When Rendell Wilson was a teenager, he couldn鈥檛 wait to get away from Big Tancook Island, where generations of Wilsons have eked out a meagre living from the soil and the sea. But now as a senior, he feels the tug to the place he still refers to as home.
The pull is so strong that his daughter, Seretha, feels it too鈥攅ven though she grew up on the mainland.
The Dalhousie nursing student spent the winter term traveling back and forth to Big Tancook, the largest of 365 small islands scattered throughout Mahone Bay, as part of her course .
Keeping families healthy
鈥淲e鈥檙e so used to going in and taking care of the sick patient,鈥� says Seretha, on the ferry ride on the way over for her last visit with the Baker family. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I think this class is so important鈥攊t鈥檚 understanding what goes into keeping families healthy.鈥�
The class requires students to conduct a series of five interviews with the members of one family, allowing for an in-depth look at their particular situation and the factors that influence their health, including socioeconomic and cultural. In the case of the Baker family鈥擠avid and Katie and their children Megan and Dylan鈥攖he challenges of island living were also taken into account.
Accompanying Seretha for the visit was dad Rendell, whom she refers to as 鈥渙ur Tancook tour guide,鈥� and her professor, Debbie Sheppard-LeMoine.
Prof. Sheppard-Lemoine says she鈥檚 impressed with her students, who鈥檝e gone further afield this year, seeking out families in rural and isolated settings to understand their unique situations.
鈥淚t鈥檚 intriguing for them but also for the students who鈥檝e stayed in the city core because they鈥檝e learned too,鈥� says Prof. Sheppard-LeMoine, who likes to accompany the students on at least one of their visits. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to thank these families in person for their support of student learning.鈥�
With a desire to work in rural setting, Seretha sought out her dad鈥檚 Tancook connections in arranging visits with a family on the island. Rendell introduced her to the Bakers, who live in a quaint brown-shingled house overlooking the ferry terminal. David is a lobster fisherman and Katie, originally from Western Shore, is one of the island鈥檚 main boosters. When she鈥檚 not on the boat helping her husband, she volunteers at the school, tends her garden, gathers sea glass and shells for crafts and generally thinks of ways to attract tourists to the island in the summer.
Kitchen table talks
鈥淚t鈥檚 been really wonderful to get to know them,鈥� says Seretha. 鈥淜atie鈥檚 very welcoming and we usually sit at the kitchen table and talk while the kids are running around, having fun.鈥�
The Bakers also act as 鈥渕edical first responders鈥� for the island鈥檚 125 permanent residents鈥攁 population that doubles in the summer. It鈥檚 an important role in a community where a hospital is more than an hour away by boat: Katie鈥檚 been there to hold a hand when a cancer patient has passed away and been first on the scene of a devastating ATV accident.
鈥淎 lot of the time things get worse because the people are too stubborn or don鈥檛 want to see a doctor鈥攖hey think it鈥檚 too much bother,鈥� she says.
Thirteen-year-old Megan takes the 50-minute-long ferry ride to attend school in Chester and back each day. Her brother Dylan, age 10, goes to school along with nine other students at tiny Big Tancook Elementary.
Nestled into the corner of the couch on a cold, blustery day, Katie explains that living on the island is great; it鈥檚 coming and going that鈥檚 the problem.
Going to the dentist or the doctor鈥攅ven going for a grocery run鈥攂ecomes a big, all-day production when you鈥檙e at the mercy of ferry schedules. And things that parents in the city take for granted鈥攍ike taking the kids swimming or skating or movie watching鈥攊s a once-in-awhile treat when you live on Tancook.
Tight-knit
Nevertheless, there鈥檚 lots to do without leaving the island, she continues, as she offers coffee to the visitors in her home. There are bingos, card games and pizza parties to go to, fostering a tight-knit sense of community among residents.
鈥淎nd we love to go to the ice cream socials,鈥� she says. 鈥淒ylan likes to do the cranking.鈥�
Katie packs a lot into her last visit with Seretha, giving her guests a quick tour of Tancook鈥檚 highlights in her pick-up truck. There鈥檚 a trip to the school while the kids are having lunch and to the pretty white church where she was married. She says some folks on the island have formed a marketing committee to promote tourism. They鈥檝e launched a , gotten involved with geo caching and created rest stops perfect for picnicking.
鈥淭here鈥檚 less and less of us here and we want to stay,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e鈥檒l do what we can to survive.鈥�
SEE PHOTOS: Trip to Tancook (photos by Nick Pearce)