When I introduce myself to people, I usually tell them that I grew up in Ontario, but the truth is that I was born in London, England and lived there until I was 11 years old.
It was during that time when I was first introduced to the trombone. I was about seven years old and a teacher came to the school asked if any of us wanted to learn how to play brass instruments. He recommended that I give the trombone a try, and it was something I pursued for the next 10 years.
When my family moved to England in 1998, I brought my childhood instrument with me, bulky case and all. I played throughout elementary school, in the local city youth orchestra and eventually in my Grade 9 band.
Then, as often happens with teenage boys in high school, my love for music gave way to pursuit of sports. I stopped taking music classes, performing and eventually stopped playing the instrument all together. I still had my trombone, but left it buried in the back of my closet, never really that interested in playing it that much.
Somewhere between university, travelling overseas and getting my first full time job, I found that it was just too much of a hassle to carry my trombone around or find space for it in my tiny car and/or apartment. I took it to a local pawn shop and gave the trombone away because it was old and the shop owner did not recognize the British brand and would not pay me for it. I did not think that I was ever going to play again.
Fast forward to April 2017, and somehow I am in a community band playing my childhood instrument once again. I was really rusty at first (it had been over 10 years since I’d last touched a trombone), I could barely read the music, remember the key signatures or keep rhythm, but just like riding a bike, the basics steadily began to come back to me and I was eventually able to keep up.
I had no idea this would be the way I connect with people in the community when I first came to Athabasca. I have other interests, but this was an outlet I had not tapped into for years. There is a way music surrounds you when you play in a band that cannot be replicated, and it was beautiful to be a part of that again.
In my short time here, I have met many other wanderers who found their way to this beautiful yet remote town, and they needed a way to feel at home in the community.
Not everyone found it in a band. Some found it in the gym, others found it watching a show at the Nancy Appleby Theatre, others found it taking their kids to community events.
My point is that the diversity and variety in this town is what will make people like me truly feel at home, and this is something that should always be protected and treasured.
Because you never know what will make a stranger feel welcome.
