Roundup: Another COVID death, kids turn to golf, tall ship Hector reno, historical treasure in Mahone Bay

By Trevor J. Adams 10 June 2020 Share this story

Yesterday, June 9, Nova Scotia announced another COVID-19 death, for a total of 62. The woman was in her 70s and lived in the Central Zone, but not in a long-term care home. Officials also announced another confirmed case of the disease, for a total of 1,060.

Keonté Beals finds his voice
When Keonté Beals was a child, all he wanted was to be a singer. He had the talent but wasn’t sure he could do it. “I’ve had my fair share of depression and anxiety, and things I still carry today—I think many of us do,” Beals says. “I never felt good enough and didn’t fit in because I’m a quiet person.”

But in his community, he found the support he needed. “Growing up in North Preston really was something I wish everybody could experience,” he says. “It is a privilege to come from the richness of the largest all Black community in all of Canada and it taught me to value who I am.” Read more in this recent Halifax Magazine feature by Ross Andersen.

Kids take a swing at golf
With public-health distancing, many team sports are looking at an indefinite pause. And golf course operators are hoping that could trigger a boom for their more solitary sport, played outside in wide open spaces. “Sport Nova Scotia announced there will be no team sports this summer,” says Brian Affleck, manager with Antigonish Golf Course. “Just since that email went out about soccer, we’ve received a bunch of new junior members… Kids can’t get involved with any other sports right now.”

Like most other businesses, Nova Scotian golf courses will run much differently this summer. They’re now operating but with distancing and public-health precautions. So far, golfers are buying in. “It’s been pretty well received because most people understand if we don’t follow the public-health guidelines they’re going to start taking stuff away from us again,” Affleck says. Drake Lowthers has the story for The Reporter.

The Great Big Lift
Last week, workers on the Pictou waterfront completed the first step of a delicate operation, hoisting the tall ship Hector out of the harbour, so workers can begin a year of restoration work. A replica of the ship that brought early Scottish settlers to the region, the Hector is both a tourism attraction and a cultural touchstone.

“One of the things I’m excited about is to see how we can use this venue and this asset to help grow the local economy,” says area MP Scott Fraser. “When we get it repaired and back in the water, it could end up being a much more successful tourism draw.” Jackie Jardine reports for The Pictou Advocate.

Story in stones
Nova Scotia’s cemeteries are treasures for local history buffs, offering fascinating insights into the early days of European settlement. “The triumphs, trials, and tribulations… are recorded in the stones’ inscriptions,” explains historian Bob Sayer. “Here are the folk whose community built some of the finest wooden ships of the Victorian era, traded around the earth’s oceans, landed and processed fish for widespread markets, and supplied quality wood and wood products to the world. Also, sadly, there are the numbers of women who died in childbirth, and the astonishing number of children who died young. There are also victims of accidents, storms at seas, the Halifax Explosion, and wars.”

In this report for LighthouseNow, he guides readers through Bayview Cemetery in Mahone Bay. Volunteers have identified some 750 stones and recorded 900 names. If you’re researching family history, it could be a treasure trove.

Need to know
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This story was originally published in Halifax Magazine.