interested to rebuild the Kangaroo II with the potential help of grants and funding. The hopes were to have it rebuilt and ready to set sail in 1992. Now here we are in 2023 and a 1/20 scale replica has set sail.

Jensen hopes that one day his model will be accepted in the Bentley Museum for the preservation of local history.

The intricately designed replica boasts many unique qualities with a compass at the helm, a galley, a deck table with gold facets on the corners, a bell hanging from the rafter, a replicated sign on the stern of the boat and beautiful white railings that encompass the portside and starboards of the boat.

Jensen said, “I had the opportunity to rebuild this as I was house sitting for a friend who had a shop when the plan came to fruition, and thus the boat was built.”

Battery powered with a remote control the voyage was a huge success. The Cummings Sawmill now has its lifelong resting place with the Rimbey Historical Society at PasKaPoo park, nested in the west shop in all its original form.