When I retired after 43 years of trucking in 2015, I was looking for things to fill up some of my spare time. That’s when I discovered Colchester Ground Search and Rescue. I entered enthusiastically into the training and soon went on my first search for a missing person, and I was hooked.
Due to my years of experience trucking long haul, I was soon given the privilege of driving some of the teams equipment and partly due to my training and experience in the Canadian Armed Forces; I took over the role of radio operator.
Then the Covid pandemic came along and changed a lot of things for all of us. As the cost of living escalated, I soon found that my wife’s and my government pensions no longer went as far as they once did. I made the tough decision to return to the workforce after six years of retirement. Luckily, the Nova Scotia Commissionaires welcomed me, but unfortunately the new job prevented me from remaining with CGSAR. It just wasn’t possible to leave in the middle of a security shift to attend a search.
When the invitation came for my wife and I to attend the 50th Anniversary of CGSAR, I was surprised but delighted. The opportunity to see some of the team members I had gotten to know so well in my three years on the team was something I looked forward to with eager anticipation.
The event did not disappoint. Familiar faces and fond memories of shared searches was a real treat for me. And the chicken dinner was good too. Then, during the speeches, our elected Member of Parliament for Cumberland — Colchester, Alana Hirtle, was the keynote speaker, and something about her words affected me deeply as I’m sure they did for others present as well.
As soon as I got home from the event, I sat down and sent off an email to Ms. Hirtle asking for permission to publish her speech in this newsletter. Time passed, and I was beginning to think my email had been lost or rejected. Then suddenly this week I got an email with the text of the speech attached, and permission to publish it. Thank you, Ms. Hirtle.
So without further ado, here is the speech in it’s entirety:
Good evening, everyone.
Thank you for having me with you here today. Thank you for coming out to gather, together, as a community to mark an important milestone. A milestone of service. A milestone of resilience. A milestone of community.
Fifty years ago, after two children were lost—after one died of exposure and a volunteer died trying to help—this community looked tragedy in the face and said “Never again.” Not on our watch. Not in our backyard. Not to our people.
And you didn’t just say it. You did something about it. You organized. You trained. And you committed yourselves to a simple, powerful promise: “SO OTHERS MAY LIVE.”
Fifty years in, here we are. Seventy-five dedicated volunteers. Over 10,000 hours of service in 2024 alone. Twenty-four search operations. From Pictou to Halifax to Baddeck—wherever Nova Scotia calls, you answer.
But let me tell you what really gets me fired up about this organization. It’s not just that you save lives—though thank goodness you do. It’s not just that you’re there for your neighbours in the worst moments—though you always are.
It’s that you’ve built something, together, that makes our communities stronger. When I look at your roster, I don’t just see search managers and wilderness first responders…Applied Suicide Intervention trainers. Mental health advocates. I see a network of people who really, truly give a damn about each other. And in an age when too many communities are falling apart, when too many people feel forgotten —— that kind of connection matters more than you know.
Something that jumps out at me is that you aren’t just responding to emergencies. You’re doing the work to prevent them. You educate our young people about wilderness safety. You train communities in mental health intervention. That’s not just search and rescue. That’s community building at its finest.
And let me tell you something else: Every time you respond to a mutual aid call outside Colchester County, you’re not just helping another community. You’re proving that in rural Nova Scotia, we refuse to leave anyone behind. You’re showing that we take care of our own, wherever they are, whatever they need.
That’s not just admirable. In a world that often feels like everyone’s on their own, it’s absolutely revolutionary. So here’s my challenge to everyone in this room: Don’t you dare think for one second that what you do is ordinary. Don’t let anyone tell you that what you do doesn’t matter.
You matter. Your training matters. Your 2 AM responses matter. Your fundraising efforts matter. Your willingness to spend your Tuesdays learning new skills and your weekends teaching others—it all matters.
To the new recruits: Welcome to this thing that is so much bigger than yourselves.
To the veterans: Thank you for showing us what service, resilience, and commitment to community looks like.
To the families who share your loved ones with this calling:
We see your sacrifice too. Thank you.
And to the next fifty years: We’re going to face new challenges. Climate change will bring new emergencies. Mental health crises will require new responses. Technology will create new possibilities. But if the last fifty years have taught us anything, it’s that this community is doing the work that holds rural Nova Scotia together. You don’t back down from challenges. You meet them head-on. You train. You prepare. You show up.
Because at the end of the day, that’s what this is really about: SHOWING UP. For your team. For neighbours. For strangers who need to know someone cares enough to look for them in the dark.
50 years of showing up.
50 years of “SO OTHERS MAY LIVE”
50 years of proving that Nova Scotia takes care of its own.
Thank you for all you do.
And here’s to fifty more.
As I sat there listening, I felt seen in a way I hadn’t expected. Ms. Hirtle wasn’t just celebrating CGSAR—she was speaking to something deeper about the value of showing up, about the dignity of service, about communities that refuse to leave anyone behind.
That phrase—’SO OTHERS MAY LIVE’—it stuck with me. Because isn’t that what so many of us in our generation have always tried to do? Show up. Do the work. Take care of our own. Whether it’s through formal volunteer work or just being the neighbour who checks in, the grandparent who listens, the friend who answers the phone at 2 AM.
Going back to work at 71 wasn’t the retirement I’d planned. Leaving CGSAR was one of the hardest decisions I’ve made. But this event reminded me that service takes many forms, and sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply keep showing up—whatever that looks like at this stage of our lives. For Marilyn and me at this moment, it’s this newsletter.
Our Shared Wisdom
Have you ever been part of a volunteer organization that shaped your life? Or had to step back from something you loved due to practical realities? How do you stay connected to your sense of purpose when circumstances change?
“Next week, we’ll continue with Part 4 of Forgotten Dollars, but I wanted to share this speech with you because I think it speaks to something we all need to hear: what we do matters. Our experience matters. Our willingness to keep showing up—in whatever way we can—matters.”