Our Community
A room full of Colchester-East Hants Health Authority volunteers were recently honoured during a week that aims to celebrate volunteers across the county.
The volunteers were the guests at a special volunteer tea hosted at the Best Western Glengarry in Truro.
“This year’s Volunteer Week theme is, ‘Volunteers cast a beautiful shadow,’” said Wendy Mosher, Volunteer Resources Manager. “I thought that was a very fitting theme for our volunteers with the health authority. Their commitment over the past year has been outstanding. Each and every one of them has gone above and beyond.”
While the health authority is thankful for each and every one of its volunteers, 2012 was a special year. It involved the closure of the Colchester Regional Hospital and the subsequent opening of the Colchester-East Hants Health Centre.
Health authority CEO Peter MacKinnon says it was a time when volunteers stepped up and delivered.
“Moving an entire hospital is no small task,” he said. “We knew it was something we had to get right and I’m not talking about just getting ready for the move. I’m talking about everything that went along with the move including the transferring of patients. We were really fortunate to have our volunteers involved right from the start.”
According to MacKinnon, the in-hospital volunteer program contributed more than 5,500 hours of service along. Volunteers with the Colchester Regional Hospital Auxiliary followed that up contributing more than 60,000 hours.
“I could go on about our volunteers and what they mean to our organization but I still couldn’t cover it adequately or find the right words to express our gratitude,” he said. “They are all such a strong part of the fabric that makes up our health care team.”
Debbie Green, Fran Fiddes and Elaine Lintaman were three of the volunteers in attendance. Both Green and Fiddes volunteer at the information desk while Lintaman is in the emergency department.
Green has been at the hospital for three years. Her mother used to volunteer at the hospital in Moncton and with a little time on her hands, she wanted to give back.
“I’m here every Wednesday afternoon from 12 to 4 p.m.,” she said. “I really enjoy it. I love meeting people and having the opportunity to help them out when they come into the hospital. We are, for most people coming in, the first face they see.”
She enjoyed her time at the hospital so much; she actually encouraged Lintaman to start volunteering. The two were neighbours and after losing her husband, Lintaman thought it was worth a try.
Green went so far as to even bring home the volunteer application to Lintaman.
“She was quite a sales person,” Lintaman said with a laugh. “I spent my working career in hospitals so it was something I knew and was familiar with. I came in and spoke with Wendy Mosher and she asked me if I would consider volunteering in the emergency department. I had no issue with it and certainly welcomed the challenges that would go along with it.”
Lintaman mans the information desk in the emergency department every Friday from 2 to 6 p.m. She says the role of volunteers there is to liaise between the department, patients and the families of patients who coming in looking for information.
“If they come in and ask us where a loved one is, it’s my job to find out where they are and direct the family to them,” she continued. “Sometimes when we call in, we’re not allowed to take them down because the patient is being worked on. If a patient comes in and it’s the first time they’ve been to the hospital, I’ll show them the seating area for triage and explain to them the triage nurse will be with them shortly.”
Fiddes, much like Lintaman, lost her husband and as a result, found the days long. During his poor health, she spent a lot of time at the hospital and knowing what it was like, wanted to be able to at least give back in some form to people dealing with similar experiences like hers.
Volunteering at the front desk allows her to interact with many people and give them directions to specific areas in the hospital. She volunteers twice a week – 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday and Wednesday.
“I’m a people person. I knew exactly where I wanted to volunteer,” she said. “The information desk was the place for me. We see a lot of people here. It can get hectic at times, but I expected that, especially with the new hospital opening.”
All three volunteers played a role in the move from the old facility to the new. Green and Fiddes maintained their roles at the information desk – a very important role in the first weeks the new facility was open – while Lintaman extended to responsibilities and helped in the Intensive Care Unit on the day of the move.
“There was a lot going on,” said Green. “We were faced with a few challenges but everyone for the most part was patient and we got through it. We still have some bumps every now and then, but it’s such a beautiful facility and most people feel that way when they come in.”
One thing is for certain; all three would miss volunteering at the hospital if something ever happened.
“I don’t know what I would do with my Friday afternoons,” said Lintaman. “It’s become such a part of my routine now, I look forward to it.”
Records are made to be broken and during this year’s Colchester Home Show, that happened all three days.
“It was a record attendance for us,” said Scott Sprague of Master Promotions. “Our numbers just about doubled over last year on the Friday and were more than double on Saturday and Sunday. We’re extremely pleased with that.”
The annual Colchester Home Show is put on by Master Promotions in partnership with the Truro and Colchester Chamber of Commerce. This marked the first year it was held at the Rath-Eastlink Community Centre. The last 21 years, it’s been held at the Colchester Legion Stadium.
While he was excited about the change in venue, Sprague says it’s important to remember the role the Colchester Legion Stadium played in the show’s success over the last two decades.
“The staff members at Colchester Legion Stadium have always been real good to us,” said Sprague. “It’s a great group of people down there and the show always had a down-home type fee to it when it was held there. Although we’re sad to leave that stadium, the business side says our best move is to go to the new centre and take the show to the next level.”
Hosting the show for the first time at RECC, Sprague expected to see an increase in attendance. He says it’s no secret the community had been anxiously awaiting the opening of the facility.
Because it’s still very fresh, he says many people took advantage of the chance to see the facility for the first time while taking in the annual home show. In the end, it led to a lot of positive comments.
“The feedback we’re received often referred to the facility and how good the show looked in this building,” he said. “It’s well lit, has impressive natural lighting and provides a great atmosphere.”
RECC also presented an opportunity to do something the Colchester Home Show hasn’t been able to do effectively in the past number of years.
“We had a lot of additional space at our disposal this year,” Sprague continued. “With those additional spaces, it allowed us to look outside a little bit. On the main show floor, we had our hard core home show that we’ve always had but the spaces on the upper level allowed us to add a new feature and that was the small home-based businesses. We know that home-based businesses are booming right now and a lot of people are going in that director. A quick look around the local farmers’ market will prove that and it’s an element we wanted to incorporate into the show.”
Sprague wasn’t the only one receiving positive feedback about this year’s Colchester Home Show. Truro and Colchester Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Alan Johnson says many members were pleased with the result of this year’s show.
He says the Chamber encourages its members to get out and take advantage of opportunities that put them face-to-face with current and potential clients.
“This is one of the larger opportunities we have in our community and I’ve had nothing but positive comments coming in,” said Johnson. “Every single chamber member who was there and had products on display made a lot of connections. I spoke to a key member of our organization, someone who has been a member for a very long time and he told me business at the show on Saturday alone and the number of people the spoke with was more than entire weekends at previous shows. This tells you the new venue has brought people out.”
During the three-day event, held August 12 to 14, the Chamber took the time to spread its Live Local message. Johnson says they gave away hundreds of Live Local stickers and shared information about the benefits of becoming a chamber member.
“I think the Colchester Home Show has arrived on the next level,” said Johnson. “I think it’s safe to say that by next year we’re going to see even more improvement and growth. Some suggestions have already been made and they will add to the show. It’s a draw for our area. It brings people in from East Hants, Amherst and Pictou County.”
At this point, Sprague wouldn’t rule out adding even more businesses next year. Looking at the footprint of the building, he admits there’s still some key space that can be used more efficiently.
“I can’t say enough about the weekend,” Sprague said. “From the vendors, they’re all saying it’s been fantastic weekend. There were times where you could look down at the show floor and hardly see any aisle carpet because there were so many people. Vendors were seeing customers they don’t normally see at the home show. We’re already looking forward to next year.”
It’s Wednesday morning, and the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus bustles with activity as members of the “Friends of the Garden” gear up with their tools of the trade - dandelion-diggers, clippers, and kneepads - and head for that little-known gem, the rock garden, just as they have been doing every Wednesday morning for more than a decade.
The “Friends” are all volunteers, mostly retired individuals, whose interests lie in plants and gardens in general, rock gardening in particular.
Back in 2002, a grassy slope on the campus of the Nova Scotia Agricultural College was transformed into an area encompassing tons of pink granite placed in such a way as to form cliffs, ravines, and crevices where a wide spectrum of plants was introduced and which thrive to this day. Pathways were installed, winding through the rocks and greenery, leading visitors over bridges, up stone steps, and under trees. As is the case with many successful endeavours, this exceptional retreat grew from modest beginnings.
The idea for a substantial rock garden on the NSAC campus germinated with Carol Goodwin, professor of environmental sciences, when a tiny rockery was to be renovated. Goodwin looked around for knowledgeable advice and found Bernard S. Jackson, recently retired Director of Memorial University’s Botanical Garden. Dr. Jackson was asked to help and the project took off.
The natural contours of the land made it possible to create dry stream beds and mountainous terrain, while the presence of mature trees added shady areas. With a grant from the North American Rock Garden Society, the welcoming courtyard at the entrance was formed.
The variety of environments on the site enables the growth of diverse plant species, from spring bulbs to shade-loving woodland plants, to the main feature, alpine plants, whose ancestors learned to thrive on mountainsides in full sun with not much more than gravel around their roots.
The Friends of the Garden hold their annual plant sale on the first Saturday in June. Plans and preparations are already underway for this year’s sale on June 1. You can select from a broad variety of plants on offer, and in addition, take home free gardening tips and suggestions.
Whether you enjoy a garden for its beauty, its bird life, its photo opportunities, or as a place of sanctuary, you are welcome in the Rock Garden on Dal’s Bible Hill campus. And if you come on a Wednesday morning, you could be touched by the friendly atmosphere, borrow a dandelion-digger, and join the action.
TRURO: To find out, come to St. Andrew’s United Church where the Maritime Marionettes will be putting on two shows of “Molly and the Oak Island Treasure” at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 7 and 2 p.m., on Saturday, June 8.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Clay Cafe, in the St. Andrew’s church office between 9 a.m. and noon Monday to Friday, and at the door.
Darryll Taylor wrote the story about Molly and the Oak Island Treasure and combines local folklore with fantasy in this musical play. Heather, Taylor’s partner in the Maritime Marionettes, developed an interest in Marionettes at age 11.
The two skilled artists, who are dressed in black and moving about seamlessly, have the ability to bring the story of Molly to life by manipulating their carefully designed string puppets.
The audience will also see the transformation to working shadow figures on a warmly lit cotton screen. This brings an additional enchanting dimension of puppetry to enhance the story. The 45 minute story includes eight marionettes and a dozen shadow people.
The play is a story about Molly and Pixie, her little fairy friend. The two set out on a marvelous adventure in search of buried treasure. Along the way Molly meets friends who help her in completing her wondrous journey. This show features the music of the Barra MacNeils and has a rich maritime theme.
The Maritime Marionettes, founded by partners Heather and Darryl Taylor who live in Truro, have been entertaining families in Canada and abroad for 25 years.
The Taylors bring traditional songs and stories to life with exquisitely made and skillfully manipulated wooden marionettes.
The message was clear as Community Credit Union hosted its annual general meeting – it’s time to put a stop to bullying.
Held at the Best Western Glengarry, the room was a sea of pink as the majority of Community Credit Union members who attended the AGM wore pink shirts in support of the organization’s efforts to take a stand against bullying.
Right from the very beginning, Darrell Kuhn, the organization’s CEO said this year’s AGM had a different feel to it because of the anti-bullying theme. That’s because in addition to conducting normal business, two donations of $2,500 were made to the CYBER Internet Safety Society and Team Courtney.
“We started this anti-bullying campaign close to two years ago and it’s really taken on a life of its own,” said Kuhn. “It just seems to continually pick up speed. For us, it culminated at our AGM. We’ve all heard about the bad things that are happening to some of the youth in our communities. We thought this was a good time to stand behind the efforts of those in our community who are trying to prevent these bad things from happening.”
Barry Mingo, Executive Director of CISS also gave a brief presentation on the CYBER program and how it has evolved over the years. It concluded with a special appearance by CYBER himself.
By the end of June, CISS will have made presentations in 45 schools around the province to more than 25,000 students.
“It’s still not enough,” Mingo told the crowd. “The awareness lasts approximately a week-and-a-half to two weeks. They lose the message after that. But if we’re going to have an effect on this issue, we need to start young. We have to make bullying and cyber-bullying socially unacceptable.”
Mingo also told the crowd a pilot program will be launched this fall and has been designed in a way to tie in with the current curriculum being taught.
Tom and Sharon Brown were representing their daughter Courtney and the team that bears her name in the annual Walk So Kids Can Talk in support of the Kids Help Phone. Courtney committed suicide in 2011 when she was 17 years old after being bullied at school and online.
The tragedy is still something the Browns struggle to deal with on a daily basis.
“This is hard to talk about,” said Tom. “I’m able to spit out a few more words now before everything comes back and the emotion takes over. But I know the only way to keep this going is to talk about it whether it’s in the newspaper or at events like this. It’s about awareness and that’s what we need. We’ve seen and felt what bullying can do. We lost our daughter because of it. She would have been 20.”
Neither Tom nor Sharon expected a call from Community Credit Union and an invitation to attend the AGM. They were joined by Pam Murchison, who lost her daughter Jenna Bowers-Bryanton to suicide as well.
“For the Credit Union, being a community-based organization, to stand up like this and show their support in the fight against bullying is a real big thing,” continued Tom. “To get a call like this from the Credit Union and have them show their support for Team Courtney and have us here means a lot for us.”
Kuhn says the issue of bullying extends beyond the parameters of business and has reached a point where everyone needs to step up and take a stance.
He says both groups that received donations are continuing to raise awareness not only in Colchester County but around the province and that’s something that needs to be commended.
“When our board looked at where we wanted to put our money in the community, it was unanimous. Our board wasted little time in saying this is where our money needs to go,” he said. “Our members were just taken back by the stories they heard and they felt the emotion and pain that goes right along with it. We don’t want to hear any more stories like this. No parent should have to stand up in front of a crowd and talk about how their child ended their life because of bullying. This isn’t about Community Credit Union or any other business. It’s about our communities and our young people and addressing an issue that rapidly spun out of control.”
Kuhn commended Mingo and the CYBER Program for all they do as well as the Brown’s and Murchison for continuing to do what they do despite all they’ve been through.
“They’re out there, fighting this issue every day,” continue Kuhn. “When you look at Barry, he’s out there trying to make a difference. You can see his passion but we need more Barrys. We need hundreds of Barrys to continue driving this message home. We’re challenging the business community to step up and take a stand. The more money and support we can give these initiatives, the more kids we’re going to be able to reach and help. They can’t do it alone and our society has reached a point where we have to stop losing our youth over this issue. We need everyone at every level to be a part of the solution. This is just the beginning for us. We want to be even more involved.”
This year’s Walk So Kids Can Talk was held May 5. Sharon was the top pledge earner while Team Courtney was this year’s top team.
The french community in Colchester County may be small in size, but its rich culture and talent leave a big impression.
That was proved last month with the help of two professional musicians- Annette Campagne from Saskatchewan and François Dubé from Ontario. They had the task of finding a French-Canadian community to work with, and they chose Truro.
“The project was done with ANIM (National Alliance of the music industry). We represent the music industry in French Canada,” explained Dubé. “It’s for the minority communities where French speaking people live.”
Only three communities in Canada were selected for the pilot project. A pair of musicians was assigned to each one. Campagne says Truro was the natural choice for them.
“We thought there were some well-established communities in Nova Scotia but because Truro’s French community is still in its early stages and enjoying some growth, it was something we wanted to be a part of,” she said.
“We saw right away the hub of this French community was through the school. We put it out there, told them we wanted to do something – we didn’t know what – but let’s try something. They volunteered; we gelled and experienced a lot of synchronicity as we put things together.”
Yvette Saulnier, general director of the Francophone Community Centre in Truro, helped organize the event. It consisted of seven straight days of musical workshops with students at Ecole acadienne.
“I received a phone call one day from Francois and Annette and they wanted to bring this huge project to Truro. They wanted to come to a third region in Canada with a minority situation and right away I thought this would be a great way to promote our culture so we accepted the project,” said Saulnier.
The project was done in partnership with FECAN, the community centre and school. Juliana Barnard, Cultural Animator at the school, also pitched in.
“I was immediately excited about this. Normally when we have artists come in to the school to do a show or workshop it’s only for a few hours at most. Here we had the opportunity to have two professional artists join us for the entire week,” she said.
The artists worked with students in every class on writing a school song and organizing a mini-concert which was performed in front of a crowd of 100 people at an open house event.
“To write the school song, I went around with them to most of the classes and they met children and asked them what they liked about the school,” said Barnard. “All the children told us what they liked. They said friends, teachers and a lot of people said it’s like a big family here.
The song was partly based on a slogan created by the students two years ago. It’s about our language, our culture and our future,” she continued. “We also celebrated poetry month so they did their workshop of creating the song in context with poetry month. It’s been absolutely amazing.”
Student Peter Betts describes the whole experience as eye-opening.
“I had no clue what this would all mean for us,” he said. “When they first showed up, I wasn’t really sure what to expect but as I learned more about their background and just who they were and the fact Francois has played with people like Celine Dion, it was impressive.”
As the week went on, students learned everything from how to write a song to improving their breathing technique when singing. It presented a challenge with a deadline.
“It’s exciting but nerve-racking because you don’t have much time to get the words and cords but it’s new stuff you’re trying and that’s exciting,” said student Celine Thimot.
Betts agrees it was fun to spend a week with two prominent musicians.
“I just enjoyed working with them in general. It was really great. Outside of a couple of misplaced notes, everything worked out,” he said.
Saulnier and Dubé were blown away by the performance and the community support.
“The hall hadn’t been open and everyone hadn’t seen the new school or community centre, so we went with the idea of an open house with a 40 minute set of music, Acadian food and just celebrated. It all came together,” said Saulnier.
The pair is now working on preparing a report of their experience in Truro. The hope is that more funding will be made available in the future to work with more schools across the country.
“We have lots of pictures and video so we’re going to have a good document to present,” said Dubé. “We really love Truro. It’s a great community and the people here are fantastic.”
More than a few people in Stewiacke thought Russell Stoddart and Wendy Robinson were out to lunch when they decided to launch a festival around rhubarb.
But now, as the sixth edition of the festival draws near, it has become a unique attraction that many are buying into.
“I still remember when Russell came to my house and said, ‘I really like rhubarb, why don’t we do something at the church,’” said Robinson, Stewiacke’s mayor. “I thought it was a pretty good idea but told him if we were serious about doing something, it have to be bigger than that. That’s when we decided to get everyone involved.”
The idea was to open the festival up to members and organizations in the community. If they wanted to host an event as part of the festival, they could do so and the town would promote it and add it to the schedule of events.
St. Andrew’s United Church and Holy Trinity Anglican Church teamed up in the first year for a rhubarb tasting event. Stewiacke Baptist Church joined the festivities hosting a supper that featured rhubarb dessert options. The Nelson House Bed and Breakfast was also quick to jump on board hosting an afternoon tea.
“The first year, a lot of people weren’t quite sure what we were up to so they kind of stood back,” said Robinson. “The second year, we decided to give it a go and people were a lot quicker to jump on board. Many businesses in town came up with a special and if they didn’t have something relating to rhubarb, they still put something on special for the weekend to help celebrate.”
Year two also saw the emergence of the Flaunt and Flash Car Show, organized by resident Jennifer Tiebert. The car show has become a key attraction for the Rhubarb Festival and is held on the Sunday each year.
So what’s in store this year? Lots, according to Robinson, adding a special guest will be part of this year’s festival.
“We’re excited to have The Kilted Chef Alain Bosse coming this year for most of our Saturday events,” she said. “He will be judging the pie contest at Foodland, host a lunch and learn event at St. Andrew’s United Church, which is being co-hosted by Holy Trinity Anglican Church and he will be at the Stewiacke Library at some point during the afternoon. He’s also planning on attending the afternoon tea at the Nelson House as well before heading to the Ridge Shop, where they’ll be putting rhubarb sauce on ice cream throughout the weekend.”
The plan is for Bosse to wrap up his time in Stewiacke during the supper at the Baptist church.
A complete schedule of events will be available on the town’s website, which can be found at www.stewiacke.net.
While many contribute to the festival, Stoddart, now a councillor and Robinson still oversee the festival. It’s something the pair looks forward to each year because it presents the town and its businesses with a different way of promoting themselves.
“Most people are still around the second weekend of June. We’re not asking them to come back from the cottage. In fact, the kids are still in school at that time so it’s a way to kick off the summer for the town,” said Robinson.
“It’s a great way to draw new people into the town and a great way for businesses to promote themselves and drum up some additional business without spending a whole lot to get the message out. I think a lot of people like to see the town celebrating things like this. It creates a nice buzz all weekend long. We see people from Truro and Brookfield, and the car show draws a big crowd too.”
“We welcome anyone who is ravenous for rhubarb just like we are,” she added.
When it comes to the schedule of events, nothing is final either. Anyone wanting to organize or host an event is encouraged to bring their idea forward. Robinson says there is still plenty of room for the festival to grow.
“We will certainly promote and support someone’s idea that will add to our unique festival.”
Stewiacke’s Rhubarb Festival will be held June 7, 8 and 9.
When the Royal Bank made the decision to close its branch in Stewiacke, members of town council weren’t prepared to idly stand by and do nothing.
Despite only serving clients Monday and Fridays, the presence of a financial institution in town was something council identified as a priority. With that in mind, former mayor Dereck Rhoddy consulted with CAO Sheldon Dorey to see if there was any way to prevent the closure.
With no solution in sight, Dorey wrote a letter on behalf of the town to all the major banks and credit unions to see if they would consider relocating to town.
“This was upsetting for a lot of people in town,” said Mayor Wendy Robinson. “It’s important to have a financial institution in town, not only for residents but businesses as well. Initially, we did receive some correspondence from one institution thanking us for the letter but they didn’t see it as a fit for them.”
With hope fading, the town established contact with East Coast Credit Union, which operates branches in Upper Stewiacke and Elmsdale. After brief conversations, the two sides agreed to meet this past February.
The message they left with the town was that they were interested in doing something but weren’t sure what that would be. After telling the town they would get back to them, the two sides parted.
“True to their word, they got back to us about a month later and told us they wanted to come to town starting out once a week,” said Robinson. “We found them a location in the St. Andrew’s United Church which provides them with a private, secure place to meet.”
On April 24, East Coast Credit Union hosted an open house at their new mobile office in Stewiacke in an effort to meet residents, business owners and potential clients while sharing details about the services they plan to offer.
Ken Shea is the CEO for East Coast Credit Union. He says the organization has a strong focus on supporting the local communities of Nova Scotia, which made this venture intriguing. While in Stewiacke, he says they will offer a variety of services except for cash dealings.
“We won’t be offering cash services,” said Shea. “We’re not able to take cash deposits or provide cash to people coming to see us but the good thing about today, there’s a lot of alternatives out there for people to get cash in a moment’s notice. A lot of businesses offer cash back or have their own onsite ATMs. On the other side, residents in Stewiacke and the surrounding communities wouldn’t have the chance to discuss their long-term financial plans and look at things like mortgages, loans and investments and open new accounts. These can all be done now without having to leave town.”
According to Shea, the current arrangement will be monitored over the next six to 12 months. At that time, the two sides will once again sit down to see what the next step will be. If things have progressed in that time frame, Shea sees no reason why the partnership will continue.
“It we’ve built up the business to a point that makes sense for us, we will certainly continue along and stay there hopefully for the long haul,” said Shea. “This is a different approach for us so we will see what kind of support this concept receives. We’re quite excited about the prospects of being able to assist the members of our new community. Our long-term plan is to see if we can build over time a business case that might see an enhanced presence whether it’s more days a week up to and including someday a branch. Obviously that would be a ways down the road because we will need to build up a significant base before it would be worthwhile to invest money in the infrastructure needed for that. The hope now is we build more business and in return provide more services to the community.”
Tammy Wright, who manages both Upper Stewiacke and Elmsdale, will be in Stewiacke every Wednesday providing the variety of services to clients. Wright was excited to hear a partnership had been struck with the town.
“The big thing right now is for residents to come in, see us and see what we’re all about and what we can do to help them,” she said. “If they like what they hear, they can try us on for size. We’re not looking for any commitment. Right now, it’s about having them come through the door to find out what we at East Coast Credit Union can offer. A lot of people don’t know we’re a full service financial institution.”
Robinson is confident East Coast Credit Union will receive the support it needs to extend its partnership with the town. She believes having a financial institution in town is great for business, even if cash services currently aren’t being offered.
She adds that in order for the town to be on a larger scale, having a financial institution attached to it is important and as more residents learn about the partnership, it will hopefully lead to increased business.
“People looking to come, whether it’s move here or do business here have an expectation these days,” she said. “From our perspective, it’s very important for us to be able to do something. We’re really excited they’ve agreed to try this.
“For the most part, the community is just realizing what’s taking place. We sent out a letter on behalf of the Town and Credit Union confirming a deal had been reach. It was more or less a rumour before this,” she continued.
While services will be provided on a first come first serve basis to start, Shea says the preference will be to move to an appointment-based process.
“This is an exciting time for us,” he said. “We look forward to great success with this new venture. There are some opportunities from a growth perspective on the near horizon in terms of subdivisions opening up and housing developments which will hopefully create some interest in the long run for us.”
The mobile office will be open Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Colchester-East Hants Hospice Society is on the verge of achieving a long-time goal.
The organization has purchased a property on Truro’s Queen Street which will serve as its new home.
Executive Director Cathrine Yuill explains the whole idea of being in a community and being very home-like is what’s at the root of hospice.
“We want to be as far from institutional or medical as possible,” said Yuill. “It’s really how we feel the community has a role to play in supporting families and end of life. This is something that’s been germinating and taking root for a few years now and certainly searching for a spot has been a big part of that.”
The board of directors had little issue approving the purchase of the house, which offers everything the society was looking for. Yuill says the location in the heart of Truro, the history of the house and its size are all exciting features. Located on a large piece of property, future development will be a lot easier if it’s required.
The new Colchester-East Hants Hospice Centre will be located at 89 Queen Street. Unlike their current location on the Esplanade, the society has enough space to run all its current programs while incorporating the possibility of future programs.
“We didn’t want something that would be a burden in terms of renovations or maintenance costs,” continued Yuill. “The real roadblocks over the last number of years have been things most people probably don’t think of. Two of the bigger ones have been parking and zoning.”
Due to space limitations, the Hospice Society has held the majority of its meetings and group activities like workshops off site. Because they’ve been forced to bounce around from location to location hosting their events, Yuill says it can make them difficult to find.
“When our hospice centre is up and running, everything will happen right there,” she said. “Everyone will know where to come. What we’re really hoping to do in terms of expansion is layer programs so we become a hive of activity. Something will always be going on at the centre and people can always drop in because something will be happening.”
The dream date to move into their new home would be sometime in June, but Yuill says they’re certainly not forcing the issue. Currently, they’re in the process of securing a contractor who will be responsible for some minor renovations including the addition of a wheelchair ramp and accessible bathroom on the main floor.
Yuill says the rest of the work is cosmetic and will generally consist of painting and flooring upgrades. Once a contractor has been hired, a move-in date will be clearer.
On the heels of capital campaigns for both a new health centre and community centre, the Hospice Society didn’t want to go to the community with its hand out for financial help. In 2010 and 2011, the society received two major bequests through wills and that money alone gave the board the flexibility to make a permanent home a reality.
“Both parties were interested in seeing us have a permanent home and although we weren’t restricted, this is an important part of how our board has determined where these funds will go,” said Yuill. “That’s also given us the ability to do this without going to the public and doing a capital campaign.”
The Hospice Society will be posting a wish list on its website for items to put in the house. Yuill says there are some things the new centre will definitely need and best of all, they could be things people in the community already have and are looking to get rid of.
“When people can see what you need, it’s really helpful and they like to give in that way,” Yuill said. “They could be items people don’t have themselves, but know how to access them and it enables the community to give in a different way.”
Once moved in and settled, the new hospice centre will keep the society in a highly visible, high traffic area. Hosting their events in one spot will also hopefully lead to more participation as well.
“We definitely know there are more programs on the horizon that we can offer like drop-in groups and that’s because we will all be here, in one spot, as a staff,” said Yuill. “It also allows us to be together in a space that really represents the principles and foundational beliefs that we as an organization have. The idea of being in a home in the community and that type of atmosphere encourages people and reminds them of our values and principles that we hold and it allows people who come visit us to see visually this isn’t a hospital and it’s not a clinic. It’s a place they can be comfortable in and not afraid of. Anything with hospice or palliative care tends to frighten people and they’re not always that comfortable so anything we can do to help with that is important. A new hospice centre is definitely a step in the right direction.”
Matthew Melanson is a patient boy. But on April 20, he couldn’t wait for his chance to scale the newly opened rock climbing wall at the Rath-Eastlink Community Centre.
Matthew, joined by his family, was one of many who came out to try his luck at scaling the Peter Kohler Windows and Entrance Systems-sponsored climbing wall.
“I’ve climbed once before at the Buskers, but it certainly wasn’t this high,” said Melanson. “I really enjoyed it and did pretty good so I’ve been pretty anxious for this one to finally open.”
Fitted with his safety harness and with Climbing Wall Support Michelle LeBlanc belaying, Matthew tackled the wall not once or twice but three times. Belaying is a technique that involves a second person remaining on the floor as an anchor for the climber. If Matthew was to slip, LeBlanc, by belaying, would prevent him from falling.
But falling was the farthest thing from Matthew’s mind as he scaled the wall, reaching the top.
“I made it to the top two out of three times,” he said, with a proud smile. “It was definitely trickier than the one I climbed at the Buskers. With this wall, as I got higher, the wall actually started to move out so that was the toughest part. It was hard trying to figure out where to put your hands and your feet, especially when you’re that far off the ground.
“But I was never scared. The staff members were my favourite part. They were really helpful and a lot of fun to work with so I knew there was nothing to be afraid of,” he continued.
“The only thing that bothered me was my arms and hands. They were pretty sore afterward.”
Hearing those comments was music to Christine Cutler’s ears. She’s the climbing wall supervisor at RECC.
For the past number of weeks, she and her team have spent a lot of time practicing and getting used to the wall before it opened.
With many staff members experienced in climbing, she is excited to introduce Colchester County residents to a sport many have never done before.
“I have a couple of staff members who have climbed numerous times before and a couple more who have taught or taken courses before so we definitely have a lot of experience when it comes to climbing,” said Cutler, who has been climbing herself since 1999. “Some of that time was getting to know each other and trying out some things just to see what might work and what wasn’t going to work.”
For the first three weeks after opening (until May 12), residents have a chance to come in and hit the wall for only $5. Cutler says they will fit everyone with safety gear and they even have special shoes in case someone wants to try them for free.
She adds sneakers are fine on the wall as well, which at one point reaches 46-feet in height.
“It’s deceiving,” she said. “It’s exhausting to get to the top of that and some of the angles are definitely tricky. Some areas of the wall start with an overhang at the bottom so once you get over that, things get a little bit easier. In the middle portion of the wall, you can see the overhang is a little bit higher and other parts of the wall continue to angle out all the way up. All the colour holds are adjustable on the wall so we create the difficulty of the climb depending on where we put them.”
At this point, Cutler speculates the wall will be changed at least four times a year. Anyone who hasn’t quite mastered a trip to the top will receive lots of notice just in case they’re working on a section of the wall they’re continually having problems with.
The wall can safely allow for six or seven people to climb at once. For those climbing with a partner, that means 14 people at one time can effectively be using the space, which is exciting, says Cutler. With many of those people taking breaks, it allows for even more people to jump in on a rotational basis.
RECC will also be offering a safety course entitled ‘Before You Climb’ as well in an effort to bring regular climbers up to speed on safety issues. There are also some key things people need to keep in mind when preparing to climb. That includes removing all jewelry from hands and wrists, tying back long hair and no baggy clothing.
“Clothing should be comfortable and something you can wear under the harness,” said Cutler. “Harnesses aren’t always comfortable so you want to make sure the clothes you are wearing are comfortable.”
Moving forward, Cutler expects to add a few more holds to the wall to help out climbers. While it’s not impossible to reach the top now, she says it will definitely help beginner climbers.
“We have one portion of the wall that’s 27-feet to the top,” said Cutler. “Most people feel they’ve accomplished something when they make it to the top so our goal is to get as many people to the top as we can. The addition of a few more holds will certainly assist us with that. But people also need to realize we don’t get to the top every time either.”
Children are also allowed to try the wall, but for smaller ones, a parent does have to be present. A special four-point harness is available, so children are strapped in over the shoulder and around the legs.
The age for belaying is 15-years-old but that has more to do with height and weight requirements, which once again comes back to safety.
“It’s paramount to us,” said Cutler of safety.
Excluding RECC, the closest indoor rock climbing walls in Nova Scotia are located in Halifax. Outside of that, you need to travel to New Brunswick to find the next indoor wall.
As for Matthew, his family already has their membership, so he plans on being back often.
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